Tour Iona

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The prestige of Iona began in AD 563 when the Celtic bishop Columba and his twelve companions sailed from Ireland to found a monastery here and used it as a base from which to convert the Picts to Christianity. The
monastery was attacked and burned six times by
Vikings and was eventually abandoned in favour of
Kells in Ireland.

lona was occupied again in 1203 as a Benedictine
monastery, but it fell into ruin during the Reformation when symbols of the Roman Catholic faith came under attack.

The oldest surviving building is St Oran’s chapel
(c. 1080), and the ornately carved St Martin’s Cross
(10th century) stands outside the cathedral.

Today lona is a sacred place visited by over 200,000
pilgrims per year. The lona Community, founded by
George MacLeod, now Lord MacLeod of Fuinary in
1938, has played a prominent part in the restoration of
the abbey. Facilities include a book and gift shop, and a
coffee-house. The island is reached by ferry from Fionnphort or by steamer from Oban.

Argyll Hotel, Isle of Iona, PA76 6SJ, Scotland. Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

St. Columba Hotel, Isle of Iona, Scotland. Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

Shore Cottage Bed and Breakfast, Isle of Iona, PA76 6SP, Scotland. Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

Mrs. McDonald's Bed and Breakfast, Isle of Iona, Scotland.

Finlay Ross Bed and Breakfast, Martyr's Bay, Isle of Iona, PA76 6SP, Scotland. Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

Mrs. Black's Bed and Breakfast, Isle of Iona, Scotland. Find the best deal, compare prices and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor.

Iona (Historic Scotland S.) Set at the western tip of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, the small island of Iona is the burial place of kings and the kernel from which Christianity took root among the pagan Picts, as well as being a symbol of Scottish independence. The island was also St Columba's choice for his spiritual base in 563. This book tells the archaeological story of Iona, from Columba's monastery to the island's restoration and renewal in the late-1870s, assessing the many excavations on the island itself within the wider context of Pictland and Northumbria.

Iona (Island Guides) The second title in the Colin Baxter Island Guides series of handbooks on the islands of Scotland, in which the author draws on her knowledge of Iona's history, folklore and landscape to provide a portrait of a Hebridean island which is steeped in religious history.

The Isle of Iona: Sacred, Spectacular,... This is a very fine book and most beautifully illustrated with many colour photographs, drawings, maps and diagrams. If you have visited Iona and would like a memory this is ideal; if you have never visited then this will whet your appetite. The text runs to some 20,000 words and covers the sacred history and the people of the island both past and present, the wildlife, surrounding area, and even touches on the geology. There does not seem to be any aspect of the island and its life, which has been omitted. The text is direct and very well written by someone who clearly loves the island and has expressed that in research and much hard work to do justice to a very special place to the Church in Britain.

Iona: The Living Memory of a Crofting... Community. The Hebridean island of Iona has been the focus of intense outside interest for over 1400 years, from the time of St Columba's monastery in the sixth century through to the transfer of its renowned monuments into the care of Historic Scotland in the year 2000. Yet the people who lived and worked alongside its sacred sites have been largely overshadowed until now. This book aims to redress the balance, taking an in-depth look at Iona's economic and social history during the 18th and 19th centuries - a period that saw profound change across the Highlands and Islands. It charts the agricultural reorganization that led to a crofting system, follows the islanders through the harsh decade of the potato famine and records their worship and education, their crafts and customs, and the ties of kinship that underpinned their community. A broad range of sources are woven together - documentary, material, topographical and photographic, along with oral testimony handed down the generations - to create a vivid picture of Iona's past.