Saint Columba

Life of St.Columba (Penguin Classics) Founding father of the famous monastery on the island of Iona, a site of pilgrimage ever since his death in 597, St Columba was born into one of the ruling families in Ireland at a time of immense expansion for the Irish Church. This account of his life, written by Adomnan the ninth abbot of Iona, and a distant relative of St Columba describes his travels from Ireland to Scotland and his mission in the cause of Celtic Christianity there. Written 100 years after St Columba's death, it draws on written and oral traditions to depict a wise abbot among his monks, who like Christ was capable of turning water into wine, controlling sea-storms and raising the dead. An engaging account of one of the central figures in the Age of Saints', this is a major work of early Irish and Scottish history. Saint Columba.

The Life of Columba: An Abridged Translation of Adamnan's Vita The great sixth century saint and founder abbot of Iona, St Columba, left a mark on history that endures to this day far beyond Celtic lands. An account of his life and deeds has come down to us in the writings of Adamnan, ninth abbot of Iona, who drew on the living memories of the saint's contemporaries. Selections from Adamnan's authoritative Life, recounting the prophecies, miracles and mystical visions concerning Columba, are here presented with the moving account of his death. The text is accompanied by an atmospheric photographic portrait of the landscape in which Columba lived and his spirit still thrives.

In 563, St. Columba, an Irish monk, took a mission to Scotland. Columba was of royal descent, and being a prince of the royal house of Tirconaill, he had strong ties with the powerful factions in Ireland. In order to maintain those contacts, he made his base on Iona, in what had been a Druidic shrine. His primary mission was to Christianize the masses in Scotland. However, his missions in Scotland were not purely spiritual. He took it upon himself to strengthen the monarchy by replacing Adrian the False, the rightful king. He also effectively dealt with the Pictish king - Brude, and the Druids who were loyal to the Pictish court. Legend has it that Columba even quelled the monster which threatened Scotland at Loch Ness.