The
Island of Iona
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The
Island of Iona
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Iona, a mere 5.5km long by 2 km wide, has long been famed as Scotland's "Holy Island" as it was here, in 563 AD, that St Columba landed and founded a monastery with the intention of bringing Christianity to the northern Picts. The mission prospered, with Columba's influence no doubt being strengthened by the fact that he had royal connections. After Columba's death the island and monastery fairly frequently fell prey to invading Vikings, but in spite of this the community continued to grow in strength and the island became known as a holy place of pilgrimage. It was also established as a royal burial place - some 48 Scottish, 8 Norwegian and 4 Irish kings are interred there, including MacBeth and his victim Duncan. The earliest parts of the world-famous Abbey date back to the early 13th century when a Benedictine monastery was established on the island by Reginald, Lord of the Isles. Although much building took place in the 15th century, the Abbey subsequently fell into ruin during the Reformation, and its meticulous restoration has taken place virtually throughout the 20th century. The Mearnscraft map of Iona includes the Abbey, three other buildings, the island ferry, place names, outlying islands, and St. John's Cross. One of our smaller maps with a stitch count of 108 x 118, the design measures 8 × 8¾ inches (200 × 220 mm) when stitched on the recommended 27-count evenweave material. The Iona Goose symbol is reproduced by kind permission of the Iona Community.
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