[MR] BBC: Scientists Confirm St. Columba's Cell on Iona
Garth Groff via Atlantia
atlantia at seahorse.atlantia.sca.org
Tue Jul 11 01:32:06 PDT 2017
Noble Friends, Especially Fellow Scots:
Today the BBC reports that carbon-14 dating of organic matter from a dig
60 years ago may really be from the cell where St. Columba lived, wrote,
prayed, and eventually died. St. Columba landed on the tiny Scottish
isle of Iona in 563. Although Columba rarely left his monastery, he is
generally credited with introducing Christianity to Scotland. His cell
was on a small hill (really more of a lump) just outside the current
12th century abbey. Here is the story:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-40556985 .
Iona Abbey was trashed several times by the Vikings. In the 12th century
it was rebuilt and occupied by Benedictines. Eventually the buildings
again fell into ruins, but were restored by volunteers in the 20th
century. Today the abbey remains an active church, and is owned by
Historic Scotland:
https://www.historicenvironment.scot/visit-a-place/places/iona-abbey-and-nunnery/
. In the lead photo on this web page you can see the small hill upon
which the Saint's cell apparently stood.
The small extension of the abbey building (behind the two crosses in the
photo) is where Columba's tomb stood. Although his relics were taken
elsewhere for safekeeping when the abbey was pillaged by the Vikings,
the small building was a major pilgrimage site during the later
middle-ages. One of Scotland's greatest treasures is the Monymusk
Reliquary, thought to have contained some of Columba's bones. It is now
proudly displayed in the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monymusk_Reliquary .
Wikipedia offers a very good historical summary of the abbey's history:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iona_Abbey .
A biographical sketch of St. Columba is at
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columba .
On a personal note, Lady Sarah and I visited Iona on our recent trip to
Scotland and were very moved by the abbey and its story. We also saw the
Monymusk Reliquary in Edinburgh.
Yours Aye,
Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot
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