The Nunnery
The Nunnery (1200 AD) is certainly the more atmospheric of the two, perhaps because it has been ravaged by time, stands quietly and serenely as a ruin. This is reputed to be one of the best-preserved nunneries in the whole of Britain, and it is one of only two houses of Augustinian nuns in Scotland. Such orders of nuns were quite common in Ireland, and scholars surmise that many of the women living here would have been of Irish extraction. The Nunnery was dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Laywomen of noble birth were brought to the Nunnery for burial; this practice continued into the mid-eighteenth century, long after the Nunnery fell into ruin. Owing to the simple fact that women are given little place in written history, the Nunnery prompts all sorts of questions simply because much of what we know today is guess work. Please note the pagan fertility symbol on the South-facing wall, the She-la-na-gig, which is an ancient fertility symbol.
Visit http://canmore.rcahms.gov.uk/en/site/21621/details/iona+iona+nunnery/
The Parish Church
Built in 1828 to the design of the famous Scottish architect Thomas Telford, the church Interior was redesigned in 1939 to its present look. Services are held in the church every Sunday at noon. Short services are held on Tuesdays at 1 pm and each weekday during the summer. It is always best to consult the service times on the village notice board to confirm times of services.
Visit http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/iona/parishchurch/index.html
The Catholic House of Prayer
Cnoc a' Chalmain, or "Hill of the Dove" was established on Iona under the administration of the Catholic Church. It was opened in 1997 by Archbishop Keith O'Brien to commemorate the 1400th anniversary of the death of St. Columba. The Catholic House of prayer offers frequent services during the season. You may wish to visit the small chapel to find times of Mass. Follow the small wooden signs (take a left on to the gravel road leading past the village hall).
Visit www.catholic-iona.com
Telephone: 01681 000369
