Why was Iona set up?
Why was Iona set up? Iona's ancestry dates back to 563, when Columba, a member of the Irish ruling class, gave up the wealth and power afforded to him by birth and became a monk. He founded an island monastery on the Isle of Iona off the coast of Scotland, which became a home to scholars and a center for religious study and learning.
Why did the Vikings invade Iona?
Medieval monasteries and abbeys were frequently the target of Viking raids because they were wealthy landowners, and stored vast amounts of gold and other precious materials. Vikings plundered abbeys, like Iona Abbey, for riches, food, and even their holy texts?which were, at the time, often inscribed with gold leaf.
Does anyone live on Iona?
Iona is a small, fertile, crofting island, currently inhabited by around 130 people. The island is farmed largely by traditional methods. The National Trust for Scotland works in partnership with its tenant farmers to ensure that rare species, such as the corncrake, are conserved.
Who is buried on Iona?
It's reputed to hold the bones of sixty kings. An inventory of 1549 recorded 48 Scottish kings, eight Norwegian Kings and four Irish Kings buried there. None of the monuments marking the burial places of the kings has survived unlike those of later medieval clan chiefs.
What does Iona mean in Scottish?
In Scottish Baby Names the meaning of the name Iona is: Dove. Also the name of a Scottish island.
Why did the Vikings raid Iona?
Like other monasteries, Iona was targeted because it was a site where wealth was concentrated. Indeed, Iona was undoubtedly the most important and identifiable centre' of wealth in the Hebrides. Here would have been stored gold and silver in the form of reliquaries, book covers and hanging bowls.
Who gave Iona to Columba?
The island of Iona was made over to him by his kinsman Conall mac Comgaill, King of Dál Riata, who perhaps had invited him to come to Scotland in the first place.