IONA (HY). — An islet west of Scotland which, according to the Venerable Bede, King Bruda of the Picts gave to the Irishman St Columba, who founded there in 585 a monastery that became famous for its school of writing and for the great number of its saints (St Aidano, St Finano, St Colombano, etc.). Until the Synod of Whitby (664), the monks of I. evangelized Scotland and Ireland.
A ceremony originated at I. which later spread throughout Christian Europe: in 574 the new king of Ireland, Aidano, received the royal anointing there from the hands of the abbot
St Columba. I. was the burial place of the first kings of Ireland and Scotland.
The strict rule of St Colombano of Luxeuil, followed by the monks, ensured that the moral standard always remained very high. The monks founded many monasteries which, governed by provosts, remained dependent on the mother house. In 688 ADAMANNO (v.) accepted Roman discipline, and in 715 the monks of St Columba were expelled from the Kingdom of the Picts; with this, the distinctive life of the Irish-Scottish Church came to an end. The monastery suffered greatly from the Norman invasions: in 806, 68 monks were killed. In 986, after having been destroyed by the Normans themselves, the monastery was rebuilt Scotland (v.). In 1203 it became a Benedictine abbey, and in 1567 passed to the Anglican Church.
The present ruins of the Benedictine church contain beautiful capitals decorated with animals and foliage in a primitive Celtic style. The pointed arches date from the thirteenth century, while the tall Cross of St Martin, decorated with rich reliefs, belongs to the tenth century. To the north-east of the Cathedral stands a very interesting ancient little church in Celtic style.