You go on two pilgrimages when you arrive at the Isle of Iona: the pilgrimage of Celtic spirituality in Iona and the pilgrimage of the island of Iona.
As I wrote in part one, Columba and his twelve companions arrived on the island and built a monastery, not the ruins you see in the pictures. Theirs was made of wood and thatch, and of course don't survive today.
Iona became the center if Celtic Christianity and spread throughut northern Scotland. Iona also became a learning center for missionaries who came even as far as central Europe. Many brought suriving manuscripts that would have been destroyed during the chaos fromthe fall of the Rome empire and conquering barbarians.
Iona and the other monistaries copied recovered books and portions of the Bible. Many had beautiful caligrophy adorning their pages.
The Vikings first attacked Iona in 795, and continued in 802, 806, and 825. Eventually the Iona community abandoned the island. For almost 400 years, there was no monastic activity.
What Christian presence did remain are two Celtic high crosses, St. John's and St. Martin's installed between the years 750 and 800. St. John's cross recently collapsed and its pieces are reconstructed in the Abbey musuem., along with St. Oran's and St. Matthew's cross. St. Martin's cross keeps vigil on the same spot at the abbey as it has for over 1200 years.
At around 1200, the Benedictines revived monsatic life building an abbey and other structures made of stone. Many of the ruins survive today.
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