Columban Monastery

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ruins of the monastery chapel
Eithne's grave

The Columban Monastery ( English : Columba's Monastery ) is a former monastery on the Scottish Hebridean island of Eileach on Naoimh . It is located roughly in the center of the now uninhabited island, less than 200 m away from the east and west coasts. The facility is classified as a Scheduled Monument .

history

The origin of the monastery is not exactly clear. It probably goes back to a founding of the Irish saint Brendan in 542. The Holy Columban , who later became the monastery for a year Iona founded, the existing facilities could then have taken over in 562, respectively. There are theories that the Eilach an Naoimh is the island of Hinba , mentioned in historical writings , on which Columban, according to its chroniclers, worked numerous miracles, which could have happened in the Columban monastery. Little is known about the history of the monastery in the centuries that followed. Other structures were added in the 11th and 12th centuries. However, it is not known whether the facility has been used continuously in the meantime. Other buildings date from the 17th and 18th centuries. However, they no longer served religious purposes, but belonged to an agricultural settlement, whose residents probably also used the old monastery buildings and partially rebuilt or restored them. It is not known when the monastery was abandoned in the meantime.

description

The monastery complex lies in a depression that is protected in the west by the highest hill on the island with a height of 77 m. There is a small bay on a stretch of coast about 100 m to the south, which, depending on the tides, enables a favorable landing. There is a grave on a rocky hill between the boat landing site and the monastery. This is marked by a simple, hewn stone with an engraved cross and supposedly marks the grave site of Columban's mother Eithne . A two-room quarry stone structure is one of the oldest buildings in the complex, which probably date back to the earliest construction phase. Both rooms are connected to one another by a narrow passage and are each accessible from the outside via an entrance opening. One of the two inputs may not match the original condition and was added later. The rooms of the total of 12.5 m long building are 4.8 m and 4.1 m in diameter. Parts of the 3.8 m high vaulted ceiling have been preserved. However, from photographs it can be concluded that this area was probably restored in 1937. At a second point on the site, remains of the wall found in the ground could indicate another building with a similar structure.

The buildings added in the 11th or 12th century are clay-jointed quarry stone buildings. In addition to a larger monastery complex, they probably housed a chapel and a church. The 8.7 m long and 4.8 m wide church building is located on a flat step. Of the 80 cm thick masonry, with the exception of a 2 m high segment on the northwest side, only the foundation walls are preserved. The edges of the building are set off with corner stones made of sandstone , which probably comes from the island of Mull . The entrance was on the southwest side. On the north-west side the remains of an extension can be found, which probably did not form the entrance to the pulpit, since apparently there was no passage to the church.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Entry in the Scottish List of Monuments ( Memento from July 14, 2012 in the web archive archive.today )
  3. ↑ a b c Entry on Columban Monastery  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 56 ° 13 ′ 17 "  N , 5 ° 48 ′ 27"  W.