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Touring Spiritual Iona
Story and Photos by Sharon Whitley Larsen
his was my second visit to the Scottish setting as a spiritual retreat and a base of Celtic
Isle of Iona. With a population of only Christianity, which spread elsewhere in Scot-
177, it's just three miles long and one land.
T mile wide. Columcille—later known by his Latin name,
Revered worldwide as a spiritual tourist des- Columba—spent most of the next 34 years on
tination, Iona is considered Iona, praying, reading, writ-
to be the seat of Christian- ing, copying psalms. It's be-
ity in Scotland. Early Scot- lieved that the “Book of
tish royalty are buried Kells” was created here.
here—reportedly 48 Scot- Columba was said to heal
tish kings among Irish and people, perform miracles—
Norwegian royals. and that he foretold his
Before COVID hit, some death on June 9, 597. After
140,000 flocked to Iona an- blessing the island that day,
nually—mostly day trip- he died at midnight in front
pers, since there are of the church altar, and it's
limited overnight accom- said that a brilliant light
modations. surrounded him. He was 76.
On a chilly, windy day in St. Columba had pre-
April, my husband Carl and dicted that Iona would one
I strolled up the hill past day be honored around the
the white sandy beach, a world by foreign rulers,
few beached boats, the their subjects, and holy men
small post office, grazing of other churches. His spiri-
sheep in a green field, some tual influence popularized
shops and cottages. We headed for the land- the tiny island for many
mark abbey, about a fifteen minute walk. centuries following his death—and still does to-
Iona has a fascinating history: It was here, in day.
563 AD, that a kind, holy monk of royal blood However, Iona had its challenges, including
named Columcille (“Dove of the Church”), age Viking attacks during the ninth and tenth cen-
42, accompanied by twelve companions, arrived turies. Then, around 1200, a Benedictine
from Ireland, where he had founded monaster- monastery and nunnery were established, re-
ies. Here he also founded “a monsastery that maining active until the Protestant Reformation
was to become the heart of the Scottish church in 1560.
during its early years. One of the most impor- Following that, over the next few centuries
tant monasteries in early medieval Europe, it the stone buildings (which had replaced the
was a renowned center of learning and artistic original wooden ones) became ruins, except for
excellence with extensive international con- St. Oran's Chapel, built during the 12th century,
tacts,” wrote Anna Ritchie and Ian Fisher in which remains Iona's oldest building still stand-
“Iona Abbey and Nunnery.” ing. However, visitors still felt a spiritual peace-
This remote, fertile island was the perfect fulness at Iona, as Samuel Johnson wrote in
1773: “That man is little to be envied, whose pa-
176 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2022
