
18. Iona’s Medieval Nunnery
by Dr. Rosemary Power
Synopsis
Much has been written on the Columban and Benedictine monasteries of Iona, but female religious life has been little considered in comparison. While direct sources are scarce, this paper seeks to identify the origins of the medieval community; the political and ecclesiastical framework with regard to Norway, Scotland and Ireland, the way of life followed; and the place the nunnery held within the pilgrim practices of Iona.
Image caption: Nunnery church, Iona.
Photo: Rosemary Power.
About the speaker
Rosemary Power has written on the Hebrides in the middle ages, from a Norse-Gaelic perspective, and most recently on Iona nunnery. She also writes on folk tradition and for the general reader on local history, pilgrimage, and art and spirituality. She is currently completing a book on folk practice in Iceland and working on the pilgrim route from Donegal to Iona in Argyll, linking where possible to likely early Christian and medieval paths.
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