Iona Nunnery

 I did posts about Iona Abbey Part 1 and Part 2 in previous weeks. Today I'm covering the nearby nunnery.

The church.

The Augustinian nunnery on Iona was founded around the year 1200 by Ranald, Lord of the Isles. Even though it is a ruin, it is still one of the best preserved nunneries in Britain.

North Chapel exterior with its Irish style, triangular-headed window.

Click to enlarge.

It is believed that Iona's first nuns came from Ireland where Augustinian houses were customary.

The arcade in the nave of the church (above) was probably blocked up during renovations in the 1400s. It is believed that the nunnery was enlarged at this time. The west range of the cloister is completely gone and a road now runs through this area.

Refectory

The south range is the best preserved. It contained a large refectory (above) where the nuns ate meals.

North Chapel, the only intact part of the church.

Interior of chapel.

  The rib-vaulted ceiling in the small chapel at the north-east of the nunnery church.

Old door in the chapel. Notice the various types of masonry around it.

 The nunnery was laid out around a square cloister with the church along the north side and the other domestic buildings along the other sides.

What remains of the Cloister.

The church was constructed in the 1200s. It has hardly been changed from its original design. The north chapel has an Irish-style triangular-headed window and a rib-vaulted ceiling. This is the only intact part of the church. The chancel also had a rib-vaulted ceiling, a rare feature in West Highland medieval architecture.

St. Ronan's Church

Click to enlarge.

Peering through the window at the treasures locked within St. Ronan's Church.

Window of St. Ronan's Church.

Thanks for taking the tour of the Iona Nunnery with me!
Vonda

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Coming soon!

 I'm glad to have the cover of the French edition of My Wild Highlander (second in the series). The title has become Le Guerrier Indomptable (directly translated as The Indomitable Warrior.) It will be released in January in France and French-speaking parts of Europe. The first book in the series released last Friday. I love the cover and I'm glad they included Eilean Donan Castle on it. :)

The Kissing the Highlander anthology will contain five novellas set in different historical time periods, from medieval times through the 1600s. Standing stone circles feature in each novella. I'm happy to be a part of this anthology with these great authors and friends. My story is titled My Captive Highlander. It will be released in February.

The Green of Scotland

One of the greenest and most beautiful sights I’ve seen is the Scottish hills and mountains in summer when the sun breaks through the thick cloud cover. This green was so bright, rich and velvety it hurt my eyes to look at it. I haven’t seen any place in the US with green vegetation of this intensity and shade.

I’m still in Scotland today, but likely the hills and mountains of the Highlands are not quite as green in the fall. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures so I can show you when I return. This time we are driving ourselves, so if I see breathtaking scenery or landscape, I can slam on the brakes, get out and take pictures. :)

Where are your favorite green spots in nature?

The Western Highlands of Scotland

One of my favorite places to set a story is the western and northern Highlands of Scotland. This, to me, is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is rugged and harsh country. The mostly bare mountains of rock jut up from the boggy, wet landscape. In summer some of the mountains are covered in the most vivid green vegetation. I couldn't say what the plant is but when the sun shines on it, the green is so bright and velvety it is almost blinding. (above: Glen Coe) In other areas, heather cloaks the mountains and hills and in mid-summer turns bright pinkish-purple. The air here is fresh, cool and clean. Lochs, small and large, dot the landscape. The peat that forms the bogs turns the water naturally brown which creates dark lochs that reflect the dramatic sky.

The sky seems a part of the landscape. The clouds drift down and caress the mountains. In the morning, the mist rises and floats, ghost-like as rays of sunlight knife through. It is such a magical, mystical place. It is easy to see how many myths and legends were born here.


(above: near Ullapool)
As well, the people who lived here hundreds of years ago were as tough and rugged as their surroundings. They had to be in order to survive. Crops are difficult if not impossible to grow here because of the inappropriate or nonexistent soil in the wet bogs or on the rocky slopes. Sheep and cattle survived by eating the vegetation. The climate is cool and damp here most of the year so wool clothing was a must. The most famous of the wool cloth woven by Highlanders was plaid. What we today call a great kilt or belted plaid was to Highland men back in history the most practical of clothing which suited their lifestyle.

(Below: Eilean Donan Castle in the Western Highlands)

(Above: Sango Bay near Durness in northern Scotland)

I like imagining and writing about Highlanders who lived here their whole lives, fierce and free, loving the Highlands like a family member. They fought for, protected and died for this wild land they called home. If you visit you will know why they were so passionate about it.