Augustinian Abbey Inchcolm Island Firth of Forth Scotland

Tour Scotland travel video of the Augustinian Abbey on ancestry visit to Inchcolm Island in the Firth of Forth. Scotland's most complete surviving monastic house. In former times, and perhaps partly due to its dedication to Columba, it was sometimes nicknamed Iona of the East. The well preserved abbey and ruins of the 9th century hermit's cells attract visitors to the island. It was the home of a religious community linked with St Colm or St Columba, the 6th century Abbot of Iona. King Alexander I was storm bound on the island for three days in 1123 and in recognition of the shelter given to him by the hermits, promised to establish a monastic settlement in honour of St Columba. Though the king died before the promise could be fulfilled, his brother David I later founded a priory here for monks of the Augustinian order; the priory was erected into an abbey in 1223.

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