Celtic Stone Design.Isle Of Iona,near Mull, Argyll And Bute,Scotland,UK. Royalty-Free Stock Image

Iona Abbey, on the beautiful island of Iona just off Mull, is one of Scotland’s most historic and sacred sites. The abbey was founded by St Columba and his Irish followers in AD 563 and became the heart of the early Scottish church. Little remains of the original buildings. A restored 13th-century medieval abbey, founded by Benedictine monks, now stands on the site of Columba’s church. Beside it, there are tall, intricately carved crosses, dating from the 8th and 9th centuries. Visitors follow a route to the abbey taken by pilgrims of old – Sràid nam Marbh, ‘the street of the dead’. Look out for Reilig Odhráin – the little cemetery beside Sràid nam Marbh where many ancient Scottish kings were laid to rest.