Religion: A Light at lona

From Ireland in his little coracle the missionary-saint, Columba, sailed to the isle of lona in the Inner Hebrides, off Scotland's west coast. There, in 563 A.D., on lona's misty, rainy four square miles, he established a base in the great Celtic Christianizing that swept eastward from Ireland to Britain, across to the Continent — and as far south as Vienna.

lona became holy ground and the burial place of kings. Says Historian A. J. Toynbee: had it not been for one of history's incalculable shifts, lona, instead of Rome, might have been the...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!