By the 10th and 11th centuries, women had been entirely excluded from any sacramental acts or ecclesiastical functions. Nunneries of the Middle Ages offered women a chance to live the life of an ascetic.
Grounded in both Celtic Druidic knowledge and the new Christian Gospels of early Christianity, Columba was a powerful leader and scholarly monk. He was also a healer, and a magician capable of directing the Elements.
The Iona Abbey is the largest architectural feature on Iona. It was originally built in the early 13th century on the site of the ruins of St. Columba’s monastery.