Tour
Inchcolm Abbey
An
island in the Firth of Forth off the south coast of Fife
opposite Braefoot Bay, separated from the mainland by a
stretch of water known as Mortimer's Deep.
It was the home of a religious community linked with St
Colm or St Columba, the 6th-century abbot of Iona. 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. This was eventually
erected into an abbey in 1223.
Incholm Abbey is known as the Iona of the East. Built
in 1223, after the establishment of a monastic settlement
by David I, monks of the Augustinian order worshipped here.
Although in a ruinous condition, it does provide the best
preserved examples of monastic buildings in Scotland.
The well-preserved abbey and ruins of the 9th-century hermits'
cell attract visitors to the island which can be approached
by boat from Aberdour and South Queensferry.
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