Iona Nunnery		Iona Nunnery as it may have looked when in use

The Augustinian nunnery was founded in the early 1200s, while the Benedictine monks were reviving the abbey. It still stands as an attractive ruin, not far from the abbey.

The largely-intact nunnery church mostly dates from the 1200s. It comprises a three-bay nave and smaller chancel to its east. Along the north runs an aisle terminating in a small chapel. Like the abbey, this church is remarkably plain, suggesting Cistercian influence. The nave’s round arcade arches and narrow splayed windows, linked by prominent string-courses, are essentially Romanesque in design. They could derive from Ireland, rather than Lowland Scotland.		Masonry detail of the nunnery.

The cloister is more ruinous, but parts of the east and south ranges survive. The chapter house was in the east range. The south range contained the refectory and kitchen. The cloister was enlarged in the 1400s. Although only foundations of the cloister arcade remain, fragments show it was beautifully carved. The cloister garden is a tranquil place – worth lingering in on a nice day.

		Next to the nunnery sits Teampull Rònain (St Ronan’s Chapel). This small building was the islanders’ parish church from c.1200 to the Reformation in 1560. Excavations showed there was a chapel on the site in the 700s. The building now houses precious stone fragments from the nunnery. It is normally closed to visitors. Teampull Rònain