Martyrs of Iona
The martyrs of Iona were a group of 68 monks living at Iona Abbey on the island of Iona, Scotland. Viking raids of the British and Irish coasts had begun in 793 after Viking raiders attacked the monastery of Lindisfarne on the English coast. As many abbeys were places with much riches in those days, and Iona was an island that was easily accessible to Viking boats and hard to reinforce from the mainland, the abbey became a target to the Vikings.
Martyrs of Iona | |
|---|---|
| Born | unknown |
| Died | 806 Iona Abbey |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | January 12 |
In 806, Viking boats landed on Iona and they came to the abbey. Sixty-eight monks were massacred in the course of their plundering, and a bay of the island named Martyrs' bay, has been named after them.[1]
See also
External links
References
- Forte, Angelo; Oram, Richard; Pedersen, Frederik (2005). Viking Empires. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 55–58. ISBN 9780521829922.
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