MICHAEL CHAPEL - IONA

The builders of the 1200s abbey built the Michael Chapel as a place to worship whilst the existing church was being demolished in order to build a new one on the site. This chapel was built to the north-east of the site of the planned new church. The Michael Chapel had new windows inserted in the 1500 but apart from this is exactly as it was built in the early 1200s.

Like the rest of Iona Abbey, the chapel became derelict following the Reformation of 1560. The Michael Chapel was one of the last buildings to be restored by the Iona Community and this was completed in 1959. The work was financed largely by donations from Africa and most of the furniture and the beautifully curved ceiling are constructed of African wood.

Today the chapel remains a place of worship, giving a space that is considerably more intimate than the Abbey Church itself.