NUNNERY CHURCH - IONA

The remains of the complex are one of the best examples of a medieval nunnery left in Britain. It was established around 1200 by Somerled and first run by his sister Beatrice. Unlike the Abbey, the nunnery was not rebuilt after the deconstruction during the Reformation and is one of only two Augustinian Orders in Scotland. The nunnery church occupied the north range of the nunnery and today is probably one of the best preserved areas of the nunnery, with one end wall and one side wall largely intact, along with the north transept, which now forms the only "enclosed" space in the nunnery. As originally built, the west end of the church comprised the nave, which would have been available for use by pilgrims to Iona. The east end of the church was the chancel, used by the nuns themselves for their round of services.