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Community Dig Unearths Major 6th Century Monastery in Scotland
1 Oct
Summary
- Excavations revealed a major sixth-century monastery comparable to Iona.
- Rare evidence of high-status craftworking, including crucibles, was found.
- The monastery was a high-ranking site of international importance.
- Community funding and volunteer efforts led to the significant discoveries.
Community-funded archaeological excavations on the Scottish island of Lismore have uncovered evidence of a significant sixth-century monastery. The project, driven by the local historical society and volunteers, revealed extensive burial grounds, decorated stonework, and early buildings. These findings suggest the monastery was a major center, comparable in importance to the renowned site of Iona.
Further discoveries included rare evidence of high-status craftworking from the seventh century, with numerous crucibles used for casting gold and silver. Experts now believe the monastery, Lios Mór, founded by Saint Mo Luóc, was a site of international significance, challenging previous perceptions of it being a small, overlooked church.
This initiative highlights a bottom-up approach where the community drove the project, working alongside professional archaeologists. The findings are expected to be published soon, aiming to restore the reputation of Saint Mo Luóc, whose contributions to early Christianity in Scotland have been underestimated.
