Iona Abbey stands on the island of Iona, where Saint Columba and twelve companions founded a monastery in 563, when the island was part of Dál Riata. The first buildings were wattle and timber or wood and thatch, and a stone chapel reportedly replaced the wooden one around 800. Viking raids ran from 795 to 825, and 68 monks were killed in 806. Ranald, Lord of the Isles, invited Benedictines in 1203, and Bethóc founded an Augustinian nunnery.
The Macdonald Lords of the Isles substantially expanded the abbey church in the 15th century. Ian Gordon Lindsay organized the 20th-century reconstruction, a project passed to him by Reginald Fairlie. The article states no style or dimensions.
Iona Cathedral Trust received the site in 1899, and Historic Scotland took over its care in 2000. It reopened in June 2021 after a £3.75 million renovation. Scholars doubt that 48 Scottish kings are buried there.
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