LISMORE, SCOTLAND—The Independent reports that traces of an early Christian monastery have been found on the small Scottish island of Lios Mòr, or Lismore, by a team of archaeologists and community volunteers. Local tradition, evidence from the place name, and historical records indicated that a monastery had been built on the island in the sixth century A.D. by Saint Mo Luóc. It was not clear, however, if a later cathedral had been constructed on the site of the early monastery, or if it was located somewhere else, said Clare Ellis of Argyll Archaeology. The researchers uncovered burials, craft workshops, early buildings, and signs of precious metal working, such as molds and crucibles for producing high-quality jewelry. “We can now see that it was a thriving center of worship, craftsmanship, and learning, whose importance may have rivaled some of the best-known monasteries in early medieval Britain,” said Gordon Noble of the University of Aberdeen. Future study will examine the site’s upper cemetery and the boundaries of the monastery. Read the original scholarly article about this research in Antiquity. To read about Scotland's monastery island of Iona, go to "Fit for a Saint."
