Post by Wes Gear on Apr 3, 2011 4:03:16 GMT 10
Skellig Michael – Mysterious Monastery in the Atlantic
Nine miles off the coast of County Kerry in the west of Ireland there are two small rocky islands peeking out of the Atlantic Ocean. The larger of the two, Skellig Michael, is home to something quite extraordinary – a 1400 year old monastery which only a handful of people get to see each year.
It is thought that the monastery of Skellig Michael was founded at some point in the seventh century and monastic life persisted there for over 600 years. Why it was abandoned is lost in the sands of time but because of the sheer inaccessibility of the island what the monks left behind remained, through the centuries, remarkably intact.
The name of the island is taken from the Irish language and means Michael’s Rock. It is some rock, too, rising to 230 meters at its summit. Atop this the Gaelic Monastery has become well known globally but very few make the journey to visit the site – not many are allowed. This very fact has meant that because its remoteness necessarily discourages tourists that the monastery is, for its age, wonderfully preserved.
The monastery itself was terraced – a necessity because of the sheer sides of the rick. Three flights of stairs (perhaps reflecting the Holy Trinity) lead up to Christ’s Valley which is the small depression between the peaks of Skellig Michael at 130 meters. The visitor is not disappointed when greeted by the sight of six intact clochans.
It is thought that there were never more than a dozen or so monks on the island at any one time plus an abbot. The mystery as to the abandonment of the rock is never likely to be satisfactorily solved but in many ways the monks did the rest of the world a favor. It is unlikely that what we see now on the island would have remained intact if the island had continued to be populated. Its very abandonment ensured its survival.
www.kuriositas.com/2011/03/skellig-michael-mysterious-monastery-in.html
Nine miles off the coast of County Kerry in the west of Ireland there are two small rocky islands peeking out of the Atlantic Ocean. The larger of the two, Skellig Michael, is home to something quite extraordinary – a 1400 year old monastery which only a handful of people get to see each year.
It is thought that the monastery of Skellig Michael was founded at some point in the seventh century and monastic life persisted there for over 600 years. Why it was abandoned is lost in the sands of time but because of the sheer inaccessibility of the island what the monks left behind remained, through the centuries, remarkably intact.
The name of the island is taken from the Irish language and means Michael’s Rock. It is some rock, too, rising to 230 meters at its summit. Atop this the Gaelic Monastery has become well known globally but very few make the journey to visit the site – not many are allowed. This very fact has meant that because its remoteness necessarily discourages tourists that the monastery is, for its age, wonderfully preserved.
The monastery itself was terraced – a necessity because of the sheer sides of the rick. Three flights of stairs (perhaps reflecting the Holy Trinity) lead up to Christ’s Valley which is the small depression between the peaks of Skellig Michael at 130 meters. The visitor is not disappointed when greeted by the sight of six intact clochans.
It is thought that there were never more than a dozen or so monks on the island at any one time plus an abbot. The mystery as to the abandonment of the rock is never likely to be satisfactorily solved but in many ways the monks did the rest of the world a favor. It is unlikely that what we see now on the island would have remained intact if the island had continued to be populated. Its very abandonment ensured its survival.
www.kuriositas.com/2011/03/skellig-michael-mysterious-monastery-in.html
Happy New Years Everybody!!!
