pilgrimage | alan frost photography

The Isles of Iona and Mull – Part One ….. Iona Abbey

***The ferry crossing at Fionnphort at the end of the Ross of Mull***

For many centuries The Isle of Iona has been a cherished destination for pilgrims wishing to visit the Benedictine Abbey and experience for themselves the beauty, peace and spiritual nature of the Isle. It was on this isle that St Columba and his disciples first landed in 563AD, having rowed from Ireland in a currach, a small boat with a wooden or wicker frame covered in tarred animal hides. There is much speculation as to why the Irish Saint, then known by his Irish name as Colm Cille, meaning “Dove of the Church”, made what would have been this tortuous journey. But in doing so he spread the word of Christianity in Scotland and further afield.

***The Isle of Mull with Iona at the western tip of*** ***the Ross of Mull***

Even today using modern means of transport it requires a fair amount of effort to reach Iona. From Oban on the Scottish mainland a ferry crossing of about an hour docks at Craignure on the Isle of Mull. An hour and a quarter long drive along the A849, albeit a mainly single track road leads to Fionnphort. From there another ferry crosses the Sound of Iona in ten minutes. These ferry crossings are very weather dependent, so once you arrive on the island the feeling of isolation on Iona is tangible. Keep in mind it is only 3 miles long a 1.5 miles wide. When Samuel Johnson and James Boswell famously toured the Western Isles and the Hebrides in 1773, they reached Mull via the Isle of Coll. A significant and challenging adventure given the journey on land would have been horse and carriage.

***A much photographed view of the Abbey from the Sound of Iona***

Earlier this year my wife and I had the good fortune to return to this very special and beautiful place; The Isle of Iona forms part of the Inner Hebrides in Scotland and lies at the western most tip of the Isle of Mull. We stayed in a small property in Fionnphort and overlooked the Sound of Iona. From our accommodation for the week we could see the small ferry port and observe the regular sailing of the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry as it made the 10 minute crossing. We were blessed with lovely weather although that did have the effect of increasing the number of visitors.

As you might imagine there is considerable history attached to the Island and in particular to the Abbey. Too much in fact for me to describe in any detail here, suffice to say that the Sacred Isle became the hub for early Christianity as missionaries spread the word across northern Britain. The original celtic monastery founded by St Columba no longer exists and the current Abbey dates from the 13th Century, although monastic life ended in 1560 with the protestant reformation and the building was left derelict. Restoration only took place in the early part of the 20th Century before final completion in 1965.

***A replica of the 8th Century St John’s Cross*** – ***what remains of the original cross can be seen in the Abbey Museum***

***Interior detail – notice the ferns growing out of the wall***

***Detail of one of the many stone carvings in the Cloisters – Alpha and Omega***

***Light and darkness in the Cloisters***

During the Dark Ages Iona was the subject of many raids by the Vikings, mainly in the 9th Century and the graveyard of St Oran’s Chapel was used as the final resting place for many local clan chieftains and ‘Kings of the Isles’. During this period the island also became a leading artistic and scholarly centre, known for its carved stone crosses and illuminated manuscripts which included the famous Book of Kells.

This is Part One of three posts about the Isles of Mull and Iona.

Parts Two and Three can be read here

The Isles of Mull and Iona – Part two ….. Capturing the spirit of place

The Isles of Mull and Iona – Part Three ….. It’s bath time!

St Catherine’s Chapel – from picture postcard to a more dramatic view

In this post I thought it might interest those who read my blog to illustrate my approach to capturing a well known landmark and how I come to make a few images which become my take on a much photographed location.

One such famous landmark is St Catherine’s Chapel on the outskirts of Abbotsbury in Dorset. Perched high on a hill overlooking the Jurassic coastline it is very visible from the surrounding hills. The colour image is arguably the ‘straight’ picture postcard shot. A perfectly pleasing image, technically sound, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Convert the same image into black and white, and after a little processing in Lightroom and Silver Efex (my go to software for mono work) and the Chapel instantly has a more dramatic appearance. In my opinion still nothing special, but the sky is more a feature of the shot.

The third shot and a very different composition, this time a portrait. The wispy clouds above the chapel are all important but somehow I still don’t think it is the best shot in this sequence.

Finally, I moved in much closer to the chapel using a wide angle lens. As a consequence the building now dominates the frame and the converging lines of the buttresses give a sense of height and mass. This is complemented by the clouds which are a wonderful backdrop to the harsh lines and solid golden buff limestone structure of the chapel itself. The surrounding landscape has been excluded, so this image no longer provides a sense of place, but as a photograph it’s my favourite of the four. Would it be your choice as well? Certainly the most dramatic, and no longer the picture postcard view which I am always keen to avoid if at all possible.

The chapel is thought to have been built in the late 14th Century by the monks of nearby Abbotsbury Abbey. It was used as a place of pilgrimage; its isolated setting allowing monks to withdraw from the monastery during Lent for private prayer and meditation. As it can be seen from the sea it would also have served as a beacon after the Dissolution.

Do click on any of the images to view a larger version.