- Early Christianity and its Monuments -
Figure 37.9 The crosses of St John (left) and St Martin (right) on lona. Stjohn's cross appears
to have been designed without a ring, which was added using mortise and tenon, perhaps after
a fall. (Courtesy of The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of
Scotland.) lona became the most important centre for 'cultural exchange' between Ireland and
Britain in the late sixth and seventh centuries, and its abbots exercised great influence. Abbot
Adomnan of lona (d. 704) was a friend of King Aldfrith of Northumbria and older contem-
porary of Bede; he wrote a biography of Columba (Vita Columba), one of the earliest saints'
lives and manuscripts to survive. When Oswald, educated at Jona, became king of
Northumbria (C.635), he looked to lona to provide a bishop to complete the Christian
conversion begun by Paulinus.
a chancel screen. It is likely that similar woodcarvings, now lost, formed an important
influence on stone ornament and design, whether secular or religious.The Purpose of the Stones
The exact purpose and sequence of events leading up to the erection of most monu-
ments remain obscure.
Most of the inscriptions on stones are commemorative, recording the name and
frequently the kinship of individuals, usually seen as members of the well-to-do