# Columba founds the monastery on Iona (563)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/563-columba-founds-the-monastery-on-iona
Categories: main-event

Irish monk Columba established a monastery on Iona off western Scotland. Within the broader Post-Roman Britain period, Roman institutions gave way to competing Brittonic and Anglo-Saxon kingdoms while Christianity was rebuilt through continental and Irish missions. This event is placed at AD 563 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. Iona became a major centre of Christianity, learning and missionary activity across northern Britain.

## Why it matters
Iona became a major centre of Christianity, learning and missionary activity across northern Britain.

Ruler at the time: [Post-Roman and Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms](https://english-history.com/rulers/post-roman-and-anglo-saxon-kingdoms)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Columba founds the monastery on Iona](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Columba+founds+the+monastery+on+Iona&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Columba founds the monastery on Iona](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Columba+founds+the+monastery+on+Iona)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history_%28before_1000%29)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica — Anglo-Saxon England topic search](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Anglo-Saxon%20England)