Oronsay Priory

View from inside the priory across jura

Oronsay Priory, after some renovation.

Oronsay Priory was an Augustinian monastic community on the island of Oronsay, Inner Hebrides. It was in existence by 1353, perhaps founded by John of Islay, Lord of the Isles. It was dedicated to St Columba, and perhaps was a continuation or a re-activation of an older establishment. Very little is known about it because of the absence of records and its remoteness from Lowland Scotland, but on occasions some of the priors of Oronsay come into the record. The priory was given to the bishop of the Isles by King James VI of Scotland. The ruins are visible today.

See also

• John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
• Prior of Oronsay

The cloisters of Oronsay Priory.

Tombs in Oronsay Priory

Bibliography

• Cowan, Ian B. & Easson, David E., Medieval Religious Houses: Scotland With an Appendix on the Houses in the Isle of Man, Second Edition, (London, 1976), p. 76
• Watt, D.E.R. & Shead, N.F. (eds.), The Heads of Religious Houses in Scotland from the 12th to the 16th Centuries, The Scottish Records Society, New Series, Volume 24, (Edinburgh, 2001), pp. 165–7