Skellig Michael
| Native name: Sceilig Mhichíl | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Monastery of Skellig Michael |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Atlantic Ocean |
| Area | 21.9 ha (54 acres)[1] |
| Highest elevation | 218 m (715 ft)[2] |
| Country | |
| County | Kerry |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 0 |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Skellig Michael |
Skellig Michael (Irish: Sceilig Mhichíl), or Great Skellig (Irish: Sceilig Mhór), is an island (the larger of the two Skellig Islands) in the Atlantic Ocean, 11.6 km west of the Iveragh Peninsula in County Kerry, Ireland.[2] A Christian monastery was founded on the island at some point between the 6th and 8th century, and was continuously occupied until its abandonment in the late 12th century.[2] The remains of this monastery, along with most of the island itself, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1996.[2]
Contents |
History [edit]
Pre-Monastic [edit]
Skellig Michael was uninhabited prior to the foundation of its monastery.[2] Folklore holds that Ir, son of Milesius, was buried on the island, and a text from the 8th or 9th century states that Duagh, King of West Munster, fled to "Scellecc" after a feud with the Kings of Cashel, although it is not known whether these events actually took place.[2][3]
Monastic [edit]
The monastery's exact date of foundation is not known.[3] The first definite reference to monastic activity on the island is a record of the death of "Suibhini of Skelig" dating from the 8th century, however Saint Fionán is claimed to have founded the monastery in the 6th century.[3]
The site had been dedicated to Saint Michael by at least 1044 (when the death of "Aedh of Scelic-Mhichí" is recorded),[1][3] however this dedication may have occurred as early as 950, around which time a new church was added to the monastery (typically done to celebrate a consecration) which was called Saint Michael's Church.[2]
The monastery remained continuously occupied until the 12th or 13th century.[2][3] During this time, the climate around Skellig Michael became colder and more prone to storms, and this, along with changes to the structure of the Irish Church, prompted the community to abandon the island and move to the abbey in Ballinskelligs.[2][3]
Post-Monastic [edit]
Skellig Michael remained in the possession of the Order of St. Augustine until the dissolution of the Ballinskelligs abbey by Elizabeth I in 1578.[2][3][4] Ownership was then passed to the Butler family with whom it stayed until the early 1820s, when the Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port of Dublin (the predecessor to the Commissioners of Irish Lights) purchased the island from John Butler of Waterville in a compulsory purchase order.[1][2][3][4] The Corporation constructed two lighthouses on the Atlantic side of the island, as well as associated living quarters, all of which was completed by 1826.[1] The Office of Public Works took the remains of the monastery into guardianship in 1880, and repaired certain collapsed structures, before purchasing the island (with the exception of the lighthouses and associated structures) from the Commissioners of Irish Lights.[1][2][3]
World Heritage Listing [edit]
| Skellig Michael | |
|---|---|
| Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List | |
 Monastery graveyard
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| Country | Ireland |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | iii, iv |
| Reference | 757 |
| UNESCO region | Europe and North America |
| Inscription history | |
| Inscription | 1996 (20th Session) |
Skellig Michael was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1996, at the 20th Session of the World Heritage Committee in Mérida, Mexico.[5] After being nominated for inclusion on 28 October 1995, an evaluation of the site by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (an advisory body of the World Heritage Committee), recommended that the island be inscribed on the basis of criteria (iii) and (iv) of the World Heritage List's selection criteria, which relate the cultural significance of a site.[4] The Committee approved this recommendation, describing Skellig Michael as of "exceptional universal value", and a "unique example of an early religious settlement", while also noting the site's preservation as a result of its "remarkable environment", and its ability to illustrate "as no other site can, the extremes of a Christian monasticism characterizing much of North Africa, the Near East and Europe".[5]
Access and Activities [edit]
Each year 13 boat licenses are granted to tour operators[6] who each run a single trip to Skellig Michael each day during the summer season (April to October, inclusive), weather permitting. For safety reasons, because the steps up to the monastery are rocky, steep, and old, climbs are not permitted during very wet or windy weather. There are also dive sites immediately around the rock.[7]
See also [edit]
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kerry)
- Loreena McKennitt's song Skellig relates the dying words of a monk from this monastery.
- Dry stone masonry
- Clochán
References [edit]
- ^ a b c d e Edward Bourke, Alan R. Hayden, Ann Lynch. "Skellig Michael Co. Kerry: the monastery and South Peak". Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). "Skellig Michael". UNESCO. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. "Skellig Michael: Historical Background". Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
- ^ a b c International Council on Monuments and Sites (October 1996). "World Heritage List: Skellig Michael". International Council on Monuments and Sites. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ a b World Heritage Committee (10 March 1997). "Convention Concerning the World Cultural and Natural Heritage". United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. p. 68. Retrieved 31 May 2012.
- ^ "Information on trips to Skelligs" Skellig Boats, http://bestskelligtrips.com/, accessed 27 October 2010
- ^ "Diving around Skellig Michael" Ballinskelligs Watersports, http://www.skelligboats.com/diving.htm, accessed 27 October 2010
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Coordinates: 51°46′16″N 10°32′26″W / 51.77111°N 10.54056°W
