Description

Iona Abbey is perhaps the most important Christian religious site in Scotland. Found on the small island of Iona in the Middle Hebrides, the abbey has seen over 1500 years of history. The Book of Kells is believed to have been created here around 800AD by monks of the abbey.

While exploring the incredibly restored buildings and grounds at Iona Abbey I found this little stone staircase in the corner of the main chapel which led up to a small arched doorway, only about three feet tall. The heavy wooden door was cracked, so I pushed it open and discovered this little chamber behind it, with the only light coming from one single window. The only object in the chamber was this small wooden chair. Immediately my mind began to swirl with ideas about what this room had been used for over the centuries. Of all the possibilities that came to my mind, the one I’m going with is this is the time out chair in the abbey’s time out room. Maybe a monk had a bit too much communion wine or was late to the 3AM service they all had to attend every day (3AM services were a real thing here) or was otherwise being unruly…banished to the Time Out Chair be ye! Oh the sorrow! The shame! I started joking around with a group of younger visitors about it and convinced them to shove the loudest member of their group in there and close the door on him, telling him that he could not come out until he had thought about his choices.