Columba

Answering many questions, including Who was Saint Columba? and How did this Irish aristocrat become the most important figure in early Scottish Christianity?, this biography examines the different roles played by the saint in life and death. Tracing his sometimes controversial career in Ireland and Scotland—where he was not only Columba the abbot and missionary, but also Columba the politician and peacemaker—this in-depth examination chronicles his excommunication by an Irish synod, his foundation of a monastery in Iona, and his missionary work among the Picts. The development of Columba's cult following his death in 587 is also covered.