Glenlyon Church, Innerwick

An unusual destination even among the varied holy places of Britain, pilgrimage here is rewarded by the sight of an ancient handbell once owned by St. Adomnan

Highlights:

• 8th-century bell owned by St. Adomnan

Precious for its rarity as much as its sanctity, this ancient bell at Innerwick church might have belonged to St. Adomnan. Reverence for saintly relics is uncommon in Scotland, so it is a wonder to find this bell on display in the church, safely protected behind an iron screen.

The saint presumably visited this valley, Glen Lyon, although his day job was as abbot of Iona’s abbey. The handbell was abandoned after the Reformation, lying for 200 years in the graveyard of a nearby church. It dates from the 8th century, which just fits St. Adomnan’s dates, although the notice next to it states with surprising confidence that it dates from 800 AD, nearly 100 years after the abbot died.

Glen Lyon is a beautiful and wild stretch of landscape, a perfect setting for a Celtic saint’s devout wanderings, his bell ringing out across the valley. While many church artefacts have ended up in museums, this is a rare chance to encounter a saint’s presence on his home turf.

Is the bell actually his? My phone broke on the day I visited: I dropped it while taking photographs of the holy pool at Crianlarich and it lay underwater for about five minutes. It was completely unresponsive and dripped water into a tissue on the car seat. Moments after I touched St Adomnan’s bell through the bars I picked the phone up and it has worked ever since. It’s anyone’s guess whether the miracle is due to St Adomnan or Californian ingenuity.

St Adomnan was originally from Ireland, becoming abbot of Iona in 679. He wrote the remarkable Life of St Columba about the founder of Iona. His book allows us a fascinating glimpse into early Scottish Christianity and the Picts who were being converted, so it is fitting that he should be remembered with affection here in central Scotland. His death and saint’s day are on September 23.

Directions

Glenlyon Church, Innerwick, Glen Lyon PH15 2PP

W3W: goats.leans.hindered

GPS: 56.5983N 4.3014W

Innerwick’s church is by the road in this small settlement half way along Glen Lyon.