From Bute to Iona

I took Easter Communion in St Paul's Episcopal Church in Rothesay this morning. Looking up again at the window that depicts St Columba (which I blipped last August ) I saw at the very top an image of the Abbey on Iona , which I had not noticed before.

I blipped the Abbey itself that on Good Friday last year, but when I examined this picture closely I realised it was of the Abbey before it had been roofed and restored. As the consecration of the church in Rothesay is 1863 and the Abbey restoration started in 1902, the depiction - presumably from a photograph or painting - in the window is llikley to date from between those times or just after, before the roofing was completed. Unless of course this was a deliberate attempt at the archaic !

In fact the very brief history of the church on line indicates that the stained glass windows date from the early years of the 20th century, which would fit, so I must look more closelly at the entire thing next time I am in the church to see if I can find a date and the name of artist. If not the church archives may give the information.

It is very much the best window in the entire building, full of life and with a clear enthusiasm for the spiritual history and vitality of Argyll and Scotland.