This week in Christian history: William Carey sails for India; Spurgeon's last sermon; St. Columba dies

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor

Saint Columba dies – June 9, 597

A painting of Saint Columba (521-597), an Irish monk, writer, and statesman who according to legend had the first encounter with the Loch Ness Monster.
A painting of Saint Columba (521-597), an Irish monk, writer, and statesman who according to legend had the first encounter with the Loch Ness Monster. | Public Domain

This week marks the anniversary of when Saint Columba, an Irish monk known for his extensive missions work in Scotland, died.

Descended from royalty, Columba founded several churches in Scotland, as well as the monastic community of Iona, which still exists in the present day.

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Legend has it that Columba also encountered the famed Loch Ness Monster, successfully scaring the mythical creature away from a terrified swimmer. 

 “[Iona] was granted to Columba for the establishment of a monastery by King Conall of a distant relative. His contemporary, St Moluag, had established a church on the Isle of Lismore the previous year,” explained Undiscovered Scotland.

“The island became a place of pilgrimage [after his death], and has remained so ever since despite St Columba's own remains being removed in 849.”

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