Religion
INTRODUCTION
Little is known about what kind of religion our early ancestors practised. Many of the ancient pre-historic monuments scattered around the Highlands and Islands, e.g. the Standing Stones of Callanish, have some religious connection. Some believe that they were linked to the measuring of times and seasons using the sun and the moon.
Not until the 6th century was Christianity introduced to Scotland when St. Columba founded a Celtic monastery in Iona c. 543. From Iona missionaries went out across Scotland. The Celtic Church lasted from the 6th to the 12th century but then gradually fell under the sway of Rome. From then until the Reformation in 1560, the Highlands and Islands, along with the rest of Scotland, were Roman Catholic.
Following the Reformation, the change to Presbyterianism was gradual. Vestiges of the Roman faith remained, principally in South Uist, Knoydart, Lochaber and Braemar. A small pocket of Episcopalianism held on in Glencoe. But it was the Church of Scotland, recognised by the Scots Parliament, that became the established Church by 1690. By this time the bulk of Scotland was Protestant.
CONTENTS
There is a range of material available for teachers to use in the classroom specifically for this subject area.
EXPLORE OTHER SUBJECT AREAS
There is a range of materials available for teachers to use in the classroom specifically for this subject area
