Detail of windows in pink granite walls in the ruins of Augustine medieval nunnery near Ioan Abbey established by the Reginald, son of Somerled, Lord of the Isles in 1200. The first prioress was Beatrice, Somerled's sister and the nun's wore black habits giving the building its celtic name.
nastalled his sister, Beatrice, as its first prioress. One of only two Augustinian Orders in Scotland, the nunnery earned itself the name 'An Eaglais Dhubh' - the black church - after the colour of nuns' robes.
Unlike the rest of the Abbey buildings, the nunnery has not been restored since being made derelict during the Reformation. The pink granite walls that remain, despite being ruinous, are amongst the best examples of a medieval nunnery left in Britain.
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