Oronsay Priory was an Augustinian

Augustinians

The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...

 monastic community on the island of Oronsay, Inner Hebrides

Oronsay, Inner Hebrides

Oronsay , also sometimes spelt and pronounced Oransay by the local community, is a small tidal island south of Colonsay in the Scottish Inner Hebrides with an area of just over two square miles....

. It was in existence by 1353, perhaps founded by John of Islay, Lord of the Isles

John of Islay, Lord of the Isles

John of Islay was the Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, "Lord of the Isles"; because this is the first ever recorded instance of the title in use, modern historians count John as the first of the later medieval Lords of the Isles, although...

. It was dedicated to St Columba

Columba

Saint Columba —also known as Colum Cille , Colm Cille , Calum Cille and Kolban or Kolbjørn —was a Gaelic Irish missionary monk who propagated Christianity among the Picts during the Early Medieval Period...

, and perhaps was a continuation or a re-activation of an older establishment. Very little is known about it because of the absence of records and its remoteness from Lowland Scotland, but on occasions some of the priors of Oronsay

Prior of Oronsay

The Prior of Oronsay was the head of the Augustinian monastic community of Oronsay Priory, on the island of Oronsay, Inner Hebrides. It was in existence by 1353, perhaps founded by John of Islay, Lord of the Isles. It is probable that most of the priors have not come down to us by name. Maol...

 come into the record. The priory was given to the bishop of the Isles

Bishop of the Isles

The Bishop of the Isles or Bishop of Sodor was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Sodor, one of Scotland's thirteen medieval bishoprics. The bishopric, encompasing both the Hebrides and Mann, probably traces its origins as an ecclesiastical unity to the careers of Olaf, King of the Isles,...

 by King James VI of Scotland. The ruins are visible today.

See also

• John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
  John of Islay, Lord of the Isles
  John of Islay was the Lord of the Isles and chief of Clan Donald. In 1336, he styled himself Dominus Insularum, "Lord of the Isles"; because this is the first ever recorded instance of the title in use, modern historians count John as the first of the later medieval Lords of the Isles, although...
  
  
• Prior of Oronsay
  Prior of Oronsay
  The Prior of Oronsay was the head of the Augustinian monastic community of Oronsay Priory, on the island of Oronsay, Inner Hebrides. It was in existence by 1353, perhaps founded by John of Islay, Lord of the Isles. It is probable that most of the priors have not come down to us by name. Maol...