First Christians - Early Christian Period - 500 AD to 798 AD
Christianity probably reached the Isle of Man by 500 A.D. The new contact with Christian communities overseas brought literacy and new technological ideas. However, the basic way of life continued much as before.
The first consecrated burial grounds were established and most were served by a small chapel, known in Manx as a keeill. The keeills were stone, earth or timber-built, but the earliest surviving structures are made of stone and probably had thatched roofs. Furnishings were simple, the most important being the altar placed against the eastern gable. The small size of the keeills show that they were used by the priests, and the congregation remained outside for most services.
People were buried rather than cremated, and were placed in a stone-lined grave known as a “lintel grave”. Like the keeill, the burial was aligned east-west with the head at the west. A slab, sometimes carved with a cross, was used to mark the grave. The number of cross slabs, some of which are very ornate, and mention of bishops and priests, found at Maughold, indicates that it is possible that a monastery was established at Maughold. It may have been the seat of scholastic learning and if so, it would have had its own library, scriptorium and stone mason’s workshop.
Early Christian monuments in the Isle of Man include the keeills at Balladoole ,Lag ny Keeilley, Spooyt Vane and the monastic site and carved stones at Maughold.
A selection of Early Christian objects -
For more information see -
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