Let's find some ancient and at the same time beautiful place and walk through it. Someone learns about him for the first time, and someone will remember again.
If you sail from the shores of Irish County Kerry to the open ocean to the west, then after 15 kilometers you can moor at the foot of a rocky island. It seems as if the steep cliff was generated by a gigantic ocean wave, which soared upward, and petrified, leaving people with a memory of themselves in the form of Skellig Michael Island, which means Michael's Rock in Irish. Apparently, the cliff got its name from the name of the Archangel Michael, a Christian saint who became famous for his victory over the devil in the guise of a dragon.
The rock soaring out of the water looks impregnable and lifeless even at the foot - its slopes are so steep, the paths are so winding. And the closer to the top, the steeper the rocks, the more dangerous the climbing route. The idea that such unenviable "apartments" could once have been inhabited by people seems to be complete insanity, and meanwhile, Skellig Michael has been inhabited, no less than 600 years.
At the end of the 6th century, a monastery was erected at the very top of the cliff (which is 230 meters in height). Monastic cells, laid out of different-sized stone fragments, looked like bee hives, miraculously huddled on the steep walls of the rock. What prompted the monks to choose such Spartan conditions, one can only guess - probably, the asceticism of the ancient Irish Christians was not just a part of ideology, but a way of life.
So the hermits lived - in harsh conditions, cut off from the outside world, only briefly leaving the island that had become their home in order to replenish food and water supplies. The number of inhabitants of the monastery-fortress was small and rarely exceeded a dozen people. The monks did not grumble and would have been completely satisfied with their lot if it had not been for the exhausting raids of the Vikings.
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These militant pagans in search of profit in the 9th century stormed the island with enviable persistence, but due to the inaccessibility of the chosen place, the monastery withstood systematic attacks and even after the most serious raid in 823, it withstood. Decades later, the monastery expanded - a new chapel was built on the rock island. So measured life continued until the onset of the XII century, when a series of fierce hurricanes forced the hermits to leave their habitable places.
On the island, in a fairly well-preserved monastery, the ascetic lifestyle of the very first Irish monks is illustrated in detail, who lived in stone huts, more like "hives". Today there is a version that the very first monks who settled here were Copts who fled from Roman and Byzantine persecution.
In 1826 a lighthouse was built on the island. In 1896, restoration work was carried out here, and then a travel agency was organized to deal directly with tours to the island.
In general, the legendary history of Skellig dates back to pagan times. According to Irish myths, it was here that the battles of the Tuat De Danann took place - that is, the Tribes of the goddess Danu, who at that distant time came to the island.
But the first historical links tell about the King of Munster, who was hiding on the island from the King of Cashel.
Skelling's patron saint is Saint Michael - a Christian saint who accompanies the souls of the most worthy people on their way to heaven, he is also known for his victory over the devil.
However, the monastery was not abandoned: for four centuries in a row, monks visited the former monastery and maintained perfect order in it. And starting from the 16th century, pilgrims from all over the world rushed to the monastery, nestled on the top of a giant rock. In 1826, Dublin's port service took over the island, and soon two lighthouses were erected here, one of which still illuminates the way for ships in the waters of the Atlantic.
In 1986, the former monastery underwent restoration work, after which Skellig Michael began to function in a new capacity - this time as a tourist pilgrimage center. The number of tourists is not thinning - thousands of travelers go to the south-west of Ireland just to see this mysterious and sacred place with their own eyes.
In addition, the islands of Big Skellig and Small Skellig are important nature reserves. A large population of seabirds nest here, including cormorants, fulmars, auk, guillemots, kittiwakes, as well as Atlantic, Manx and European petrels.
Today Skellig Michael is very popular with tourists from all over the world who come here to explore the ancient monastery, as well as admire the incredible, breathtaking landscapes.
In 1996, the legendary monastery became one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites and has been under vigilant protection ever since. And rightly so - this unique structure is worthy of reminding people of the events hidden in the darkness of time for many centuries to come.
The Skellig Islands are located 18 km off the southwest coast of Ireland and rise 213 m above the stormy waters of the Atlantic Ocean. These are two huge rocks - Skellig Michael and Little Skellig - about 1.6 km from each other. The steep sides of the cliffs and their reefs are washed by the waters of the North Atlantic Current, which is a continuation of the Gulf Stream. This current brings warm waters from the middle of the Atlantic along with large species such as dolphins swimming in them. This current is the secret of the abundance of this area.
Water temperature: 9-22 ° С.
Ecosystem: Temperate zone.
Accommodation: It is best to settle somewhere on the mainland. If you wish, you can find an inexpensive hotel and rent a car.
Travel times: The best time to dive in the Skellig Islands is from April to September.
Sightseeing: Diving site on a rock, seal colony, cormorants on Maly Skellig.
The rocky walls of the Skellig Islands are overgrown with a picturesque crust of organisms - anemones, sponges and coral “dead man's fingers”. Each cove has its own inhabitant, and huge crabs, lobsters, conger eels and burbots compete for a place on the rock. Wrasses hide in the forests of algae, and mackerels and perches plow the open sea. You can see seals and giant sharks.