Translated from the Irish language Skellig Michael means - Michael's rock. The Great Skellig is a steep rocky island in the Atlantic Ocean, 12 kilometers off the coast of southwestern Ireland. At the highest point of the island, at an altitude of 230 meters, there is an ancient monastery founded in the 7th century. For 600 years, the island has been a hermitage center for Irish Christian monks. They lived here in stone cells perched along the vertical walls of the cliff, in isolation from the outside world. The only problem was the Vikings, who raided the monastery from time to time.
Skellig Michael is an amazing example of a religious settlement deliberately built in an inaccessible location and perfectly preserved thanks to its favorable climate and environment. The monastery's Spartan conditions illustrate the ascetic lifestyle that the early Christians of Ireland led. Due to the extreme remoteness of the island, until recently it was difficult for visitors to access, which allowed it to be exceptionally well preserved.
The great Michael was inhabited continuously until the 12th century. when the deteriorating climatic conditions caused frequent hurricanes and forced the monk community to move to the mainland. However, the monastic presence here remained and the cells were kept in excellent condition until the 16th century. Although the monastery no longer formally existed here, this place continued to be a center of pilgrimage. The island was also popular with young couples at a time when marriage was banned in mainland Ireland and they married Skellig.
In 1826 the island was taken over by the Dublin Harbor Authority, which built two lighthouses here, one of which is still in use today. In 1996, Skellig Michael joined the UNESCO World Heritage List.
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