Day19: 28 July 00
This was the last day of excavation before the site becomes polythened for temporary backfilling. A number of small tasks had to be completed in order to reach a suitable stopping point and a stage which allowed the site to be understood in broad terms. We now have a fairly accurate idea of what happened on Papa Stronsay over a period of several centuries:
1. Prehistoric settlement occurred, although at a date yet to be defined, and consisted of several small buildings and features along the shoreline. Most of these have now vanished to the sea, but a double burial against the coastline (shown earlier in the week) suggests that the site was partly used for burial purposes. The island also turns up occasional prehistoric artefacts.
A large fragment of a prehistoric quern stone discovered earlier in the week
2. In the Iron Age, probably around the 7th or 8th century, this pagan site was transformed into a place of Christian worship. It became the location of a small monastery and the whole island may have been populated by monks. There was a 'processional' pathway around the island perimeter, and possibly even a wall to symbolise the distinction between the holy and the secular worlds.
Part of the monastic pathway extending out to the sea edge
3. The monastery may have consisted of small cell arrangements for the monks. One of these has survived well, others less well. The best example is sub-circular, probably corbelled, and has a focal stone setting. A photograph of the cell was shown yesterday, but today the stone was the subject of attention.
The focal stone setting which seems also to have been used as a hearth under investigation
4. Probably associated with the cellular arrangements was a building which may have been a small church. This may have survived as a small structure to the east where a flagged floor lies, unusually, below the walling and acts as the lowest course. The north and south (side) walls had not survived, but traces of a possible west wall are evident within the chancel of the later chapel. The church was at some point surrounded by an enclosure wall. The extent of the enclosed area is unknown, although parts of it were later subdivided by a small cross wall.
Aerial view of the supposed earlier church showing likely west wall in the foreground, inside the later chancel
Part of a cross wall to the enclosure under excavation today
5. Sometime in the 11th or 12th centuries a chapel was constructed on the site. It was originally rectangular but was later extended to include a chancel. A new enclosure wall was constructed around the building. Two side altars were added to the east end of the nave and the building survived until the 18th century when it was robbed for the construction of farm buildings.
The chancel of the medieval chapel with the two side altars at either side of the foreground
6. In 1999 monks returned to Papa Stronsay establishing a small working community of Brothers and, in doing so, have continued a tradition of monasticism on the island started over 1200 years ago.
The current monastic buildings on Papa Stronsay
The excavations on Papa Stronsay were funded through Historic Scotland, the Arts and Humanities Research Board, Orkney Islands Council, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, the Hunter Archaeological Trust, the Russell Trust and the University of Birmingham. We are indebted to all of them, as well as to all our friends on Stronsay and to the new monks on the island.
Simon Buteux, John Hunter and Chris Lowe