394 and 432

Ninian and Patrick: the Mission to Scotland and Ireland

In 394 Ninian founded the first monastery in Scotland at Whithorn. Patrick was a Briton sold into slavery in Ireland as a child. He escaped from there and in 432 returned as a missionary, becoming bishop of Armagh.

In a land without cities or a Roman cultural tradition, a distinct Celtic Christianity took shape. It was organized around monasteries led by abbots rather than around dioceses led by bishops. These included double monasteries governed by abbesses.