Little is known about the pagan religion of the Picts; tradition records that the 5th century Briton St Nynia or Ninian, of the monastery of Whithorn in Galloway, was the first missionary to attempt the conversion of some of the Picts, but the details of his life and work are uncertain. In 563 the Irish aristocrat/priest St Columba (died 597) was exiled to Scotland, and founded a monastery on the island of Iona that was to become the most important in the Celtic world. Columba and his successors converted the pagan Picts and Northumbrians, and the influence of the Columban church grew throughout northern Britain and Ireland until the Synod of Whitby in 664, when the older customs of the Celtic church were superseded by those accepted in Rome.

The Eassie cross-slab (left) is one of the finest examples of a Pictish cross-slab, from Eassie in Angus. This stone features a common theme among Pictish carvings - that of the hunt. The Pictish hunter on the right to the left of the cross is complimented by the stag on the right with the hounds used by the Picts in hunting clearly shown. There can be little doubt that the Pictish artist who carved this stone was every bit as skilled in his understanding of interlaced knotwork as the monks who painstakingly illuminated the books of Kells and Lindisfarne. Many other early Irish saints, such as Moluag of Lismore, Maelrubha of Applecross and Blane of Kingarth laboured in Scotland, founding churches, often on more ancient sacred sites, whose dedications recall their names to this day. Great religious houses, centres of learning and art, were founded, such as Abernethy, Dunkeld, St Andrews, and Rosemarkie, while the most austere monks sought out lonely hermitages in the remote wilderness,caves or small islands.

Many of our Pictish stones survive at these ancient religious sites, often now occupied by modern parish churches; a dedication to a Celtic saint, a nearby holy well, or a surviving piece of Early Christian sculpture, hint at their ancient origin..

The Pagan Picts

Although we can now perceive in the motifs on Pictish Symbol Stones strong links to pagan symbolism in contemporary British societies in Ireland and Wales, it is doubtful we will ever be capable of totally deciphering them - leaving tantalising thoughts of just what, or who, these magnificent art-works represent.

We should remember that in pre-literate societies symbolism is extremely complex and the more one knew the more one could read from such symbols.

(right) Bronze mask from Torrs, Kircudbrightshire.In Adomnan's Life of Columba we have direct reference to a pagan priest, generally represented as a Druid, in the figure of Briochan, adviser to King Brudei. In the Life of St. Columba, Druid and Saint compete in what is clearly a test of magic, Columba proving victorious, as one would expect in the life of a saint. It is noteworthy that on Class II stones we can see Christian and pagan symbolism alongside each other, suggesting the intriguing possibility of some sort of continuity between the pagan and Christian Picts. The survival in folklore of what are thought of as pagan traditions has been wdely noted in Scotland and particularly in the North-East.

Symbols such as the serpent (adder) and cauldron which are common to Class I and Class II stones are associated with mother goddess figures in other European societies contemporary with the Picts. The serpent has continued to be linked with the figure of St. Bridget, originally the pagan goddess Bride, in Scottish Gaelic tradition Bride placenames are common throughout most of Scotland.

St Nynia and the Early Saints

Bede tells of St. Ninian, or Nynia, a Briton, having Christianized the southern Picts many years before Columba. Ninian had been educated at Rome and was perhaps a disciple of St. Martin of Tours. A member of the Northumbrian church, he founded his mission at Candida Casa, Whithorn, where he erected a stone church -a novelty among the Britons. His diocese covered most of what is now southern Scotland, stretching from Galloway to Berwick and as far north as the Antonine Wall. There is a suggestion that as a result of his mission to the Picts, several monasteries were founded there. According to an eighth century text, these foundations were then prospering. A strong possibility exists that Ninian was associated with several ecclesiastical early Church sites as far north as Stirling. Several commentators have suggested that there are a number of wells dedicated to him in various areas. Debate continues as to the time in which Ninian flourished and suggestions range from the early 5th to the 6th century. Also little can be ascertained as to what extent the Picts were Christianized by him, but his mission to the Picts is quite well established. In the light of later developments Ninian is intriguing as he was undoubtedly active in Scotland before the arrrival of Columba from Ireland in 563 AD. The cult of Columba has tended to obscure the role of St. Ninian. Current excavations at Whithorn will hopefully help give us a fuller picture.

There is some evidence for other Irish monks such as Comgall and Donnan coming into Pictland before, or about the same time as Columba, though it is generally accepted that the evidence points to St.Ninian as being the first Christian missionary to have direct contact with the Picts.

St Columba and Iona

Columba is both one of the most significant figures in our history and a total enigma. Exiled from Ireland for having caused a major battle by the surreptitious copying of another's manuscript, Coloumba finally settled with his followers on the island of Iona.

It is generally accepted that even before the arrival of the saint that Iona was already a sacred centre of some kind. Columba was a member of the Ui Niall, on of the most powerful dynasties in Ireland and he continued to be actively involved in politics for much of his life. Histories stress his role in the Christianization of the Scotland though there are grounds for believing that St Ninian had converted some of them long before Columba arrived. Much of what we know about 7th century Scotland comes from the Life of Columba by Adomnan, who was a later abbot of Iona which by the 7th century was an internationally important centre of the Christian Church. (right) St. Martin's Cross, Iona. The cross styles found on Iona tend to feature a freestanding cross, more common to Ireland. Pictish cross-slabs usually feature the cross carved onto a flat slab of rock. Despite being destroyed by Vikings on at least two separate occasions Iona was always rebuilt and to this day is a pilgrimage site for peope from all over the world.

Centres of Learning

We know nothing of any centres of learning before the arrival of Christianity though it is highly likely that those sacred precincts upon which so many early churches were founded, must have had some educational activity. Just as the monasteries had to train new priests the pagan sanctuaries must have had to train neophytes and it is probable there was a lot to learn.

(above right) Part of a carved archway believed to have come from the Pictsh Palace at Forteviot, Perthshire.

Once Christianity was founded the monasteries became centres of learning. After all few outside the church could read or write and even many monks were virtually illiterate in the Dark Ages. It therefore seems safe to say that the following were likely to have been centres of learning; Abernethy, Deer, Dull, Dunkeld, Meigle, Portmahomack, Rosemarkie, St. Andrews and St. Vigean's.

Other locations that may have been developed to some extent included Arbroath, Forteviot and Montrose. Dupplin Cross