THE VISION OF ADOMNAN – Dated to the late 600s A.D., This was a tale of the vision that Saint Adomnan supposedly had during his lifetime (c 679-704 A.D.). Several centuries before Dante’s Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), The Vision of Adomnan depicted the future saint being conducted through Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell so that he could share this “vision” with others.
Dante was guided in a different order by the dead poet Virgil, but Adomnan is being guided by his Guardian Angel.
I. On the Feast of Saint John, Adomnan feels as if he has died and his Guardian Angel leads him through the Afterlife. The first stop in Heaven is the Land of the Saints, a realm of eternal fair weather where dwell the saints, all of them clad in white cassocks with white hoods.
Oddly, the saints are placed according to the four cardinal directions – those who were from the north when alive dwelt in the north of the Land of the Saints, those who were from the south when alive dwelt in the south of the Land of the Saints and so on.
Positioned the closest to God in the center of the realm are the Virgin Mary and the Twelve Apostles, then come the other significant figures in Christian beliefs. Angels are all around, and the music of bird-choirs is always heard.
The innermost circle is where sits God’s throne, formed like a canopied chair with four columns of precious stones supporting it. Three birds are perched on the throne, staring in adoration at God while they mark the 8 canonical hours. Along with birds, horses are also depicted in Heaven. Continue reading
THE VISION OF ADOMNAN (Fis Adomnain) – This was a tale of the vision that Saint Adomnan supposedly had during his lifetime (c 679-704 A.D.). Several centuries before Dante’s Divine Comedy (Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso), The Vision of Adomnan depicted the future saint being conducted through Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell so that he could share this “vision” with others. 
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