Archaeologically there is plenty of interest, including several prehistoric sites and a medieval chapel dedicated to St. Nicholas. This religious site was excavated in 1998-9 and was found to have pre-Viking Age buildings underlying it. Papa Stronsay also became a herring fishing port in its own right, supporting five curing stations and at its peak 1000 workers!
The island is once again a site of religious significance, being the home of an order of monks called the Transalpine Redemptorists. They bought the island in 1999 and the monastery’s cells now dominate the island’s south end.
