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St. Ninian
St. Ninian's cross
A carved oak figure of a bishop found near
Whithorn. The figure is thought to represent Saint Ninian, who was a bishop during the late fifth century, although the figure itself dates from the 14th century.
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St Ninian, after whom our church is named, is often referred to as the apostle of the northern Britons and Picts. He was born in Galloway and educated in Rome. His manner and eagerness to learn brought him to the notice of the Pope, St Damasus, who decided to train the young man.
After St Damasus died, his successor, St Siricus, consecrated St Ninian a Bishop and commissioned him to return to Britain to preach the faith.
On his way home to Britain Ninian traveled through France
where he heard of the great work being done by St Martin de Tours (c. 316 - 397AD) at his abbey in Marmoutiers. St Ninian stayed at the abbey for some time and was encouraged and helped in his work by St Martin who became his friend and left a lasting impression on him.
In spite of enjoying his time at Marmoutiers Ninian
knew it was time to go home and so he returned to Scotland to begin his
mission. With the help of stone masons from St. Martin's Monastery he began to build his church. The first church he built in Scotland (c.397AD) was the first Christian settlement north of Hadrian's wall, and it was said to be a whitewashed stone building (Most churches of this time were wooden), which could be easily seen. He named it Candida Casa (The White House),
which became translated by the local Picts as "Hwit Aerne", hence Whithorn. During recent archaeological excavations, remnants of a white plastered wall were found which could possibly be from this first church.
St Ninian used this church for his base and from it he and his monks evangelized the neighbouring Britons and the Picts. He was known for his miracles, among them curing a Chieftain of blindness, and these led to many conversions. Following St Ninian's death, the missionary foundation he helped to create, allowed Christianity to grow in strength and survive in Scotland.
A Cathedral was built to house the Saints remains and his church and shrine became a centre of pilgrimage. His shrine at Whithorn has seen many pilgrims,
Mary Queen of Scots visited in 1563 as had her father, James V, and her grandfather, James IV who used to visit
annually. Today the Cathedral is in ruins, but pilgrimages are still made to Whithorn and St Ninian's cave, to which it is said he retired when he needed peace to meditate and pray.
For more information on St. Ninian and Whithorn
visit the excellent site of the Whithorn trust by clicking here.
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