When did Ninian’s tomb become important?

When Bishop Ninian died, he was buried in his church.

The poem Miracles of Bishop Nynia described people being healed at his tomb.

As stories of miracles at Whithorn spread, Ninian’s tomb became a shrine for pilgrims. Ninian’s early church was replaced with another building in the 700s.

The cathedral and priory were later erected on what had become a special site.



Evidence shows that Christians were already living and worshipping in Whithorn before Ninian’s arrival.

Latinus’ gravestone, for example, dates from around 450 AD. The stone is the earliest Christian monument discovered in Scotland.

If Ninian built a church at Whithorn, it was probably a wooden building rather than a stone structure as mentioned by Bede.

Another surprising fact is that there are very few place names related to Ninian dating from before the 1100s – the time when the cult of Saint Ninian became hugely popular.