Saint Ninian’s relics

Over the centuries, countless pilgrims travelled to Whithorn to see and touch the relics of Saint Ninian.

Consequently, by the early 1500s, most of the relics had decayed and the last significant item, an arm bone, was in danger of disintegration.

In 1506, King James IV who pilgrimaged to Whithorn every year had the bone encased in a special container known as a reliquary.

The reliquary was

• made from 27.5 ounces (779 grams) of silver and
• covered with mercury and gold.

Many relics were lost or destroyed during the Reformation of 1560, but Saint Ninian’s arm bone was taken to France for safekeeping by Scottish priests.

It was kept in a college for Scottish priests until the French Revolution in 1789, when it was probably destroyed.