Ninian | |
|---|---|
 Saint Ninian as intercessor ("Ora pro nobis, Sancte Niniane").Donor portrait in theBook of Hours of the Virgin and Saint Ninian, 15th century | |
| Apostle to the Southern Picts | |
| Died | AD 432 |
| Venerated in | |
| Majorshrine | Whithorn Priory |
| Feast | 16 September |
| Attributes | Episcopal, Bell of St Ninian[1] |
Ninian is aChristian saint, first mentioned in the 8th century as being an earlymissionary among thePictish peoples of what is nowScotland. For this reason he is known as theApostle to the Southern Picts, and there are numerous dedications to him in those parts of Scotland with a Pictish heritage, throughout theScottish Lowlands, and in parts of NorthernEngland with aNorthumbrian heritage. He is also known asRingan in Scotland, and asTrynnian in Northern England.
Ninian's major shrine was atWhithorn inGalloway, where he is associated with theCandida Casa (Latin for 'White House'). Nothing is known about his teachings, and there is no unchallenged authority for information about his life.
Ninian's identity is uncertain, and historians have identified the name "Ninian" with other historical figures. A popular hypothesis proposed byThomas Owen Clancy, a researcher and professor of Celtic studies, posits that Ninian can be identified with three other historical figures: SaintFinnian of Moville, SaintFinnian of Clonard, and SaintFinbarr of Cork. Linguistic variations across the territories associated with each saint have provided evidence that the Ninian preserved in literary tradition originated from this individual.[2] This article discusses the particulars and origins of what has come to be known as the "traditional" stories of Saint Ninian.
The Southern Picts, for whom Ninian is held to be the apostle, were the Picts south of the mountains known as theMounth, which cross Scotland north of the Firths ofClyde andForth. That they had once been Christian is known from a 5th-century mention of them bySaint Patrick in hisLetter to Coroticus, where he refers to them as 'apostate Picts'.[3] Patrick could not have been referring to the Northern Picts who were converted bySaint Columba in the 6th century because they were not yet Christian, and thus could not be called 'apostate'. Northumbria had established a bishopric among the Southern Picts atAbercorn in 681, underBishop Trumwine. This effort was abandoned shortly after the Picts defeated the Northumbrians at theBattle of Dun Nechtain in 685.
Christianity had flourished in Galloway in the 6th century.[4] By the time ofBede's account in 731, the Northumbrians had enjoyed an unbroken relationship with Galloway for a century or longer, beginning with the Northumbrian predecessor state ofBernicia. The full nature of the relationship is uncertain. Also at this time, Northumbria was establishing bishoprics in its sphere of influence, to be subordinate to the NorthumbrianArchbishop of York. One such bishopric was established atWhithorn in 731, and Bede's account serves to support the legitimacy of the new Northumbrian bishopric. The Bernician namehwit ærn isOld English for theLatincandida casa, or 'white house' in modern English, and it has survived as the modern name of Whithorn.
There is as yet no unchallenged connection of the historical record to the person who was Bede's Ninian. However, the unlikelihood that the reputable historian Bede invented Ninian without some basis in the historical record, combined with an increased knowledge of Ireland's early saints and Whithorn's early Christian connections, has led to serious scholarly efforts to find Bede's basis.James Henthorn Todd, in his 1855 publication of theLeabhar Imuinn (The Book of Hymns of the Ancient Church of Ireland), suggested that it wasFinnian of Moville,[5] and that view has gained traction among modern scholars.[6][7]
The earliest mention of Ninian of Whithorn is in a short passage ofThe Ecclesiastical History of the English People by theNorthumbrian monkBede inc. 731. The 8th-century poemMiracula Nyniae Episcopi records some of the miracles attributed to him. ALife of Saint Ninian (Vita Sancti Niniani) was written around 1160 byAilred of Rievaulx, and in 1639James Ussher discusses Ninian in hisBrittanicarum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates. These are the sources of information about Ninian of Whithorn, and all provide seemingly innocuous personal details about his life. However, there is no unchallenged historical evidence to support any of their stories, and all sources had political and religious agendas that were served by their accounts of Saint Ninian (discussed below).
Tradition holds that Ninian was aBriton who had studied inRome, that he established an episcopal see at theCandida Casa in Whithorn, that he named the see forSaint Martin of Tours, that he converted the southernPicts toChristianity, and that he is buried at Whithorn. Variations of the story add that he had actually met St Martin, that his father was a Christian king, and that he was buried in a stone sarcophagus near the altar of his church. Further variations assert that he left forIreland, and died there in 432. Dates for his birth are derived from the traditional mention of St Martin, who died in 397.
Bede says that Ninian (whose name he only renders in the ablative caseNynia) was aBriton who had been instructed inRome; that he made his church of stone, which was unusual among the Britons; that hisepiscopal see was named afterSaint Martin of Tours; that he preached to and converted the southernPicts; that his base was calledAd Candidam Casam, which was in the province of theBernicians; and that he was buried there, along with many other saints.[8]
Leaving aside the stories regarding miracles, in theVita Sancti NinianiAelred includes the following incidental information regarding Saint Ninian: that his father was a Christian king; that he was consecrated a bishop in Rome and that he met Saint Martin in Tours; that Saint Martin sent masons with him on his homeward journey, at his request; that these masons built a church of stone, situated on the shore, and that on learning of Saint Martin's death, Ninian dedicated the church to him; that a certain rich and powerful "King Tuduvallus" was converted by him; that he died after having converted the Picts and returned home, being buried in a stone sarcophagus near the altar of his church; and that he had once travelled with his brother, named "Plebia".[10]
Aelred said that in addition to finding information about Ninian in Bede, he took much additional information for hisLife of S. Ninian from a source written in a "barbarous language"; there is no further information about this text. Aelred wrote hisLife of S. Ninian sometime after spending ten years at the Scottish court and thus had close connections both to the Scottish royal family and toFergus of Galloway (who would resurrect theBishopric of Galloway), all of whom would have been pleased to have a manuscript with such a glowing description of a Galwegian and Scottish saint. His work is what Thomas Heffernan refers to as a "sacred biography", probably intended for a politically ambitious audience.[11][12]
James Ussher wrote that Ninian left Candida Casa forCluayn-coner in Ireland, and eventually died in Ireland; that his mother was a Spanish princess; that his father wished to regain him after having assented to his training for an ecclesiastical state; that a bell comes from heaven to call together his disciples; that a wooden church was raised by him, with beams delivered by stags; and that aharper with no experience at architecture was the builder of the church. He adds that a smith and his son, named respectively "Terna" and "Wyn", witnessed a miracle by Ninian and that the saint was granted lands to be called "Wytterna".[13][14]
In addition,Skene attributes the "traditional" date of Ninian's death (16 September 432) ultimately to Ussher'sLife of Ninian, noting that the date is "without authority".[15]
Ussher's contribution is often disparaged,[16][17] as he both invented fictitious histories and misquoted legitimate manuscripts to suit his own purposes.[18][19] Still, he had access to legitimate manuscripts, and he has contributed to some versions of the traditional stories.
Others who wrote of Saint Ninian used the accounts of Bede, Aelred, or Ussher, or used derivatives of them in combination with information from various manuscripts. This includesJohn Capgrave (1393–1464), John of Tinmouth (fl. c. 1366),John Colgan (diedc. 1657), and many others,[20] up to the present day.
The anonymously written 8th-century hagiographicMiracula Nynie Episcopi (Miracles of Bishop Ninian) is discounted as a non-historical account, and copies are not widely extant.[21]
Dedications to Saint Ninian are expressions of respect for the good works that are attributed to him, and the authenticity of the stories about him are not relevant to that point. Almost all of the dedications have their origins in the medieval era, after Aelred wrote his account.
The dedications are found throughout the lands of the ancientPicts of Scotland, throughout Scotland south of the Firths ofClyde andForth, inOrkney andShetland, and in parts of northern England.
Dedications on theIsle of Man date from the time of medieval Scottish dominance, and are not natively inspired.
There are dedications to Ninian inEast Donegal andBelfast; and a spot formerly on the shore ofBelfast Lough was traditionally known as St Ninian's Point, where the missionary reputedly landed after a voyage from Scotland. These connections reflect a strong Ulster-Scots heritage in both areas of Ulster.
There are also dedications elsewhere in the world where there is a Scottish heritage, such asNova Scotia. St Ninian's Cathedral is located inAntigonish, Nova Scotia.
There is a noticeable lack of dedications in theScottish Highlands andIsles, save for Kilninian and the Holy Spring of St Ninian of the Orthodox Mull Monastery on the Isle of Mull.[26]
In the modern era, the first cathedral built in Scotland after the Protestant Reformation,St Ninian's Cathedral, Perth, was dedicated to the saint in 1850.St Ninian and Triduana's Church, Edinburgh is a Roman Catholic church constructed in 1932 that is dedicated to Ninian. St Martin and St Ninian is a Catholic church inWhithorn, constructed in 1959–60 in theRoman Catholic Diocese of Galloway. The architect wasHarry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel (1887–1959).
In Scotland the date 16 September is celebrated as St Ninian'sFeast Day.[27] Ninian is honoured in theChurch of England and in theEpiscopal Church on16 September.[28][29]
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