Ninian is a Christian saint who was first attested in the eighth century as an early missionary among the Pictish peoples of Scotland. As a result, he is recognised as the Apostle of the Southern Picts, and numerous dedications to him can be seen in areas of Scotland with a Pictish population. Ninian's true identity is unknown, and historians have linked the name "Ninian" to various historical persons. According to a popular theory given by Thomas Owen Clancy, a Celtic studies scholar and professor, Ninian is related to three other historical figures: Saint Finnian of Moville, Saint Finnian of Clonard, and Saint Finbarr of Cork.
Linguistic differences between the territories linked with each saint have proven that the Ninian preserved in literary tradition came from this person. This article delves into the specifics and origins of what have been known as Saint Ninian's "traditional" stories.
Contents
- 1Background
- 2Traditional story
- 3Dedications to St Ninian
- 4Gallery
- 5See also
- 6References
- 7Bibliography
- 8Further reading
Second Life - Catholic Encyclopedia
(NINIAS, NINUS, DINAN, RINGAN, RINGEN)
Bishop and confessor; date of birth unknown; died about 432; the first Apostle of Christianity in Scotland. The earliest account of him is in Bede (Hist. Eccles., III, 4): "the southern Picts received the true faith by the preaching of Bishop Ninias, a most reverend and holy man of the British nation, who had been regularly instructed at Rome in the faith and mysteries of the truth; whose episcopal see, named after St. Martin the Bishop, and famous for a church dedicated to him (wherein Ninias himself and many other saints rest in the body), is now in the possession of the English nation. The place belongs to the province of the Bernicians and is commonly called the White House [Candida Casa], because he there built a church of stone, which was not usual amongst the Britons". The facts given in this passage form practically all we know of St. Ninian's life and work. https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11084a.htm
Source: New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia. 1911. St. Ninian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11084a.htm. [Accessed 28 August 2021].
Image attribution: By Unknown author – Book of Hours of the Virgin and Saint Ninian, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45318244