The earliest mention of Ninian of Whithorn is in a short passage of
The Ecclesiastical History of the English People by the
Northumbrian monk
Bede in . The 8th-century poem
Miracula Nyniae Episcopi records some of the miracles attributed to him. A
Life of Saint Ninian (
Vita Sancti Niniani) was written around 1160 by
Ailred of Rievaulx, and in 1639
James Ussher discusses Ninian in his
Brittanicarum 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 a
Briton who had studied in
Rome, that he established an episcopal see at the
Candida Casa in Whithorn, that he named the see for
Saint Martin of Tours, that he converted the southern
Picts to
Christianity, 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 for
Ireland, and died there in 432. Dates for his birth are derived from the traditional mention of St Martin, who died in 397.
Bede () translates John'', by
J. D. Penrose, c. 1902.
Bede says that Ninian (whose name he only renders in the ablative case
Nynia) was a
Briton who had been instructed in
Rome; that he made his church of stone, which was unusual among the Britons; that his
episcopal see was named after
Saint Martin of Tours; that he preached to and converted the southern
Picts; that his base was called
Ad Candidam Casam, which was in the province of the
Bernicians; and that he was buried there, along with many other saints.
Aelred () Leaving aside the stories regarding miracles, in the
Vita Sancti Niniani Aelred 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". Aelred said that in addition to finding information about Ninian in Bede, he took much additional information for his
Life of S. Ninian from a source written in a "barbarous language"; there is no further information about this text. Aelred wrote his
Life of S. Ninian sometime after spending ten years at the Scottish court and thus had close connections both to the Scottish royal family and to
Fergus of Galloway (who would resurrect the
Bishopric 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.
Ussher (1639) , Archbishop of Armagh, Primate of All Ireland.
James Ussher wrote that Ninian left Candida Casa for
Cluayn-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 a
harper 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". In addition,
Skene attributes the "traditional" date of Ninian's death (16 September 432) ultimately to Ussher's
Life of Ninian, noting that the date is "without authority". Ussher's contribution is often disparaged, as he both invented fictitious histories and misquoted legitimate manuscripts to suit his own purposes. Still, he had access to legitimate manuscripts, and he has contributed to some versions of the traditional stories.
Other sources 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 includes
John Capgrave (1393–1464), John of Tinmouth (),
John Colgan (died ), and many others, up to the present day. The anonymously written 8th-century hagiographic
Miracula Nynie Episcopi (
Miracles of Bishop Ninian) is discounted as a non-historical account, and copies are not widely extant. ==Dedications to St Ninian==