11 March 2025

The most lasting influence of the twelfth century ‘Vita Niniani’ is the association which it makes between St. Ninian and St. Martin. According to the author, St. Martin died whilst Candida Casa was being built by St. Ninian.

Since St. Martin’s death is known to have taken place in 397 AD, the traditional date for St. Ninian’s arrival at Whithorn has been taken as 397 too! However, there are several difficulties with this.

Firstly, the association between St. Ninian and St. Martin isn’t confirmed anywhere else. Bede only tells us in his ‘Ecclesiastical History’ that St. Ninian’s see was named after St. Martin.

Secondly, even if St. Martin died at the time that Candida Casa was being built, the church would not have been dedicated to St. Martin at that time without relics being buried there.

Alan Macquarrie suggests  a later date for Ninian. Bede places him a long time before the arrival of Columba in 563AD. Patrick writes about the Picts as they hadn’t been converted. This must have happened after his death in 460AD.

By this reckoning, Ninian’s endeavour must have taken place between 461 and 563. Other factors support this view – the archaeological evidence, the history of place-names, the date for King Tudwal and the growing cult of St. Martin which makes a dedication more likely in the sixth rather than the fifth century.