In the steps of Saint Ninian

Ninian is believed to have brought Christianity to southwest Scotland in the 4th century. The Whithorn Trust wisely describe him as a shadowy figure in history; consequently separating fact from myth is nigh-on impossible. What is known is that by the 7th century the cult of Saint Ninian was big business and by the 9th century a large abbey had been established in Whithorn. Pilgrims flocked to the area, believing that the long-dead saint still had power to cure their ills.

It's a story that can be repeated in countless 'holy' sites throughout the kingdom, not least in Cornwall – 'The Land of the Saints'. At some point in the story the saint's bones will often have been 'rediscovered', adding further credence to the cult. It's those pilgrims, and the church's efforts to cater for them (and profit from them), that have left their mark today.

Such goings-on sit uncomfortably with my own Christian beliefs, but I don't live in an age when medicine was rudimentary and pilgrimages were seen as a way of winning God's favour and smoothing ones passage into the afterlife. A pilgrimage to Jerusalem was tops but twelfth century Pope Calixtus II declared that two to Rome or three to St David's in Wales were just as beneficial. Calixtus omitted to mention how many times you'd have to visit Whithorn!

Little remains of Whithorn's abbey, whilst the churches that took its place failed to impress me, so I headed for the Isle of Whithorn to see St Ninian's Chapel.

Again, there's no evidence that Ninian worshipped on this spot. However, I can well imagine hopeful pilgrims beaching their craft on the tiny beach and pausing at this chapel to give thanks for a safe sea passage before pressing on to Whithorn Abbey.  The building is 14th Century, on the site of a 12th Century one.

The last stop on my Saint Ninian Trail, and the one I was most looking forward to seeing, was Saint Ninian's Cave, a few miles along the coast. I like this review on Trip Advisor by 'Tim H' even though, again, there's no proof that Ninian came here:

"No information signs. No gift shop. Just a pebbly beach, blue sky and sea and a small cave in a rocky outcrop, accessed by walking down a woodland path for about a mile. It doesn't sound much but the place still felt special and I can understand why St Ninian used this spot as a place of retreat, contemplation and prayer. You still get a sense of that today - you just need to go there in the right frame of mind."

Poor old Ninian wouldn't find much solitude here today, with a steady stream of sightseers / pilgrims making their way over the stony beach to his cave. Many have felt the urge to leave their mark and not wishing to be left out, I scratched my name on a pebble.

Finally, as I walked away from the cave, another small pebble caught my attention. It seemed to sum up all that was good in the aspirations of pilgrims who, for all we know, may have been coming here even since Ninian first arrived to contemplate his Maker and his mission. 

I popped the pebble in my pocket, and now it's in my home.