St Ninian's Chapel

St. Ninian's Chapel, Isle of Whithorn

St Ninian's Chapel was built some time in the 1300s to cater to and give respite to the flow of seaborne pilgrims landing here, and for them to give thanks in prayer for a safe journey, before continuing en route to St Ninian's Shrine at Whithorn.

The current structure replaced a narrower chapel built perhaps a hundred or more years earlier, nothing prior to this time has been found. There may have been a small burial ground and a room for a priest also within the exterior walls.

It is at Whithorn that St Ninian built the first Christian church North of Hadrian's wall in around 397 known as 'Candida Casa' or White House. Bringing Christianity to Scotland.

St. Ninian's Chapel is located on the prominentary beside the coves, which was a genuine island up to the development of the village. Car Park adjacent to the harbour.

Chapel Finian near Port William beside the A747 was a similar resting place for minded medieval pilgrims.

Pilgrims still visit the chapel today and there is a 'witness cairn' nearby next to a memorial to the Solway Harvestor tragedy which took the lives of seven local men in a storm off the Isle of Man, 11th of Jan 2000.

More about St. Ninian's Chapel

See also St Ninian's cave, on this blog.

See more archeaological research https://canmore.org.uk/site/63096/isle-of-whithorn-st-ninians-chapel

see also whithorn/https://www.whithorn.info/history/st-ninian-early-christianity-whithorn/

St Ninian here