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Ninian is also called Nynia, Ninias, Rigna, Trignan,
Ninnidh, Ringan, Ninus, or Dinan. He was a Celt, born in southern Scotland
in about 360, and is regarded as the first major preacher of the Gospel to
the people living in Britain north of the Wall--that is, living outside the
territory that had been under Roman rule. He is said to have studied in Rome
(note that he is contemporary with Ambrose, Jerome, and Augustine), but was
chiefly influenced by his friendship with Martin of Tours, with whom he
spent some considerable time when he was returning from Italy to Britain. It
is probable that he named his headquarters in Galloway after Martin's
foundation in Gall. Martin had a monastery known as LOCO TEIAC, a Latinized
form of the Celtic LEUG TIGIAC. LEUG means "white, shining," and TIG means
"house" (a shanty, or SHAN-TIG, is an old house). The suffix -AC means
"little." Thus, Martin's monastery had a name which in Celtic means "little
white house." At about the time of Martin's death in 397, Ninian built a
church at Galloway, in southwest Scotland. It was built of stone and
plastered white, an unusual construction in a land where almost all
buildings were wood. He called it Candida Casa (White House) or Whithorn,
presumably after Martin's foundation at Tours. Archaeologists have excavated
and partially restored his church in this century. From his base at
Galloway, Ninian preached throughout southern Scotland, south of the
Grampian Mountains, and conducted preaching missions among the Picts of
Scotland, as far north as the Moray Firth, He also preached in the Solway
Plains and the Lake District of England. Like Patrick (a generation later)
and Columba (a century and a half later), he was a principal agent in
preserving the tradition of the old Romano-British Church and forming the
character of Celtic Christianity. Some historians think that the number and
extent of his conversions has been exaggerated, but throughout southern
Scotland there are many and widespread churches that bear his name, and have
traditionally been assumed to be congregations originally founded by him.
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