Whithorn (Taigh Mhàrtainn in
Gaelic) is a small
burgh in
Dumfries and Galloway,
Scotland, about ten miles south of
Wigtown.The town was the location of the first recorded Christian
church in Scotland,
Candida Casa the 'White [or 'Shining'] House', built by
Saint Ninian (original form Nynia) about 397. A monastery and diocese of the
Anglo-Saxon kingdom of
Northumbria was founded on the site in the
8th century. It was the centre of the revived
See of Galloway (or Candida Casa) under the patronage of
Fergus, Lord of Galloway and Bishop
Gille Aldan from the 12th century. The late medieval cathedral priory is ruinous, much of it having disappeared completely apart from the much-altered aisleless
nave and vaults at the former eastern end which once held the shrine of
St. Ninian, one of medieval Scotland's major
pilgrimage destinations. A
museum in the town contains finds from the site, which has been extensively excavated in recent years. A late medieval gateway with the arms of the King of Scots leads into the site of the priory, which contains the 19th century parish church and a museum of carved stones (
Historic Scotland). The collection of early medieval stones is one of the largest in Scotland, and includes the country's earliest surviving Christian memorial, the 5th century inscribed 'Latinus Stone'. The museum layout and display was revised and greatly improved in 2005.
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