The dates of Ninian’s life, and the exact extent of his work, are much disputed. The earliest, and possibly the best, account is the brief one in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History.

Ninian was a Romanized Briton, born in the latter half of the fourth century in southern Scotland. He is said to have been educatedin Rome and to have received ordination as a bishop. But the main influence on his life was Martin of Tours, with whom he spent some time, a…