INTRODUCTION
This site draws from some of the legends of those early Christians who lived their faith by evangelising in the geographical areas that were to encompass Banffshire in a later period. Numerous holy men and women were popularly acclaimed saints in the early middle ages without the canonisation process that the Roman Catholic Church now operates, and it is to some of these pre-reformation saints that we turn for inspiration in the post-modern secular Scottish society of our time.
Much of what is now Banffshire was formerly the mainland geographical area occupied by the northern Picts who were a society with some similarity to their Gaelic and British neighbours. They usually lived in small rural farming communities located either adjacent to rivers or the sea (the super-highways of that period). There were some larger settlements around the major forts or religious establishments, and we know that there was regular trade not only within Pictland and the bordering Celtic areas, but also across the surrounding seas.
The Christian mission to the northern Picts was initiated possibly by the followers of Saint Ninian whose evangelisation successes began in Galloway before breaking out in all directions, particularly northwards along the eastern seaboard.
Bede reports of Ninian’s mission with the southern Picts but omits the continuing work of his followers as they move northwards proclaiming the Gospel and establishing small Christian communities, before moving on to the next area.
Many scholars continue to debate the ‘real’ Ninian and his era, however, for our purpose we are most grateful for those early Christian missionaries who initially brought the Gospel to such isolated communities in the most difficult of circumstances from the late 4th century onwards. Saint Columba and his followers are often cited as the ‘evangelisers of Scotland’, however, the truth is that they were re-evangelising in the footsteps of those holy men and women who preceded them by as much as a century or more.
As throughout other Christian lands, the cult of Saints was established in Pictland, and although the Pictish rulers and their successors may have patronised the great saints of the Church such as Mary, Peter, Andrew, and the other Apostles, many of the lesser, more obscure saints were of great importance to the people who had a deep devotion to them.
Some of the Saints mentioned here, like Drostan, Fergus, Comb, Marnoch, and Brandon, deserve to be better known for their contribution to the establishment of Christianity in Scotland. Although saintly legends may have evaporated in the mist of time since the Reformation, there is now a renewed interest in saintly role-models whose example are relevant for both our culture and context, together with a renewal of pilgrimage to the places attributed to their early Christian communities, legendary miracles, holy wells and festivals.
This is a general interest site, not one of academic learning, but there are some links to further reading on other sites for those whom are academically inclined. There is also our blog on which you are invited to participate in respectful dialogue and contribute to the ongoing interest in this, and related topics.
Thank you for visiting us.
This site draws from some of the legends of those early Christians who lived their faith by evangelising in the geographical areas that were to encompass Banffshire in a later period. Numerous holy men and women were popularly acclaimed saints in the early middle ages without the canonisation process that the Roman Catholic Church now operates, and it is to some of these pre-reformation saints that we turn for inspiration in the post-modern secular Scottish society of our time.
Much of what is now Banffshire was formerly the mainland geographical area occupied by the northern Picts who were a society with some similarity to their Gaelic and British neighbours. They usually lived in small rural farming communities located either adjacent to rivers or the sea (the super-highways of that period). There were some larger settlements around the major forts or religious establishments, and we know that there was regular trade not only within Pictland and the bordering Celtic areas, but also across the surrounding seas.
The Christian mission to the northern Picts was initiated possibly by the followers of Saint Ninian whose evangelisation successes began in Galloway before breaking out in all directions, particularly northwards along the eastern seaboard.
Bede reports of Ninian’s mission with the southern Picts but omits the continuing work of his followers as they move northwards proclaiming the Gospel and establishing small Christian communities, before moving on to the next area.
Many scholars continue to debate the ‘real’ Ninian and his era, however, for our purpose we are most grateful for those early Christian missionaries who initially brought the Gospel to such isolated communities in the most difficult of circumstances from the late 4th century onwards. Saint Columba and his followers are often cited as the ‘evangelisers of Scotland’, however, the truth is that they were re-evangelising in the footsteps of those holy men and women who preceded them by as much as a century or more.
As throughout other Christian lands, the cult of Saints was established in Pictland, and although the Pictish rulers and their successors may have patronised the great saints of the Church such as Mary, Peter, Andrew, and the other Apostles, many of the lesser, more obscure saints were of great importance to the people who had a deep devotion to them.
Some of the Saints mentioned here, like Drostan, Fergus, Comb, Marnoch, and Brandon, deserve to be better known for their contribution to the establishment of Christianity in Scotland. Although saintly legends may have evaporated in the mist of time since the Reformation, there is now a renewed interest in saintly role-models whose example are relevant for both our culture and context, together with a renewal of pilgrimage to the places attributed to their early Christian communities, legendary miracles, holy wells and festivals.
This is a general interest site, not one of academic learning, but there are some links to further reading on other sites for those whom are academically inclined. There is also our blog on which you are invited to participate in respectful dialogue and contribute to the ongoing interest in this, and related topics.
Thank you for visiting us.