Whithorn Priory one of the most holy places in Scotland was founded by St Ninian in 397. It was the first Christian settlement north of Hadrians wall. St Ninian was born in Galloway, and as a young man visited Rome. He is reputed to have been friends with St Martin of Tours. In later ages it became a place of pilgrimage.

Whithorn became an ecclesiastical burgh in about 1307 and was totally re-built as a Cathedral.

Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1563 as had her father, James V, and her grandfather, James IV who used to visit every year. During the reformation, in 1581, pilgrimage was banned in Scotland