Saint Ninian's Church
Saint Ninian's Church, also known as St. Ninian's, was an old church located southwest of Redwall Abbey, just down the road. Given that the tribe of Luke the Warrior once resided there, the building itself predated the construction of Redwall by many seasons.
The building's origins are a bit hazy. According to a song passed down through Windred's family, the clan of a Mossflower mouse, Ninian, had grown too large for their abode, so Ninian decided to build a new home for them. However, he was so lazy that his wife performed most of the construction, prompting her to erect a sign stating "This Ain't Ninian's!" Generations of weathering eventually faded off the first three letters and the exclamation point, causing the sign to read "Saint Ninian's". This reportedly caused the building, when it was rediscovered seasons later, to be mistaken for a church.
The oft-abandoned building was used by several families and groups as a home until Cluny the Scourge evicted the family of John Churchmouse, which had lived there since the time of John's great-grandfather, and established his army's headquarters. From that point on, the building was dwelt in by a succession of vermin, including Slagar the Cruel, who used the church as his base of operations while plotting the abduction of Redwall's young ones.
The final villains to occupy the space was a group of jackdaws during the time of Abbot Durral; the savage birds killed Piknim and badly wounded Gerul, Tansy, and Craklyn. However, Skipper, Rangapaw, and their crew of otters drove out the jackdaws. Recorder Rollo ordered Saint Ninian's to be immolated, asserting it was no longer anything but a place of evil. The building was set aflame, and it was monitored to ensure that it burned completely to the ground. It was not mentioned after its destruction.
History of Occupants
[edit]
- Ninian & wife (mentioned in The Legend of Luke)
- Family of Luke the Warrior (The Legend of Luke)
- Family of Gonff the Mousethief (Mossflower, The Legend of Luke)
- Family of John Churchmouse (Redwall)
- Cluny the Scourge (Redwall)
- Slagar the Cruel (Mattimeo)
- Jackdaws (Pearls of Lutra)
Retcon
[edit]In Redwall, Saint Ninian's Church is described as having several religious aspects (a pulpit, choir loft, lady chapel, lectern, hymn books). This was later retconned out of the series. Like Redwall Abbey, it is a secular building and used primarily as a residence.
Books
[edit]Saint Ninian's Church appears in Redwall, Mattimeo, and Pearls of Lutra, and is mentioned in Mossflower, The Legend of Luke, Salamandastron, The Bellmaker, and Mariel of Redwall. fr:Saint Ninian ru:Церковь Святого Ниниана