Non (also Nonna or Nonnita) was, according to

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

tradition, the mother of

Saint David David (; ; ) was a Welsh Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Mynyw during the 6th century. He is the patron saint of Wales. David was a native of Wales, and tradition has preserved a relatively large amount of detail about his life. ...

, the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

Legend

The ''Life of St David'' was written around 1095 by

Rhigyfarch Rhygyfarch or Rhigyfarch (in contemporary late Old Welsh orthography Ricemarch, 1057–1099), eldest son of Sulien, whom he may have succeeded in 1091 as Bishop of St David's, was the author of the earliest surviving and standard ''Life of Saint ...

, and is our main source of knowledge for the lives of both St David (died c. 589) and his mother. Rhigyfarch was a Norman cleric whose father had been Bishop of St David's for 10 years.''An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and their Saints'', Rees, Elizabeth, Burns & Oates, 2003, pp. 208-209. He states that she was a nun at Ty Gwyn ("the white house") near

Whitesands Bay (Pembrokeshire) Whitesands Bay () is a Blue Flag beach situated on the St David's peninsula in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Wales. Whitesand Bay, on some maps, located west of St. Davids and south of St Davids Head, has been described as the best sur ...

, (although she may have become a nun later as a widow). Tradition holds that Nonita was raped and that the product of that rape was David – she was "unhappily seized and exposed to the sacrilegious violence of one of the princes of the country". Rhigyfarch recounts the tradition that the rapist was Sanctus, King of Ceredigion, who came upon Non while travelling through

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...

(in

South Wales South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...

). After conceiving, Nonita, who remained celibate both before and afterwards, lived on bread and water alone. When a preacher found himself unable to preach in the presence of her unborn child, this was taken as a sign that the child would himself be a great preacher. A local ruler (possibly

Vortiporius Vortiporius or Vortipor (, or ''Gwerthefyr'') was a king of Dyfed in the early to mid-6th century. He ruled over an area approximately corresponding to modern Pembrokeshire, and Carmarthenshire, Wales. Records from this era are scant, and virtu ...

) learned of this pregnancy and feared the power of the child to be born. He plotted to kill him upon birth, but on the day of her labour a great storm made it impossible for anyone to travel outdoors. Only the place where Nonita groaned with birth-pangs was bathed in light. The pain was said to have been so intense that her fingers left marks as she grasped a rock and the stone itself split asunder in sympathy with her. A church was built in the place of David's birth and this stone is now concealed in the foundations of the altar. Variations on her story state that: * Non may have been the daughter of the nobleman Cynyr of Caer Goch (in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

).Nash Ford, David
St. Non
in ''Early British Kingdoms'', 2001, accessed 17 October 2012. * The chieftain who fathered David may have been named Xantus, SanddeThe early life of David
BBC Local History Page, archived version from 10 January 2008 accessed 17 October 2012. or Sant.''An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and their Saints'', Rees, Elizabeth, Burns & Oates, 2003, pp. 224-225. (Rees points out that names meaning 'Holy' and 'Nun' might be seen as fitting for the parents of a great saint.) * Non may have been married to Sant before David's birth or after the birth of the saint.Rabenstein, Katherine I., ''Saint of the Day'' Summaries prepared in 1989

accessed 17 October 2012. * She brought the boy up at Henfeynyw near

Aberaeron Aberaeron (), previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales. Located on the coast between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, its resident population was 1,274 in the 2021 census. The name of the town i ...

and founded a convent nearby at what is now called

Llanon Llanon (; also spelled Llan-non) is a village in Ceredigion, Wales. It adjoins the village of Llansantffraid, Ceredigion, Llansantffraed on the coast of Cardigan Bay, north of Aberaeron and south of Aberystwyth on the A487 road. It is situate ...

(the village being named after her). * Subsequently, Non may have travelled to

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

and ultimately ended her days in a

Breton Breton most often refers to: *anything associated with Brittany, and generally **Breton people **Breton language, a Southwestern Brittonic Celtic language of the Indo-European language family, spoken in Brittany ** Breton (horse), a breed **Gale ...

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. * In some sources, Non is commemorated as a male companion of David.

Veneration

The place where Non gave birth to Saint David is now named Capel Non, and is marked by the Chapel of St Non. Close to the ruins of this chapel is her holy well; nearby also stands a retreat house, and a chapel dedicated to ''Our Lady and Saint Non'' built in 1934.''An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and their Saints'', Rees, Elizabeth, Burns & Oates, 2003, pp. 128-129. The ruins are easily accessible from the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Other churches bear her name in Devon,

Ceredigion Ceredigion (), historically Cardiganshire (, ), is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the West Wales, west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the River Dyfi, Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire t ...

and

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

.Mullins, Daniel J.. ''Early Welsh Saints''. Carreg-Gwalch Press, 2003, p. 32. Non's

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s were initially venerated at

Altarnun Altarnun ( ; ) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies west of Launceston on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at . The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the hamlets of Bolvento ...

. However, these were destroyed during the

Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...

. Medieval glass fragments which remain above the altar may depict Non; there is a holy well nearby with a long tradition of bringing the insane to be immersed (one legend has them being thrown in backwards) in hope of a cure.''An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and their Saints'', Rees, Elizabeth, Burns & Oates, 2003, pp. 135. She is also the patron of

Pelynt Pelynt ( or ) is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 20 miles (32 km) west of Plymouth and four miles (6.5 km) west-northwest of Looe. Pelynt had a population of around 1,124 at the 2001 census wh ...

in Cornwall where there is St Nonna's Holy Well.''An Essential Guide to Celtic Sites and their Saints'', Rees, Elizabeth, Burns & Oates, 2003, pp. 145-146. Non died at

Dirinon Dirinon (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Dirinon are called in French ''Dirinonais''. See also *Communes of the Finistère department * Dirinon Parish close *List o ...

, Brittany, ten miles east of Brest, and is buried there; her shrine can still be seen in Dirinon's parish church. An alternative legend puts her being martyred at the hands of druids at Bradstone in

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

where the church is dedicated to her. St Non's feast day is given as 2 March by Mullins and by the 18th century text of Browne Willis cited by Rees. Nash Ford identifies 3 March as her date of death. 3 March is also the date recognised by Simpson.Simpson, Ray. ''Saints of the Isles: A Year of Feasts''. Kevin Mayhew, 2003, p. 105. She is listed under 5 March in the 1995 revision of the Church in Wales calendar. At the Parish of Pelynt, which contains St Nonna's Holy Well, the feast of St Nonna is celebrated on the second Sunday after

Midsummer's Day Midsummer is a celebration of the season of summer, taking place on or near the date of the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere; the longest day of the year. The name "midsummer" mainly refers to summer solstice festivals of European or ...

. St Non is not officially commemorated in the current liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church: she does not appear in the 2004 edition of the

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...

, nor the Roman Catholic calendar for Wales.National Calendar for Wales
accessed 17 October 2012.

Legend

Veneration

See also

References

External links