Non (also Nonna or Nonnita) was, according to
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
tradition, the mother of
Saint David
Saint David ( cy, Dewi Sant; la, Davidus; ) was a Welsh bishop of Mynyw (now St Davids) 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 ab ...
, the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
.
Legend
The ''Life of St David'' was written around 1095 by
Rhigyfarch, 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), (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. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel.
Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...
(in
South Wales
South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a 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 Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...
). 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 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 ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...
).
[Nash Ford, David]
St. Non
in ''Early British Kingdoms'', 2001, accessed 17 October 2012.
* The chieftain who fathered David may have been named Xantus, Sandde
[The early life of David](_blank)
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 between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, in Ceredigion, Wales. Ceredigion County Council offices are in Aberaeron. The name of the town is Welsh for ''mouth of ...
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 Llansantffraed on the coast of Cardigan Bay, north of Aberaeron and south of Aberystwyth on the A487 road. It is situated on a raised beach. The villag ...
(the village being named after her).
* Subsequently, Non may have travelled to
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
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
**Ga ...
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word 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 stand a modern 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 ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...
and
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...
.
[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 of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
s were initially venerated at
Altarnun
Altarnun ( ; kw, Alternonn) is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is located west of Launceston on the north-eastern edge of Bodmin Moor at .
The parish of Altarnun includes the village of Fivelanes and the ha ...
in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
. However, these were destroyed during the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
.
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 ( kw, Pluwnennys, Pluwnonna) 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 ...
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 (; br, Dirinonn) 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
The following is ...
, Brittany, ten miles east of
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
, and is buried there;
her shrine can still be seen in
Dirinon's parish church.
An alterenative legend puts here being martyred at the hands of druids at
Bradstone
Bradstone is a village in Devon, England, on the River Tamar. It has a small church and a Tudor hall (now a farm) with an attractive gatehouse.
Bradstone Manor Farm is a Grade II listed manor house with a Grade I listed 16th century gatehouse. ...
in
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
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 usually held at a date around the summer solstice. It has pagan pre-Christian roots in Europe.
The undivided Christianity, Christian Church designated June 24 as the feast day of the early Chri ...
.
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'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) 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 ...
, nor the Roman Catholic calendar for Wales.
National Calendar for Wales
accessed 17 October 2012.
See also
* Chapel of St Non
* St Non church of Llanerch Aeron parish, near Aberaeron
Aberaeron, previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community, and electoral ward between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, in Ceredigion, Wales. Ceredigion County Council offices are in Aberaeron. The name of the town is Welsh for ''mouth of ...
* St Nonna's Church, Altarnun
St Nonna's Church, Bradstone, Devon
* :fr:Église Sainte-Nonne de Dirinon
References
External links
Saint Non
in ''A Dictionary of Saintly Women'' (1905), which contains a fair-sized hagiography for her.
- History Page
Sermon for the Feast of St Non
given by Canon Chancellor Dr Patrick Thomas at St David's Cathedral on 4 March 2012.
Parish of Altarnun
St Nun's Well, Pelynt
- a video tour
St Non's Well
at ''British Listed Buildings''
St Nonna's Well
- crowdsourced data and images
at Dirinon (French)
at Dirinon
Images from Dirinon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Non
5th-century births
6th-century deaths
People from Pembrokeshire
Children of Cunedda
6th-century Christian saints
Female saints of medieval Wales
Medieval Breton saints
6th-century Welsh people