St Nonna

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 It is generally agreed that St Non (or Nonna) was mother of St David, she was a great beauty and of noble birth. The Holy Well of St Non is to be found not far from St David's Cathedral in Wales. She is also patron of this parish, Pelynt, near Looe, and Dirinon in Brittany. and Alternon in Cornwall where St Nonna's Alter was preserved. Several legends of Celtic Saints mention the portable stone Alter they used to carry with them.

As most of the lives of the early Celtic Saints were passed on by word of mouth nothing can be taken as fact more as legend however by collating information from various places concerning the St we may get some picture of their lives.

Nonna was a daughter of a local Goedelic notable.

520-St David born a son of Sant, a Brythonic sub-king of Ceredigion and Non daughter of a Goedelic notable, and was a cousin of many other Welsh Saints.

527-Nonna left her native Wales app. this year.

That a place called Davidstow adjoins Altarnon.in Cornwall and could be of some significance.

Legends.-One tells that King Caractacus of Cornwall fell in love with her and married her and produced a son David.

Another she fell in the clutches of a local chieftain name of Sant who had no respect for her vocation or virtue. He forced his attentions on her and a consequence she gave birth to a boy St David. As penance for this evil deed Sant founded a monastery at a place some eight miles from Altarnon now called Lezant.

William of Worcester states that St David was born at Altarnon if so making him Cornish by birth.

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