St Non's Chapel

The Chapel of St Non is located half a mile south of St David's, and can be found standing in the middle of a field on the coast above St Non's Bay. There is little known about St Non, apart from the fact that she may have belonged to the family of Vortigern, a Celtic King. She was evidently of royal blood and became a nun at Ty Gwyn monastery at Maucan near Whitesands Bay.

Legends tell that she was raped by Prince Sant and gave birth to St David. The birth was accompanied by thunder and lighthing and the stone on which she was lying split apart by the force of the birth, leaving an impression of her hands upon it. Part of this stone was later used as an altar slab in her chapel.

The ruined building found at St Non's is possibly the oldest Christian foundation in Wales. Parts of the walls are still standing, and there is enough of the structure remaining to get a good impression of the original chapel. Inside the building, in one corner can be found a large white stone monument which has a cross inscribed in a circle, plus remains of stone coffins. Legend has it that this is the spot where St Non gave birth to St David, around 510 AD.

Near the chapel at the entrance to the field is St Non's well, which is covered by an arch roofed structure. The well reputedly sprang up during a thunderstorm as the very moment of St David's birth and its water is said to cure infirmities. Many people visited the well during the middle ages and several miraculous cures are said to have taken place.

St Non apparently died in Western Brittany, and she has a fine tomb in Dirinon, France.