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Saint David the man, and Saint David's Cathedral and city.

© Wendy J. Dunn

On March 1st each year the Welsh people celebrate St David's Day, in honor of their patron saint, a celebration of the man who lived a very simple life, and who made a big impression on those who followed him.

It is not easy to discern which of the stories relating to St David are fact or fiction, but I am inclined to think it is a bit of both. Unfortunately there is very little early written evidence about St David, and because of the many attacks over the centuries on the settlement at St David's, a lot of evidence was destroyed forever. Violence as always reared it's ugly head, and among those who perished in the Viking raids on the Christians were two Bishops, one was killed in the 10th and one in the 11th century. The first real written accounts relating to St David himself were scribed by Rhigyfarch (a son of the then Bishop of St David's), and the year is thought to be 1090, so a period of some 500 years elapsed before any serious account of his life was set to parchment. Even this piece of work was though by many to have been motivated by politics, so we really have to take a lot of what is written as pure conjecture.

There is an earlier mention of St David in a tenth century manuscript called "Annales Cambriae", it mentions the date of his death as being 601 AD. It is not possible to give any certaintly regarding dates, in fact I read somewhere that St David Lived to be over 100 years old!

His date of birth and death seem to verge on speculation, but I would think that sometime during the 6th century is vague enough to be correct! Born at Menevia (St David's) in Pembrokeshire, he was the son of King Sant of South Wales, his mother was St Non (Nonna), legend has it that Non was a nun and that she was defiled by King Sant, hence the birth of David!

Another legend tells that St David's birth was foretold some thirty years beforehand, by an angel who appeared to St Patrick. There is also a story about St Davids baptism at Porth Clais, where a blind man was said to have been cured by the baptismal water.

David founded or restored some twelve monasteries; one of those that he founded was at the site of the current Cathedral of St David's, Pembrokeshire. Other notable monasteries are those at Glastonbury, Bath, and Leominster. He travelled throughout Britain as a Missionary, and it is known that he also went to Jerusalem.