"The heart of Welsh Christianity, where birth and burial of the patron saint create a complete pilgrimage"
St. Davids and St. Non's
St Davids, Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom
Two pilgrimages to St Davids equaled one to Rome, declared the medieval popes, recognizing what Welsh Christians already knew. This windswept corner of Pembrokeshire holds the complete story of Wales's patron saint: the clifftop where Non gave birth to David during a miraculous storm, the cathedral where he lies buried, and the paths that connect them. For fifteen centuries, pilgrims have walked this ground seeking what the saint himself sought here.
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Quick Facts
Location
St Davids, Pembrokeshire, United Kingdom
Coordinates
51.8817, -5.2689
Last Updated
Jan 24, 2026
Learn More
St David, patron saint of Wales, was born at St Non's and founded his monastery at St Davids in the sixth century. His mother Non is honored as a saint in her own right, and the well at her chapel has been a pilgrimage site since at least the medieval period. The cathedral that holds David's shrine has been the spiritual center of Welsh Christianity for fifteen hundred years.
Origin Story
Non was a woman of noble birth who became pregnant with David under circumstances tradition describes variously. One account speaks of assault; others simply say his father was Sant, a prince of Ceredigion. What tradition agrees upon is the birth itself: during a fierce storm that swept the coast, one calm spot remained, the place where Non labored. When David was born, a spring burst from the rock, the well that still flows at St Non's.
David grew to become the leader of the Welsh church, founding monasteries across Wales and beyond. His rule was known for its severity: cold water baths, vegetable diet, long hours of labor and prayer. He was called Dewi Ddyfrwr, David the Water Drinker, for his abstinence from alcohol. The monastery at St Davids became a center of learning that influenced Christian practice across the Celtic world.
David died on March 1, 589 (or possibly 601, sources vary), and was buried in the monastery he had founded. His tomb became a pilgrimage site immediately, and his feast day, March 1, is now the national day of Wales.
Key Figures
St David
Dewi Sant
founder
Patron saint of Wales, bishop of Mynyw (St Davids), founder of the monastery and austere rule that defined Welsh Christianity. His feast day, March 1, is the national day of Wales.
St Non
Santes Non
associated_saint
Mother of St David, venerated in her own right as a saint. Her feast day is March 2, the day after her son's. The well at her chapel has been a site of healing pilgrimage since the medieval period.
Pope Calixtus II
historical
The pope who declared that two pilgrimages to St Davids equaled one to Rome, formally recognizing the site's significance within Christendom. This declaration, made in 1123, placed St Davids among Europe's premier pilgrimage destinations.
Spiritual Lineage
David's monastery continued after his death, becoming the center of the Welsh church. The bishopric of St Davids claimed precedence over other Welsh sees, and for a time there was hope it might become an archbishopric independent of Canterbury. That hope died with the Norman conquest, but St Davids retained its significance. The medieval cathedral became a major pilgrimage destination, drawing visitors from across Europe. The Reformation disrupted but did not destroy the tradition; though the shrine was dismantled, the cathedral continued as a place of worship. The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have seen pilgrimage revive, with St Davids recognized once again as a place where seekers come seeking.
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