David, Saint (520?-589?), also known as Daffyd, Dewi, or Dewey, is the principal patron saint of Wales. Scarcely any reliable information on David survives. According to tradition, he was the son of a chieftain named Sant and a pious woman named Non, who, like her son, is honored as a saint. David is said to have founded a number of Welsh monasteries, including St. David’s at Mynyw (Menevia) in southwestern Wales.
After David’s death, the local church held him in great respect. As a result, Mynyw became a center of religious authority for much of Wales. In 1120, Pope Callistus II granted papal approval to the cult of St. David and decreed that two pilgrimages to David’s shrine at the cathedral at Mynyw equaled one to Rome. David’s feast day is March 1.
