Saint Canna

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Saint Canna was a 6th century mother of saints and eventual nun in south Wales.

Canna was supposedly a Breton princess, the daughter of King Tudur Mawr, nephew of King Arthur^[1]. She came to Wales with her husband, Saint Sadurn, and their son, Saint Crallo. Sadurn left her, however, to become a hermit on Anglesey and she remarried and became the mother of Saint Elian Geimiad^[1]. However, these details of her early life are known only from the writings of the unreliable Iolo Morganwg. In later life, she certainly seems to have become a nun and lived at Llangan, Pembrokeshire^[1]. She also founded churches at Llangan, Glamorgan where she was deemed important enough to have her image carved into the church cross. The nearby Ffynnon Ganna, Canna's Holy Well, was a site for pilgrimage for many centuries after her death^[2]. Her name also appears as part of two Cardiff suburbs: Canton (English translation of the Welsh Treganna, 'Saint Canna's Town'); and Pontcanna (Welsh for 'Canna's Bridge')^[2]. Canna's Feast day is celebrated on the 25 October^[1][2].

A Masonic Lodge No.6725, within South Wales Eastern Division, is named after Saint Canna^[3].

[edit] References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Ford, David Nash. St. Canna. Early British Kingdoms. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved on November 1, 2006.
2. ^ ^{a b c} BBC. Reading the Ruins. History Wales. BBC. Retrieved on October 26, 2006.
3. ^ Helion Lodge. Guestbook. Helion Lodge, Huntsville, Alabama. Helion Lodge. Retrieved on October 26, 2006.