Saint Wenna

For the 7th-century West Saxon queen, see Wuna of Wessex.

Wenna
St Wenna's Church, Morval, Cornwall
Died	c. 492 AD Talgarth
Feast	18 October
Patronage	St Wenna's Church, Morval, Cornwall St Wenn

Wenna (Welsh: Gwen) was a medieval princess and Christian martyr who flourished in Wales and Cornwall. Later venerated as a saint, she is honoured at multiple churches in Cornwall and Devon.

Life

According to the 12th-century Life of Nectan, Wenna was one of the twelve daughters of Brychan, a legendary king of Brycheiniog (modern-day Wales).[1] Her siblings included Nectan, Mabyn, Ninnoc, and numerous other Brythonic saints.[2] According to tradition, she was martyred by Saxons at Talgarth in 492.[3][4]

Veneration

Two churches and two chapels have been dedicated to a saint by the name of Wenna: a 12th-century chapel at Cheristow in Hartland parish in Devon, the 13th-century parish church of St Wenn, a 14th-century chapel at St Kew, and the 15th-century parish church of Morval, Cornwall.[1] The dedication of the parish church of Morval, however, is sometimes attributed to another Saint Wenna, a 5th-century queen of Cornwall and sister of Saint Non.[5] Wenna may have also had a holy well dedicated to her at St Wenn, but no specific records corroborate this.[1]

Her feast day is 18 October, which is shared with the other Saint Wenna.[3]

References

1. Orme, Nicholas (6 January 2000). The Saints of Cornwall. Oxford University Press. p. 251. ISBN 978-0-19-154289-3.
2. Nash Ford, David. "Children of Brychan Brycheiniog". Early British Kingdoms. Retrieved 27 November 2023.
3. Bond, Andrew; Mabin, Nicholas (1979). Saints of the British Isles. Bognor Regis, West Sussex: New Horizon. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-86116-211-6.
4. The Book of saints; a dictionary of servants of God canonised by the Catholic church; extracted from the Roman & other martyrologies (3rd ed.). St Augustine's Abbey (Ramsgate, England): New York, Macmillan; London, A. & C. Black. 1934. p. 131. Another St. Gwen, of the family of the great chieftain Brychan of Brecknock, suffered death at the hands of the heathen Saxons about A.D. 492.
5. Nash Ford, David. "St. Wenna of Talgarth". Early British Kingdoms. Retrieved 27 November 2023.