Raymond Nonnatus
| Saint Raymund Nonnatus, O. de M. | |
|---|---|
Saint Raymund Nonnatus being fed by Angels
by Eugenio Caxés, 1630 |
|
| Religious, priest and confessor | |
| Born | 1204 Portell, County of Segarra, County of Barcelona, Crown of Aragon, Spain |
| Died | August 31, 1240 Castle of Cardona, County of Cardona, County of Barcelona, Crown of Aragon, Spain |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Canonized | 1657, Rome, by Pope Alexander VII |
| Feast | August 31 |
| Attributes | A Mercedarian friar wearing a cardinal's red mozzetta, holding a monstrance and a martyr's palm branch |
| Patronage | Baitoa, Dominican Republic; childbirth; expectant mothers; pregnant women; newborn babies; infants; children; obstetricians; midwives; fever; the falsely accused; confidentiality of confession |
Raymund Nonnatus, O. de M. (Catalan: Sant Ramon Nonat, Spanish: San Ramón Nonato, French: Saint Raymond Nonnat, Maltese: San Rajmondo Nonnato), (1204 – 31 August 1240) is a saint from Catalonia in Spain. His nickname (Latin: Nonnatus, "not born") refers to his birth by Caesarean section, his mother having died while giving birth to him.
Raymund is the patron saint of childbirth, midwives, children, pregnant women, and priests defending the confidentiality of confession.
According to the traditions of the Mercedarian Order, he was born in the village of Portell (today part of Sant Ramon), in the Diocese of Urgell. He was taken from the womb of his mother after her death, hence his name. Some traditions describe him as the son of the local Count, who is traditionally credited as the one to have performed the surgery which saved his life, others that he was born in a family of shepherds. His well-educated father planned a career for his son at the royal court of the Kingdom of Aragon. When the boy felt drawn to religious life, his father ordered him to manage one of the family farms. What is known is that Raymond spent his childhood tending sheep and would often pray at an ancient country chapel nearby dedicated to St. Nicholas. If he was of aristocratic descent, clearly his father eventually abandoned hopes for his son's social advancement.
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