FEAST OF SAINT GILES, ABBOT – 1st SEPTEMBER

FEAST OF SAINT GILES THE HERMIT/ABBOT
FEAST DAY – 1st SEPTEMBER

Saint Giles, also known as Giles the Hermit, was a monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 6th century. Revered as a saint, his cult became widely diffused but his hagiography is mostly legendary. A town that bears his name grew up around the monastery he purportedly founded, which became a pilgrimage centre and a stop on the Way of Saint James. He is traditionally one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

The legend of Giles connects him to Caesarius of Arles, who died in 543. In 514, Caesarius sent a messenger, Messianus, to Pope Symmachus in the company of an abbot named Aegidius. It is possible that this abbot is the historical figure at the basis of the legend of Saint Giles.

There are two forged Papal bulls purporting to have been issued by Pope John VIII in 878. Sometimes taken as authentic, they record that the Visigothic king Wamba founded a monastery for Giles and that Pope Benedict II granted a charter to this foundation in 684–685. In actuality, the monastery was not dedicated to Saint Giles before about 910. The tomb of Giles dates to the correct historical period, but the inscription is from the 10th century.

Giles first lived in retreats near the mouth of the Rhône and by the River Gard in Septimania in the Visigothic Kingdom. The story that he was a Greek, the son of King Theodore and Queen Pelagia of Athens, is probably an embellishment of his early hagiographers; it was given wide currency in the Legenda Aurea. The two main incidents in his legend were often depicted in art.

The Legenda Aurea links him with Arles, but finally he withdrew deep into the forest near Nîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being his beloved deer, or red deer, who in some stories sustained him on her milk. Giles ate a Christian vegetarian diet. This retreat was finally discovered by the king’s hunters, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. An arrow shot at the deer wounded the saint instead, who afterwards became a patron of the physically disabled.

The king, by legend, was Wamba, an anachronistic Visigoth, but must have been a Frank in the original story due to the historical setting. He held the hermit in high esteem for his humility in rejecting all honors save having some disciples. Wamba built him a monastery in his valley, Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, which Giles placed under the Benedictine rule. He died there in the early part of the 8th century, with the highest repute for sanctity and miracles.

A 10th-century Vita sancti Aegidii recounts that, as Giles was celebrating Mass to pardon the Emperor Charlemagne’s sins, an angel deposited upon the altar a letter outlining a sin so terrible Charlemagne had never dared confess it. Several Latin and French texts, including the Legenda Aurea refer to this hidden “sin of Charlemagne”. This legend, however, contradicts the well established later dates for the life of Charlemagne (approximately 742 – 28 January 814).

The town of St-Gilles-du-Gard sprang up around the abbey allegedly founded by him in the 7th century. That abbey (which was re-dedicated to him in the 10th century) remained the center of his cult, which was particularly strong in Languedoc, even after a rival body of Saint Giles appeared at Toulouse.

His cult spread rapidly far and wide throughout Europe in the Middle Ages, as is witnessed by the churches and monasteries dedicated to him in France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, and Great Britain; by the numerous manuscripts in prose and verse commemorating his virtues and miracles; and especially by the vast concourse of pilgrims who from all Europe flocked to his shrine.

In 1562, the relics of the saint were secretly transferred to Toulouse to protect them from the Huguenots and the level of pilgrimages declined. The restoration of most of the relics to the abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard in 1862, and the publicized rediscovery of his former tomb there in 1865, helped the pilgrimages recommence.

Saint Giles is the patron saint of people with disabilities and is also invoked as a saint for childhood fears, convulsions, depression, particularly in Normandy, for example in Eure Iville, Saint Germain Village or Bernay or in Calvados, Gilles Touques. In medieval art, he is depicted with his symbol, the hind. His emblem is also an arrow. Giles is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and the only non-martyr, initially invoked as protection against the Black Death. His feast day is 1 September.

Besides Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, nineteen other cities bear his name. Cities that possess relics of St. Giles include Saint-Gilles, Toulouse and many other French cities, including Antwerp, Brugge and Tournai in Belgium, Cologne and Bamberg in Germany (known as Egidien), Rome and Bologna in Italy, Prague in the Czech Republic, and Esztergom in Hungary.

Giles is also the patron saint of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, where St. Giles’ High Kirk is a prominent landmark. He is also the patron saint of Graz, Nuremberg, Osnabrück, Sankt Gilgen, Brunswick, Wollaberg, Saint-Gilles (Brussels Capital Region) and Sint-Gillis-Waas. In 1630, the church of Sant’Egidio in Trastevere in Rome was dedicated to him, and which since 1968 has housed the lay Community of Sant’Egidio.

Giles of Provence is remembered in the Church of England with a commemoration on 1 September. St. Giles’ name has been held in veneration in France and England. He is said to be an Athenian by birth and a noble. His piety and learning drew admirers, which pushed him to retire from the world and renounce its vanities. Hence he sought obscurity and mystical solitude.

The miracles attributed to his intercession made his name ring throughout all France. He was even esteemed by the French king; the latter failing to make St. Giles renounce his solitude. St. Giles, however, admitted disciples, and founded an excellent, disciplined monastery. In the following ages, his monastery became a flourishing abbey of the Benedictine Order.

CONTEMPLATING THE LIFE OF SAINT GILES

THE HERMIT WHO WANTED TO HIDE FROM THE WORLD AND BECAME A REFUGE FOR THE HUNTED

Saint Giles, also known as Aegidius, was a Greek born hermit and abbot who lived in southern France during the seventh and eighth centuries. He became one of the most beloved saints of medieval Europe and is remembered especially for his humility, compassion and care for the vulnerable.

THE YOUNG MAN WHO GAVE UP EVERYTHING FOR GOD

Born into a wealthy Christian family in Athens, Giles inherited considerable wealth after the death of his parents. Yet he understood that earthly possessions and human praise are temporary. He gave his wealth to the poor and chose instead the lasting treasure of belonging completely to God.

THE HERMIT WHO SOUGHT SILENCE

Giles travelled to Gaul, in present day France, and settled in a secluded wilderness. There he built a simple hermitage and devoted himself to prayer, fasting and contemplation. He desired to live away from worldly distractions so that he could be completely present to God.

WHEN PEOPLE CAME LOOKING FOR HIM

Although Giles wanted to remain hidden, people soon heard about the holy hermit and began seeking his prayers and counsel. Instead of turning them away, he welcomed them. His solitude became hospitality, his prayer became service, and his hidden life became a source of light for others.

THE FRIGHTENED DEER

According to tradition, a frightened doe being pursued by hunters sought refuge with Giles. He protected the animal and sheltered her from danger. An arrow intended for the deer struck Giles instead. His willingness to suffer for a vulnerable creature became one of the enduring images associated with his life.

THE WOUND THAT BECAME A WITNESS

Giles’s wound symbolises compassionate love. He did not merely feel pity for the helpless; he placed himself between the vulnerable and danger. His story reminds us that genuine love protects, sacrifices and is willing to suffer for the good of another.

THE KING WHO DISCOVERED THE HERMIT

Tradition connects the hunters with the retinue of King Wamba. When the king learned about Giles, he sought to know this remarkable hermit. Giles remained humble and showed no desire for royal favour or worldly riches. His holiness eventually led to the establishment of a monastery around his place of prayer.

THE HERMIT WHO BECAME AN ABBOT

The man who wanted to live alone became the spiritual father of a community. The silence he desired was replaced by the responsibility of guiding others. Giles accepted this unexpected mission, showing that holiness means being willing to receive whatever God asks of us.

A REFUGE FOR THE FORGOTTEN

The monastery became a place where the sick, troubled, frightened and forgotten could seek prayer and comfort. Giles became associated with healing and protection, especially for those who felt weak, wounded or overwhelmed by circumstances.

A SAINT BELOVED ACROSS EUROPE

After his death, devotion to Giles spread throughout Europe. Churches and shrines were dedicated to him, and pilgrims sought his intercession. He became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and was especially remembered by those facing illness, fear and suffering.

THE MAN WHO WANTED NOTHING BECAME A GIFT TO MANY

Giles never sought fame, recognition or worldly honours. He simply desired God. By giving away his possessions, his comfort and eventually his solitude, he allowed his entire life to become a gift to others.

THE FOREST STILL SPEAKS

The story of Giles continues to remind us of a frightened creature seeking refuge, a hermit opening his shelter, and a wounded man protecting the vulnerable. His life gives us a simple message: when someone comes to us in fear or distress, we should become a refuge for them.

THE MIRACLES ASSOCIATED WITH SAINT GILES

Medieval tradition attributes many miracles and healings to Saint Giles, particularly among those suffering from illness, fear and distress. These accounts belong to the devotional tradition surrounding the saint.

ONE OF THE FOURTEEN HOLY HELPERS

Saint Giles became one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints especially honoured in Central Europe and invoked during times of sickness, danger and hardship. He became particularly associated with protection, fear, suffering and those whose afflictions were difficult to understand or cure.

PATRON OF THE FOREST AND THE WOUNDED

Because of the story of the deer, Giles became associated with forests, hunters, animals and people suffering from illness. His story speaks especially to those who feel pursued by difficulties they cannot escape. He reminds them to seek refuge in God.

HIS DEATH

Tradition places the death of Saint Giles around the year 724, although the precise historical details are uncertain. He was buried at the monastery that later became Saint Gilles. His tomb became an important pilgrimage destination and was connected with medieval pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

THE SPIRITUALITY OF SAINT GILES

Saint Giles teaches the value of solitude, simplicity, compassion, courage, humility, service and healing. He sought God in silence, surrendered his possessions, protected the vulnerable, accepted suffering, avoided fame and welcomed those who came to him.

THE GREAT PARADOX OF HIS LIFE

Giles wanted to escape from people, yet God gave him a monastery. He wanted to remain unknown, yet God made him widely known. He wanted solitude, yet God gave him people to guide. He wanted silence, yet his life continues to speak across centuries. His story reminds us that God’s calling may be very different from the plans we make for ourselves.

WHAT SAINT GILES TEACHES US

Saint Giles reminds us that holiness does not require fame. Compassion can become a vocation, and God may interrupt our plans in order to give us a greater mission. Our wounds can become places of grace, and the vulnerable need people who will protect and support them. True solitude is not an escape from love but a preparation to love and serve others more deeply.

PRAYER

O Lord, we plead that you grant the prayers made by your holy Abbot, Saint Giles, on our behalf, for we, in our weaknesses may by his advocacy find favour in your sight.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

St. Giles, you realized that only God can make us really happy. We pray that you help us become God-centered in our lives and generous with our time. Saint Giles, pray for us.

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