Saint Giles

Nothing certain is known about Giles, which is almost funny for one of the most popular saints of the whole European Middle Ages: his name — Egidio in Italian — became Gilles in France, Giles in England, Gil in Spain, Gillis in Holland, and it has been given to hundreds of towns and churches. The oldest version of his life dates from the tenth century and was taken up by the Golden Legend. It says that Giles, born in Athens at the beginning of the seventh century, came to Gaul and withdrew to live as a hermit in a forest in Septimania, in the south of France. There he lived on what a doe gave him: every day she came to be milked by him. One day the king of the Visigoths was hunting in that forest and chased that very doe; the animal took refuge with Giles, and the arrow that was shot struck the hermit instead. The king, learning who he was, asked his forgiveness and wanted to build a monastery on the spot. Giles became its abbot, and died there around 720. That monastery is the Abbey of Saint-Gilles, in Provence. It became one of the main stops on the pilgrimage road to Santiago, and that’s why his name ended up everywhere: the pilgrims carried it with them. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and people call on him against fears. If your name is Giles or Egidio, today is your name day.