Saint Giles
February 8 is the feast day of Saint Giles. But who is today's saint?
Who is Saint Giles?
Saint Giles was a wandering monk in Septimania (also known as Gallia Narbonensis) during the 7th century. “Wandering” means that he was itinerant and solitary. He traveled from monastery to monastery without being truly tied to any one community, although he was canonized by the Benedictine monks of an abbey located in the Gard region (that monastery is now called Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, dedicated to the veneration of the saint).
Saint Giles was born in Athens, where he quickly gained attention for his many miracles. He then fled, seeking a simple life of prayer and solitude. He first settled in Provence and then made his permanent home near the mouth of the Rhône River in Languedoc. There he lived as a hermit until his death. He was a wise man who advised many rulers (notably the mayor of the palace, Charles Martel) and even popes.
What is the miracle of Saint Giles?
During his time as a hermit in the Flavienne Valley, Saint Giles subsisted exclusively on the milk of a doe, which came to visit him daily.
It is said that one day King Wamba (Visigothic king of Septimania and Hispania) came hunting in the valley where Gilles lived. The king gave chase to the nursing doe, which sought refuge with her solitary companion. Wamba followed her all the way to Saint Giles’s hermitage. Not noticing the hermit, the king fired an arrow, which lodged in the monk’s hand as he defended the poor animal. Realizing his mistake, Wamba apologized profusely and offered to make amends to Giles for the harm he had caused. The future saint then asked him to build a monastery in the Flavienne Valley, where the Rule of Saint Benedict would be followed. This monastery later became the Abbey of Saint-Gilles-du-Gard.
When did Saint Giles live?
Saint Giles was born in 640 in Athens, within the Eastern Roman Empire. He gave his soul to God in 720 (or 721), probably on September 1, at the age of eighty, in Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, in Occitania.
Who is Saint Giles the patron saint of?
Saint Giles is the patron saint of the disabled and those with spurs. He is also invoked for protection against cancer, infertility, madness, depression, and night terrors. In France, seventeen churches or sites are dedicated to Saint Giles.
A beautiful pilgrim’s prayer through Saint Giles
“O God, who led Abraham from his homeland
and kept him safe throughout his journeys,
grant us the same protection.
Support us in times of danger and lighten our journey.
Be a shade for us against the sun,
a cloak against the rain and the cold.
Carry us in our weariness
and defend us against all danger.
Place welcoming resting places along our path,
just as the monastery of Saint-Gilles du Gard was
between Rome and Santiago de Compostela,
so that, guided by You,
we may reach our destination safely
and return home safe and sound.
Saint Giles, hermit and founder of the abbey,
we entrust our pilgrimage to your intercession.
May it also be an inner pilgrimage,
and may we return home more united with God.
Saint Giles, pray for us!
Our Lady of Prayer, teach us to pray!
Saint Gabriel the Archangel, watch over us! ”
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