St. Giles, Abbot
Feast Day: September 1
A hermit lives alone in a forest.
His only companion is a deer that comes each day.
One day, the king’s hunters chase the deer.
An arrow flies.
It misses the deer and strikes the hermit instead.
That is how the world met St. Giles.
St. Giles, pray for us.
Who Was St. Giles?
St. Giles lived in the late 600s and early 700s.
Many details of his life come from legends written down centuries later.
But his memory was so strong that churches, towns, and hospitals across Europe were named after him.
From Athens to France
According to tradition, Giles was born in Athens, Greece, to a wealthy family.
After his parents died, he gave away his fortune to the poor.
Seeking a life of prayer, he traveled to the south of France.
He lived as a hermit in a forest near the mouth of the Rhone River.
The Deer and the Arrow
Tradition says a deer came to him and gave him milk to drink.
One day, the king and his hunters chased the deer to Giles’s cave.
A hunter shot an arrow into the thicket, and it wounded Giles, who was protecting the animal.
The king found the hermit bleeding but at peace.
Moved by his holiness, the king offered him medical care and gifts.
Giles refused the gifts and asked only that a monastery be built.
The Abbey of Saint-Gilles
A monastery was founded where Giles lived, and he became its abbot.
The town that grew around it is still called Saint-Gilles.
In the Middle Ages, it became an important pilgrimage stop on the way to Santiago de Compostela and the Holy Land.
Patron of the Disabled
Because of the wound he received and lived with, Giles became the patron saint of people with disabilities.
He is also a patron of beggars, the poor, and those who are rejected.
Many churches dedicated to him were built near city gates, where travelers and the poor gathered.
He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints invoked for help in times of need.
The Good That Lasts
A saying attributed to Giles reflects his life:
“The good of this world lasts for a short time; the good of the next lasts forever.”
— St. Giles, traditional attribution
He gave away his wealth and turned down a king’s gifts.
He was investing in something that would last.
What St. Giles Teaches Us
Giles teaches us to keep our priorities straight.
Money, comfort, and honors fade.
Prayer, love, and faithfulness last forever.
He also teaches us compassion for the weak, including the poor, the disabled, and even animals.
When Is the Feast of St. Giles?
St. Giles, Abbot, is remembered on September 1.
Prayer Inspired by St. Giles
Lord Jesus Christ,
St. Giles gave up the riches of this world to seek You.
Help us value what lasts forever.
Bless people with disabilities, the poor, and all who feel rejected,
and make us gentle and generous to all.
St. Giles, pray for us. Amen.
