Saint Giles (/dʒaɪlz/, Latin: Aegidius, French: Gilles, Italian: Egidio, Spanish: Gil), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a hermit or monk active in the lower Rhône most likely in the 7th 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. (Full article...)
Attributes: arrow; crosier; hermitage; hind
Patronage: beggars; blacksmiths; breast cancer; breastfeeding; cancer patients; cripples; disabled people; Edinburgh (Scotland); epilepsy; epileptics; fear of night; forests; handicapped people; hermits; horses; insanity; lepers; leprosy; mental illness; mentally ill people; noctiphobics; physically challenged people; paupers; poor people; rams; spur makers; sterility; woods
See also: Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart