Giles of Provence, Hermit
1 September -- Commemoration
If celebrated as a Lesser Festival,
Common of Religious, page 494
Giles was a hermit who died in about the year 710. He
founded a monastery at the place now called Saint-Gilles in
Provence which became an important place on the pilgrimage
routes both to Compostela and to the Holy Land. His care
for the wounded and those crippled by disease resulted in
his becoming the patron saint of such people, particularly
of those with leprosy. Leprosy sufferers were not permitted
to enter towns and cities and therefore often congregated on
the outskirts, where churches built to meet their needs were
regularly dedicated to Giles.