Saint Giles

Born in the seventh century in Athens, Greece, Saint Giles was a Catholic hermit from a noble family.  His excellent knowledge and deep piety made him well-known and highly admired by his countrymen.  But he did not want to bask in this worldly popularity and would rather live a hidden life, that he decided to sail away from his land and move to France.  Saint Giles lived in solo retreat in Rhone, then in the River Gard, and finally settled in the area of Nimes, France.

As a hermit in the forest, Saint Giles spent his time conversing only with God.  It was believed his only companion was a female deer, the milk of which helped sustain him as he ate only a vegetarian diet.  It was because of this he became known as patron saint of breastfeeding mothers.  Saint Giles’ reputation as a holy man likewise became popular in France but the French king could not convince him to leave his solitary life.  At one point the king’s hunters chased the deer back to its place of refuge and shot an arrow at it, but hit and wounded Saint Giles instead.  Thus, he became considered as patron saint of people with physical disability.  Soon after, people started to flock to the forest to join Saint Giles.  To accommodate this, he later founded there in the  valley a monastery under the Benedictine rule.

Saint Giles, whose sole desire was to live in the presence of God, pray for us!

• Author
• Recent Posts

The Best Catholic

The Best Catholic website is under the patronage of the Mother of Jesus, Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Thérèse of Lisieux (“The Little Flower” and Doctor of the Church), and St. Gemma Galgani (“The Gem of Christ”).Inspired by the beauty of the Divine Office and the extraordinary holy life of St. Gemma Galgani, it started as a personal blog, known as “Psalms and the Pilgrim Daughter” and has grown into a resource website that promotes the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world.

Our aim is to help Catholics strengthen their spiritual life, deepen their understanding of the faith, and intensify their holiness by catechesis and a variety of Catholic information.

TheBestCatholic.com aspires to be an instrument of evangelization.We are all pilgrims of the earth, striving towards salvation.It is our fervent prayer that by God’s grace, we will be “The Best Catholic” we can ever become.

Email Us: [email protected]

Latest posts by The Best Catholic (see all)

• Mass Readings For December 22, 2024 – Fourth Sunday of Advent - December 22, 2024
• Mass Readings For December 21, 2024 – Saturday, Third Week of Advent - December 21, 2024
• Mass Readings For December 20, 2024 – Friday, Third Week of Advent - December 20, 2024