St Giles

Giles was born in Greece. He parents had lots of money and when they died, they left their fortune to him. He used this money to help the poor. Giles was a very holy and faithful man. God had used him to perform many miracles. When the stories of these miracles s and the stories of his great generosity spread, Giles became very popular in Greece. He did not want all the attention so he left his home country and sailed to France. In France, he lived in a cave in the wilderness. He spent his time praying to God. God was so pleased with His servant that he sent him deer so that Giles would have milk to drink. One day when the king of France and his men were out hunting, the deer they were chasing ran into Giles’ cave. The men shot arrows at the deer and when they went into the cave to see if they had hit the deer, they found Giles. He had been pierced by one of the arrows. The king had his doctor tend to Giles. The king was so impressed by Giles’ holiness that he would visit him regularly. The king would often bring gifts but Giles did not accept them. Finally, the one gift Giles did accept was the kings’ offer to build a monastery near his cave. Giles became abbot of the monastery. He had many followers and a town was build around the monastery by people who loved to be near him. When Giles died, he was buried at the monastery. This site became a popular place for pilgrims to visit on pilgrimages to Spain and the Holy Land.