Saint Giles (English pronunciation: /dʒaɪlz/, gaɪlz; Latin: Aegidius; French: Gilles; c. 650 AD – c. 710), also known as Giles the Hermit, was a GreekChristian hermit saint from Athens, whose legend is centered in Provence and Septimania. The tomb in the abbey Giles was said to have founded, in Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, became a place of pilgrimage and a stop on the road that led from Arles to Santiago de Compostela, the pilgrim Way of St. James. He is one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.

Life

Giles first lived in retreats near the mouth of the Rhône and by the River Gard, in Septimania, today's southern France. The story that he was the son of King Theodore and Queen Pelagia of Athens is probably an embellishment of his early hagiographers; it was given wide currency in the Legenda Aurea (Golden Legend). The two main incidents in his life were often depicted in art.

His early history, as given in the Legenda Aurea, links him with Arles, but finally he withdrew deep into the forest near Nîmes, where in the greatest solitude he spent many years, his sole companion being a deer, or red deer, who in some stories sustained him on her milk. Giles ate a vegetarian diet. This retreat was finally discovered by the king's hunters, who had pursued the hind to its place of refuge. An arrow shot at the deer wounded the saint instead, who afterwards became a patron of cripples. The king, who by legend was Wamba, an anachronistic Visigoth, but who must have been (at least in the original story) a Frank due to the historical setting, conceived a high esteem for the hermit, whose humility rejected all honors save some disciples, and built him a monastery in his valley, Saint-Gilles-du-Gard, which Giles placed under the Benedictine rule. Here he died in the early part of the 8th century, with the highest repute for sanctity and miracles.

St. Giles (1829 – circa 1839) was a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. In a career that lasted from October 1831 to July 1835 he ran eleven times and won five races. After showing little form as a two-year-old, he made marked improvement to win his first three races of 1832, culminating with a highly-controversial success in the Epsom Derby. His only subsequent wins came in two minor races in 1835 and he was eventually sold and exported to stand as a stallion in the United States.

Background

St. Giles was a dark chestnut horse bred by Mr Cattle, a farmer from Sheriff Hutton in Yorkshire. He was bought from his breeder by Robert Ridsdale, a professional gambler with a reputation for dishonesty and corruption. Ridsdale owned the colt in partnership with John Gully, a former champion prize-fighter and gambler who went on to become a Member of Parliament.

St. Giles was sired by Tramp, who won several important races in 1813 and 1814 and went on to become a very successful stallion, siring important winners including Dangerous (Epsom Derby) and Barefoot (St Leger). St. Giles's dam, Arcot Lass was one of the few mares to produce two Derby winners, being also the dam of Bloomsbury.

St. Giles is a historic home located at Hebron, Wicomico County, Maryland, United States. It is a 2 ¹⁄₂-story frame Federal period farmhouse, with a 20th-century hyphen and wing. Also on the property are several outbuildings, including a well house, wood house, tenant house, barn, garage, and pool house. The landscaped grounds include a garden which is thought to retain its original early-19th-century layout.

St. Giles was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

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