St Giles the Hermit of Provence
September 1st - the first day of spring in South Africa - the 1st day of Autumn in the UK. It is also a day to commemorate Giles of Provence (not to be confused with St Giles of Assissi). The hermit St Giles lived in a cave near Arles in France in the 7th - 8th centuries. Dates are uncertain as are facts about his life. He became a popular medieval saint - patron saint of lepers, cripples, outcasts, nursing mothers and blacksmiths. In medieval paintings he is often shown with his pet hind. In this painting of c. 1500 by Master of St Gilles, the King kneels before Giles to ask his forgiveness. This was after one of his huntsman had shot an arrow intending to kill an animal but which wounded Giles instead. Or so the legend goes. In the UK there are about 162 churches dedicated to St Giles. They are often near significant cross roads. One example is St Giles-in-the-Fields at the heart of the west end of London where the ancient west-east road (Oxford Street) crosses the ...