Saint Giles of Assisi
Blessed Giles of Assisi (born c. 1190 AD in Assisi, Umbria, Italy; died April 23, 1262 AD in Perugia, Umbria, Italy) was the third companion of Saint Francis of Assisi and one of the original Friars Minor. Known for his mystical gifts, his ascetic simplicity, and his memorable spiritual aphorisms, he was often described as the Brother Juniper of contemplation — a man of deep prayer who embodied Franciscan joy, poverty, and evangelical freedom. He was beatified in 1777. His feast day is April 23.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Giles of Assisi
| Saint Giles of Assisi | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | April 23 |
| Profession | Franciscan friar; mystic; contemplative; laborer |
| Rel. Affiliation | Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans); original companion of Saint Francis (third companion) |
| Patronage | Franciscan friars; contemplatives; manual laborers; the simple and uneducated; Assisi; Perugia |
| Attributes | Franciscan habit; ecstasy (raised or kneeling in rapture); palm or flowers; the ''Golden Sayings'' book |
| Birthplace | Assisi, Umbria, Italy |
| Death Place | Perugia, Umbria, Italy |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes; died at the Franciscan friary at Monteripido near Perugia after a long life of prayer and contemplation; April 23, 1262 |
| Primary Shrine | Basilica of Sant'Egidio, Perugia (Monteripido), Umbria, Italy — his body; a Franciscan friary and pilgrimage site |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast April 23; observed in Franciscan order and Diocese of Perugia |
| Historic Class | Not in universal 1962 calendar |
Biography
Giles of Assisi was born around 1190 in the vicinity of Assisi. He joined Francis around 1208, becoming the third member of the original Franciscan fraternity after Bernard of Quintavalle and Peter Cattani. Francis himself took him on his first apostolic journey.
He was a man of extraordinary simplicity and evangelical poverty — he worked with his hands at various trades throughout his life to avoid begging, and he made several pilgrimages (Compostela, Rome, the Holy Land, Tunis). His journey to Tunis around 1219 was motivated by the desire for martyrdom in imitation of the Franciscan protomartyr missionaries, but he was expelled without being allowed to preach.
He spent the second half of his life largely in contemplation, living at friaries in Perugia (especially Monteripido) and in the hill towns of Umbria. He was frequently in ecstasy. His spiritual depth attracted visitors from across Europe: when Saint Bonaventure (the great Franciscan theologian) visited him, he was reportedly rebuked by the simple friar's humility.
His Golden Sayings (Dicta Beati Aegidii Assisiensis) — brief, pithy aphorisms on poverty, prayer, humility, and the love of God — were collected by the Franciscans and became widely read, circulating alongside the Fioretti as emblems of early Franciscan spirituality.
He died April 23, 1262, at Monteripido near Perugia, at an advanced age. Pope Pius VI beatified him in 1777. He is listed as "Saint" in the Franciscan calendar though his formal status is Blessed.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Assisi, Umbria, Italy
Death location: Perugia, Umbria, Italy
Notable location: His birthplace and the city where he met Saint Francis and joined the first fraternity of Friars Minor c. 1208; the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi honors all the early companions; he is third in the order of companions after Bernard of Quintavalle and Peter Cattani (Assisi, Umbria, Italy)
Notable location: The Franciscan friary near Perugia where he spent many years in contemplation and where he died; his body was translated here; a pilgrimage site associated with his memory (Monteripido (Perugia), Umbria, Italy)
Notable location: He journeyed to Tunis in a failed attempt to win martyrdom, following the Franciscan call to preach to the Muslims; he was expelled by the Muslim authorities before he could be martyred (Tunis, North Africa)
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Basilica of Sant'Egidio / Friary of Monteripido, Perugia, Umbria — his body; Franciscan pilgrimage site.
- Basilica of Saint Francis, Assisi — honors all early companions.
Feast day
April 23
Veneration
Blessed Giles of Assisi is venerated in the Franciscan Order on April 23. His beatification was confirmed in 1777 by Pope Pius VI.
Prayers
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