Saints Commemorated In September
1 September St Giles (or Aegidius, died about 710)
There are many legends about St Giles,
he was one of the most popular saints of
the Middle Ages .He may have been born
in Athens and became a hermit in
France. He built the monastery St Gilles
near Arles on land given by King Wamba.
This was on the pilgrim route to Santiago
and to the Holy Land and legends
attracted pilgrims. St Giles was included
in the list of 14 helpers, but was not
martyred. He became the patron saint of
beggars, cripples and lepers and was
invoked against cancer and night terrors.
His cult spread all over Europe, he is the
Patr on Saint of Edinburgh, and his name
lives in many streets like St Giles, Oxford
and St Giles, Cripplegate, London.. The
monastery suffered in the 13th c. from
Albigensian wars and never recovered.
Most of the saint’s bones were taken to
Saint Sernin in Toulouse.
16 September Saint Ninian, Scotland’s first Saint, (died 432)
He is known as ‘The Apostle of the Southern Picts’, variations of his name are
Ringan or Trynnian. The date 397 is traditionally given as the start of his
mission, but there is no actual historic verification or connection to any known
person. He first was mentioned by Bede ca 731, there is also a 9th century
poem, a vita of 1160 by Alfred of Riveaux and a 1630 history by James
Ussher, Archbishop of Armargh, who gives the traditional date of Ninian’s
death as 16 Sept 432. He was said to have been a Briton, studied in Rome,
his Episcopal seat was St Martin in Tours, he founded the first monastery in
Scotland at Whithorn, Galloway, where he was buried. Alfred contributed that
Ninian was the son of a Christian king, but Alfred has a political interest since
he has a connection to the Scottish Royal family. Ussher thinks that Ninian
was Irish and also died in Ireland. Most of Ussher’s source is fictional.
21 September St Matthew the Apostle
Among the early followers of Jesus and mentioned as a former tax collector
from Capernaum, he was called into the circle of the twelve.
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