EGIDIO, saint. – Abbot, died ca. 725. The information concerning him is uncertain and obscure. His cult was already known in the 9th century, especially in the monastery of St-Gilles, which preserved his tomb.
A very legendary Life was written between the 9th and 10th centuries. According to it, E. was born in Athens around 640 to a noble family; to escape the praise and honors brought him by his thaumaturgic power, he withdrew to Provence, where he led a hermit’s life. Discovered by chance, he founded a monastery that gave rise to the city of St-Gilles. Urban IV inserted his Office into the Roman Breviary. S. E. is numbered among the Holy Helpers. Feast on 1 September. – Vedi 1st. X.
BIBL.: Acta SS. Septembris, I, ed. Parigi 1868, pp. 284-304; F. Britain, St-Gilles, Cambridge 1928; F. Boulard, St-Gilles, Rambouillet 1935; Martyr, Romanum, p. 373.