St. Giles

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Fresco depict the history of St. Giles - Crypt St Aignan

 

This 14th-century wall painting at Saint-Aignan-sur-Cher depicts the history and miracles of St. Giles, one of the most venerated saints of medieval France. The composition was originally made up of four sections, though the right-hand portion is now lost or no longer discernible.

In the left panel, St. Giles is shown presenting his tunic to a cripple, an act of compassion characteristic of the saint’s charitable nature. In the next scene, he is seen curing a man bitten by a snake, symbolising healing and divine intervention. The third panel portrays St. Giles calming the sea, one of his miracles demonstrating his power over the forces of nature.

Above the narrative scenes, in a separate upper register, appears a symbolic image of the Lamb of God, flanked by two angels, a traditional Christian motif representing purity and redemption.

Despite the loss of the fourth section, this surviving sequence remains a remarkable example of medieval religious art, combining narrative storytelling with devotional symbolism. It reflects both the spiritual life of the 14th century and the enduring popular devotion to St. Giles in France.