NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Vitus

Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily, Italy, Roman Empire. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. He is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Roman Catholic Church. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (450x622, 199 KB) The two-dimensional work of art depicted in this image is in the public domain in the United States and in those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years. ... Depiction of God creating the world Juvenal The Nuremberg Chronicle is one of the best documented early printed books. ... 1493 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because prayer to them was thought to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. ... For the mountain in Canada named after Lucania, see Mount Lucania. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian body that views itself as the historical continuation of the original Christian community established by Jesus and the Twelve Apostles, preserving the traditions of the early church unchanged, accepting the canonicity of the first seven ecumenical councils held between the 4th and the... The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organising a liturgical year on the level of days by associating each day with one or more saints, and referring to the day as that saints day. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... Saint symbology was important to people who couldnt read because they can figure out what symbols mean. ... Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... Mazara del Vallo is a town in South-Western Sicily, Italy, which lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river, administratively part of the province of Trapani. ... Forio (known also as Forio of Ischia; pron. ... Prague (Praha in Czech) is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. ... Zeven is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany. ... In traditional usage, the cult of a religion, quite apart from its sacred writings (scriptures), its theology or myths, or the personal faith of its believers, is the totality of external religious practice and observance, the neglect of which is the definition of impiety. ... Year 1969 (MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1969 calendar). ... Image File history File links Gloriole. ... Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are usually depicted as having halos. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian, Latin, Sicilian and Spanish, Î£Î¹ÎºÎµÎ»Î¯Î± in Greek, Sqallija Maltese) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 kmÂ² (9,926 sq. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This is a list of the Roman Emperors with the dates they ruled the Roman Empire. ... Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus ( 245â€“ 312), born Diocles (Greek Î”Î¹Î¿ÎºÎ»Î®Ï‚) and known in English as Diocletian,[1] was Roman Emperor from November 20, 284 to May 1, 305. ... Maximian Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus Herculius (c. ... Events Diocletian launched the last major persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire; Hierocles was said to have been the instigator of the fierce persecution of the Christians under February 24 - Galerius, Roman Emperor, publishes his edict that begins the persecution of Christians in his portion of the Empire. ... Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because prayer to them was thought to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. ... The Roman Catholic Church or Catholic Church (see terminology below) is the Christian Church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, currently Pope Benedict XVI. It traces its origins to the original Christian community founded by Jesus Christ and led by the Twelve Apostles, in particular Saint Peter. ...

Saint Vitus' Day is celebrated on June 28 according to the Gregorian calendar, and on June 15 according to the Julian calendar. June 28 is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 186 days remaining. ... The Gregorian calendar is the most widely used calendar in the world. ... June 15 is the 166th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (167th in leap years), with 199 days remaining. ... The Julian calendar was introduced in 46 BC by Julius Caesar and came into force in 45 BC (709 ab urbe condita). ...

During the Middle Ages, people from both Central Europe and Northern Europe (Germany, Latvia etc) celebrated the feast of Saint Vitus with the so-called Saint Vitus Dance, though that term also has a meaning of a nervous disorder exhibited by trembling, see chorea. The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Central Europe The Alpine Countries and the VisegrÃ¡d Group (Political map, 2004) Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ... Northern Europe is marked in dark blue Northern Europe is a name of the northern part of the European continent. ... Saint Vitus Dance may have the following meanings: Chorea (disease), a movement disorder. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the central and peripheral nervous systems. ... // Chorea sancti viti (Latin for St. ...

St. Vitus is considered the patron saint of actors, comedians, dancers, and finally epileptics. He also protects against lightnings, animal attacks and oversleeping, and is the patron saint of Bohemia. Vitus is the patron saint of the towns of Forio in Campania, Italy and the town of Winschoten in the Netherlands. Various places in Austria and Bavaria are named Sankt Veit in his honor. The feast of St. Vitus is also important to the Serb Orthodox Church (see Vidovdan). Saint Quentin is the patron saint of locksmiths and is also invoked against coughs and sneezes. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke while waiting between takes during location filming An actor is a person who acts, or plays a role, in a dramatic production. ... A comedian, or comic, is an entertainer who amuses an audience by making them laugh. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Epilepsy (often referred to as a seizure disorder) is a chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. ... Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity, which usually, but not always, occurs during rain storms, and frequently during volcanic eruptions or dust storms. ... Throughout history there have been many occurrences of animals attacking humans. ... Hypersomnia, also known as excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), is excessive amount of sleepiness. ... Flag of Bohemia Bohemia (Czech: ; German: ) is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western and middle thirds of the Czech Republic. ... Forio (known also as Forio of Ischia; pron. ... Campania is a region of Southern Italy, bordering on Lazio to the north-west, Molise to the north, Puglia to the north-east, Basilicata to the east, and the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west. ... Winschoten (Gronings: Winschoot) is a municipality and city in the northeast of the Netherlands. ... The Free State of Bavaria (German: Freistaat Bayern), with an area of 70,553 kmÂ² (27,241 square miles) and 12. ... Sankt Veit can refer to Saint Vitus (Veit in German) one of the following places: Sankt Veit an der Glan in Carinthia the District Sankt Veit an der Glan Sankt Veit im Innkreis in Upper Austria Sankt Veit im MÃ¼hlkreis in Upper Austria Sankt Veit in the municipality of... Early history The Serbs migrated to the Balkans during the reign of Byzantine emperor Heraclius (610-641). ... Vidovdan (Ð’Ð¸Ð´Ð¾Ð²Ð´Ð°Ð½) is a religious holiday, St. ...

Biography

Martyrdom with Saints Modestus and Crescentia

According to the legend, all three were martyrs under Diocletian; feast, 15 June. The earliest testimony for their veneration is offered by the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum" (ed. G. B. de Rossi-Louis Duchesne, 78: "In Sicilia, Viti, Modesti et Crescentiae"). The fact that the note is in the three most important manuscripts proves that it was also in the common exemplar of these, which appeared in the fifth century. The so-called Martyrologium Hieronymianum, the martyrology of Jerome, was the most widely used and influential of the medieval lists of martyrs. ... Giovanni Battista de Rossi. ... Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (September 13, 1843 - April 21, 1922) was a French priest, philologist, and historian. ...

The same Martyrologium has under the same day another Vitus at the head of a list of nine martyrs, with the statement of the place, "In Lucania", that is, in the Roman province of that name in Southern Italy between the Tuscan Sea and the Gulf of Taranto. It is easily possible that the same martyr Vitus in both cases, because only the name of a territory is given, not of a city, as the place where the martyr was venerated. For the mountain in Canada named after Lucania, see Mount Lucania. ...

This testimony to the public veneration of the three saints in the fifth century proves positively that they are historical martyrs. There are, nevertheless, no historical accounts of them, nor of the time or the details of their martyrdom. During the sixth and seventh centuries a purely legendary narrative of their martyrdom appeared which was based upon other legends, especially on the legend of Poitus, and ornamented with accounts of fantastic miracles. It still exists in various versions, but has no historical value. Image File history File links Vitusmodestuscrescentia. ... Image File history File links Vitusmodestuscrescentia. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ...

According to this legend Vitus was a boy seven years of age (other versions make him twelve years old), the son of a pagan senator of Lucania. During the era of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximilian, his father sought in every way, including various forms of torture, to make him apostatize. But he remained steadfast, and God aided him in a wonderful manner. He fled with his tutor St. Modestus (who has canonized homonyms) in a boat to Lucania. From Lucania he was taken to Rome to drive out a demon which had taken possession of a son of the Emperor Diocletian. This he did, and yet, because he remained steadfast in the Christian Faith, he was tortured together with his tutor St. Modestus and his nurse St. Crescentia, who are venerated on the same liturgical feast. By a miracle an angel brought back the martyrs to Lucania, where they died from the tortures they had endured. Three days later Vitus appeared to a distinguished matron named Florentia, who then found the bodies and buried them in the spot where they were. It is evident that the author of the legend has connected in his invention three saints who apparently suffered death in Lucania, and were first venerated there. Saint Modest or in Latin sanctus Modestus, can refer to any of the following saints: Saint Modestus, legendary educator of St. ... The Annunciation - the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus (El Greco, 1575) An angel is a supernatural being found in many religions. ...

Cult

The veneration of the martyrs spread rapidly in Southern Italy and Sicily, as is shown by the note in the "Martyrologium Hieronymianum". Pope Gregory the Great mentions a monastery dedicated to Vitus in Sicily ("Epist.", I, xlviii, P.L., LXXXVII, 511). Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 511 KB) Prague, HradÄany, St. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1536x2048, 511 KB) Prague, HradÄany, St. ... St. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Saint Gregory I, or Gregory the Great (called the Dialogist in Eastern Orthodoxy) (circa 540 - March 12, 604) was pope of the Catholic Church from September 3, 590 until his death. ...

The veneration of Vitus, the chief saint of the group, also appeared very early at Rome. Pope Gelasius I (492-496) mentions a shrine dedicated to him (Jaffé, "Reg. Rom. Pont.", 2nd ed., I, 6 79), and at Rome in the seventh century the chapel of a deaconry was dedicated to him ("Liber Pont.", ed. Duchesne, I, 470 sq.). Gelasius I was Pope (492 - 496). ...

In the eighth century it is said that relics of St. Vitus were brought to the monastery of St-Denis by Abbot Fulrad. They were later presented to Abbot Warin of Corvey in Germany, who solemnly transferred them to this abbey in 836. From Corvey the veneration of St. Vitus spread throughout Westphalia and in the districts of eastern and northern Germany. Saint Fulrad ( Fulrade) (710â€”July 16, 784) was abbot of St. ... The Imperial Abbey of Corvey (German: FÃ¼rstabtei Corvey) was a Benedictine abbey on the River Weser, 2km northwest of HÃ¶xter, now in North Rhine-Westphalia. ...

St. Vitus is appealed to, above all, against epilepsy, which is called St. Vitus's Dance, and he is one of the Fourteen Martyrs who give aid in times of trouble. Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because prayer to them was thought to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. ...

He is represented near a kettle of boiling oil, his iconographic attribute because according to the legend he was thrown into such a kettle, but escaped miraculously. Saint symbology was important to people who couldnt read because they can figure out what symbols mean. ...

The feast of the three saints was adopted in the historical Martyrologies of the early Middle Ages and is also recorded in the present Roman Martyrology on 15 June.

In 1969 Roman Catholic Church restricted the cult of Saint Vitus to local calendars, while those of Modestus and Crescentia were suppressed on the basis that they were mere fictions.

Gallery

Sources

The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ... The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in 1913 by The Encyclopedia Press. ...

External links

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The Fourteen Holy Helpers

Acacius · Barbara · Blaise · Catherine of Alexandria · Christopher · Cyriacus
Denis · Elmo · Eustace · George · Giles · Margaret the Virgin · Pantaleon · Vitus Fourteen Holy Helpers The Fourteen Holy Helpers are a group of saints venerated together in Roman Catholicism because prayer to them was thought to be particularly effective, especially against various diseases. ... Saint Agathius, a centurion of Cappadocia, was martyred at Constantinople in 306, traditionally May 8, when his feast ws observed. ... St. ... Saint Blaise can refer to: A saint, see Blaise Saint-Blaise is the name or part of the name of several communes in France Saint-Blaise, in the Alpes-Maritimes Saint-Blaise, in the Haute-Savoie Saint-Blaise-du-Buis, commune in the Is re Saint-Blaise-la-Roche, commune... Saint Catherine of Alexandria, known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine (Greek ) is a figure claimed to have been a noted scholar in the early 4th Century who, at the age of only 18, is said to have visited the Emperor Maxentius and to... For other uses, see Saint Christopher (disambiguation). ... Personal Life A Roman nobleman, Cyriacus converted to Christianity during his adult life and renounced his material wealth, giving it away to the poor. ... Saint Denis, also known as Denise, Dionysius, or Dennis is a Christian saint, bishop of Paris, martyr, and a patron saint of France. ... The martyrdom of St. ... On a wing of the Paumgartner Altarpiece, Albrecht DÃ¼rer painted Lukas Paumgartner with the banner of his patron St Eustace, in the contemporary armor of a landsknecht. ... Saint-George is a municipality with 695 inhabitants (as of 2003) in the district of Aubonne in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. ... Saint Giles (640?-720?) (Latin: Ã†gidius, French: Gilles, Italian: Egidio) was a 7th-8th century Christian hermit saint. ... Saint Margaret, also known as Margaret of Antioch (in Pisidia), virgin and martyr, is celebrated by the Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches on July 20. ... Saint Pantaleon (Panteleimon), counted in the West among the late-medieval Fourteen Holy Helpers and in the East as one of the Holy Unmercenary Healers, was a martyr of Nicomedia in Bithynia during the Diocletian persecution of 303 AD. According to the martyrologies, Pantaleon was the son of a rich...

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