Featured Saint

About Saint Vitus

Saint Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily. He died as a martyr during the persecution of Christians by co-ruling Roman Emperors Diocletian and Maximian in 303. St Vitus is counted as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers of the Roman Catholic Church.

Saint Vitus' Day is celebrated on June 15. In places where the Julian Calendar is used, this date coincides, in the 20th and 21st centuries, with the Gregorian Calendar 28 June.

The popularity of Saint Vitus is shown by the variants of his name existing in many European languages. They include Guy (French), Vito (Italian), Guido (Italian), Vid (Croatian and South-Slav languages), Vith, Vít (Czech), Veit (German), Wit (Polish).

In the late Middle Ages, people in Germany and countries such as Latvia celebrated the feast of Saint Vitus by dancing before his statue. This dancing became something of a mania and gave the name of "Saint Vitus Dance" to the nervous disorder called chorea. It also led to Saint Vitus being considered the patron saint of dancers and entertainers in general.

St. Vitus is considered the patron saint of actors, comedians, dancers, and epileptics. He is also said to protect against lightning strikes, animal attacks, and oversleeping, and is the patron saint of Bohemia. Vitus or St. Vito is the patron saint of the towns of Ciminna in Sicily and Forio in Campania, Italy, the town of Winschoten in the Netherlands and the city of Rijeka in Croatia.

Various places in Austria and Bavaria are named Sankt Veit in his honor.

For the significance of the feast of St. Vitus in Serbia, where the Serb Orthodox Church follows the Julian Calendar, see Vidovdan.

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