Vitalis of Assisi (Italian: San Vitale d'Assisi) (1295 – 31 May 1370) was an Italian hermit and monk.
Vitalis of Assisi | |
|---|---|
 Saint Vitalis of Assisi in Reliquary Box | |
| Born | 1295 Bastia Umbra, Papal States |
| Died | 31 May 1370 (aged 74–75) Assisi, Papal States |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church (Diocese of Assisi) |
| Feast | 31 May |
| Patronage | patron against disorders of the bladder and genitals |
Origin
editBorn in Bastia Umbra, Vitalis as a youth was licentious and immoral; however, he attempted to expiate his sins by going on pilgrimage to various sanctuaries in Italy and Europe. When he returned to Umbria, he became a Benedictine monk at Subiaco.[1]
Life
editVitalis then spent the rest of his life in the hermitage of Santa Maria di Viole, near Assisi, in utter poverty. His one possession was an old container that he used to drink water from a nearby spring. His reputation for holiness soon spread after his death. He was known as a patron against sicknesses and diseases affecting the bladder and genitals.[2]
Legacy
editOn 29 May 2011, a head preserved as a relic, allegedly that of Vitalis, was offered at auction with an estimate of €1,000 at Annesbrook House, Duleek, County Meath, Ireland.[3] It was sold to Billy Jamieson for €3,500.
In November 2016, the relic was once again purchased by an antiquities and oddities collector, and permanently resides in a private gallery located in the Eastern United States.[4]
This piece has been resold twice and now resides in a private collection in northern California
Notes
edit- ^ "Vitalis of Assisi". Catholic Online.
- ^ Nardi, Elisabetta. "San Vitale di Assisi". Santi e beati (in Italian).
- ^ Reilly, Jerome (23 May 2011). "Severed head of genital disease saint for sale in Ireland". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
- ^ "'Headhunter' dies on day deal finalises". 23 October 2011.