Vitalis of Milan

Infobox Saint
name= Saint Vitalis of Milan
birth_date=
death_date=~1st century or 2nd century
feast_day= April 28
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imagesize= 250px
caption= The martyrdom of Saint Vitalis. This 14th century French manuscript depicts Vitalis being buried alive.
birth_place=
death_place=
titles= Martyr
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes= with Saint Gervase and Saint Protase
patronage= Ravenna and Granarolo dell'Emilia, Italy; Thibodaux, Louisiana
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Vitalis of Milan, known as San Vitale in Italian and Saint Vital in French, was an early Christian martyr.

Biography

Vitalis was a wealthy citizen of Milan, perhaps a soldier. He was married to Saint Valeria, and they were the parents of the perhaps legendary Saints Gervasius and Protasius. According to legend, when he encouraged Saint Ursicinus of Ravenna to be steadfast at his execution, Vitalis was discovered to be a Christian. A judge named Paulinus ordered Vitalis to be racked and then buried alive in a pit with stones on his head.

The date of his martyrdom is uncertain – some sources say that he was a victim of Nero, others of Marcus Aurelius. He was martyred in Ravenna, but all else in the story is suspect. Some writers argue that he may have been a character in a work of fiction that was mistaken for history.

Veneration

The feast of Saint Vitalis occurs on 10 July. ["Martyrologium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2001, ISBN 88-209-7210-7)] Churches are dedicated in honor of Saint Vitalis at Rome, Faenza, Rimini, Como, Ferrara, Venice and Verona, in Italy, and at Jadera (now Zadar) in Dalmatia, but by far the most famous church bearing his name is the octagonal Basilica of San Vitale at Ravenna, a masterpiece of Byzantine art, erected on the purported site of his martyrdom. He is also the patron saint of Granarolo, Italy, as well as of Thibodaux, Louisiana, along with his wife, St. Valeria.

References

ources

* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintv0c.htm Patron Saints: Vitalis of Milan]
*it icon [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91129 San Vitale]
*Nuttall
*catholic|St. Vitalis