Saint Vitus
- This article is about Saint Vitus the saint; for the doom metal band see Saint Vitus (band).
Vitus is a Latin given name meaning lively.
Saint Vitus was a Christian saint from Sicily, Italy. He was one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and he died as a martyr in 303.
Saint Vitus' Day is celebrated on June 15 according to the Gregorian calendar, and on June 28 according to the Julian calendar.
In medieval times, people from central/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 (disease).
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 (cf. St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague) and the town of Forio in Campania, Italy. The feast of St. Vitus is also important to the Serb Orthodox Church, see Vidovdan.
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