I couldn't find an image of the right St. Vitalis. Turns out there are 6, most of them martyrs:
St. Vitalis of Gaza (
pictured above) ministered to prostitutes and was killed by a jealous man who misinterpreted his visit to a local brothel. St. Vitalis of Assisi (1295 –1370) was not martyred, but is honored as the patron saint of those suffering from diseases of the genitals. This St. Vitalis did not suffer the
chopping block, but will soon face the
auction block. His decapitated and skeletonized head will be sold to the highest bidder by
Matthews Auction Rooms of Co. Meath, Ireland, next Sunday. "
It is strange and it is macabre but it is very interesting object," said Mr Matthews. The relic has been in the possession of a family in Co. Louth. How it ended up in Ireland is unclear, although it may have been acquired in the 19th c. by an Anglo-Irish couple on a "
grand tour" of Europe. The head is housed in an ornate
Queen Anne case and is expected to fetch between €800 and €1,200.
I had no idea there was a patron saint for those suffering from diseases of the genitals. This information should be prominently posted in every STD clinic.
ReplyDeleteJust to let you know the skull being auctioned is not that of St Vitalis of Assisi. If you look at the item you see it says S. Vitalis M - so it is a martyr, and as you point out St Vitalis of Assisi was not a martyr. If it is authentic, then it was probably stolen either by the couple on the grand tour or a corrupt official - no church or relifious would willingly give or sell such an important relic to Anglo-Irish Protestants on a trip around Europe
ReplyDeleteThat actually is not an image of Saint Vitalis of Gaza. It is a "generic" male saint image I have used on my blog for several years whenever no image is available for a particular saint. I recognize it from the border I use around my saint quotes blog images. Uding the image is fine by me, I just don't want anyone to be confused in mistakenly thinking that represents Saint Vitalis.
ReplyDelete