Vitus
3rd or 4th-century Sicilian saint
- Fame57.9
- Momentum5.8
- Religious Figures rank#164
Source-basedStable
- Fame57.9
- Momentum5.8
- Religious Figures rank#164
- Wikipedia14.9K
Lived 290–303, aged 13Italy
ItalySummary
Updated 2026-06-08
A Sicilian martyr whose medieval cult gave its name to a neurological disorder: "Saint Vitus Dance" came from the ecstatic dancing performed at his feast, linking him forever to chorea and making him patron saint of dancers.
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About
Vitus was a Christian martyr from Sicily, though his hagiography is pure legend and the dates of his actual life are unknown. Early sources show he was originally separate from the figures Modestus and Crescentia—likely fictitious—who later became attached to his story. According to tradition, he died during the Diocletianic Persecution in AD 303. By the Middle Ages he had risen to become one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, and in Germany his feast on 15 June was celebrated with dancing before his statue. The practice grew so popular that when doctors encountered the involuntary movements of Syd…
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Fame
Stable57.9
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Momentum5.8
Historical22.6
Now attention16.4
Source confidence60.0
Completeness70.0
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- WikidataHigh confidencewikidata · wikidata.org
- WikipediaHigh confidencewikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
- Pantheon 2.0High confidencedatabase · pantheon.world
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