Saint Vitalis of Gaza (died ) was a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

venerated as a saint in the Oriental Orthodox Church,

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and the

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. He is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of prostitutes and day-laborers.

Life

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

of Gaza, Vitalis travelled to the city of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

at the age of sixty. His legend states that after obtaining the name and address of every prostitute in the city, he hired himself out as a

day laborer Day labor (or day labour in Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work. Types Day laborers (also ...

, and took his wage to one of these women at the end of the day. He would hire the woman for the night and, according to legend, spend the night praying for her or preaching to her. This practice was condoned by the

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, and many prostitutes in the city abandoned their profession and became wives and mothers.

Death and veneration

Vitalis was killed when a man, misunderstanding the nature of the monk's visit to a brothel, struck him on the head. Vitalis managed to return to his

hut A hut is a small dwelling, which may be constructed of various local materials. Huts are a type of vernacular architecture because they are built of readily available materials such as wood, snow, ice, stone, grass, palm leaves, branches, hid ...

where he died. Apparently during his burial, former prostitutes came out to explain his works before

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with candles and lanterns as his body was brought to the grave. In Eastern Churches, his feast days are on

January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muha ...

and

April 22 Events Pre-1600 * 1500 – Portuguese navigator Pedro Álvares Cabral lands in Brazil. * 1519 – Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés establishes a settlement at Veracruz, Mexico. *1529 – Treaty of Zaragoza divides the eastern h ...

, while the Catholic Church only celebrates his feast on January 11.

References

External links

Venerable Vitalius of Gaza
{{authority control 625 deaths 7th-century Christian saints Egyptian hermits People from Gaza City Saints from the Holy Land Year of birth unknown Egyptian Christian saints Anti-prostitution activists