St Vitus
Who is St. Vitus?
St. Vitus is the patron saint of dancers and dancing.
Legend has it that St. Vitus was converted to Christianity at the age of 12 and resisted several attempts to dissuade him from his conversion. Born in Sicily to a roman family, where his father was a senator, he was well educated and raised in nobility before his conversion. He was attributed with several healing miracles, leading to the eventual acts which caused him to be martyred and later named a saint. He is associated with the rooster and the lion.
Several festivals throughout Europe honour St. Vitus, with one in particular associated with a dancing celebration in which participants would dance around or in front of his icon in order to request his assistance in the divine healing of illness and ailments.
His sacred relics are now housed in the Treasury of St Vitus Cathedral in the Czech Republic.
The St Vitus Catholic School of Dance logo honours the traditions of St Vitus
The golden colour of the dancer is reminiscent of the lions who kissed St. Vitus’ feet rather than attacking him
The red colour of the text is reminiscent of the rooster who was subjected to the same acts as St. Vitus when he was martyred
The circle is reminiscent of the first and second acts for which St. Vitus was martyred
The dancer represents that which St. Vitus is patron saint of, and mimics the dances said to have been performed in his honour when seeking miracles of healing