Saint Vitus ~ Patron Saint of Dancers

Hardly any people know much about the life of this otherwise unremarkable saint, famous only for his connection to the strange nervous disorders known as "Saint Vitus' Dance" or "Huntington's Chorea" which manifest in uncontrollable dance-like movements, along with loss of memory and cognitive function. The connection between the saint and the disease arose for obscure reasons. One account has it that worshippers in 16th century Germany started to think they could gain the favor of their patron by dancing in front of his image for hours. The semi-mystical dancing trance-state which they entered into bore striking similarities to the disease. St. Vitus is one of the "14 Helpers", a unique group of saints who received particular attention in Germany and France and whose intercession was meant to be particularly helpful and effective. The patron saint of dancers gets his due on the 15th of June every year in Marano Lagunare, in the Italian province of Friuli, marked by a solemn procession of decorated boats proceeding along the canals of the city to the church of St. Vitus, followed by a mass held in honor of the saint.

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