Next Tuesday, 15 June, is the feast day of Saint Vitus, a Christian martyr who is the patron saint of epilepsy, dancing and Bohemia. Legend has it that Vitus was converted to Christianity at the age of 12 by his tutor, St Modestus, and his nurse, St Crescentia, against the wishes of his pagan father, who had them all arrested. The three fled from Sicily to Rome, where Vitus freed the son of Emperor Diocletian from an evil spirit. His cure was attributed to sorcery and the trio were subjected to various tortures, including being thrown to the lions, from which they emerged unscathed. They eventually succumbed to boil- ing in oil around 303.The relic of the bones of one hand of St Vitus were given to the Duke of Bohemia by King Henry I of Germany in 925. This relic is now a sacred treasure at St Vitus Cathedral in Prague.
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