San Vitale

As per the usual with the Station Churches, today at San Vitale relics were out in abundance on the main altar and spilling out into the church.

Here in addition, however, they had strewn fragrant branches on the ground, so as you walked they let out a aroma when crushed.  The sacristan confirmed they hadn’t begun that practice two years before when I’d been there, but last year while I was in Jerusalem.

 

More leaves in abundance surrounded the main altar, unfortunately you can’t spot them in this photo.

You might think Saint Vitalis found his wife by looking up his own name in the phonebook, because her name also begins with a V.  Saint Valori and he were both martyred near Milan after Vitalis had encouraged a physician not to back down in his holding to the teachings of Christ.  According to one account, Saint Vitalis was racked and then burned alive, after which they checked his Vitalis signs in vain . . .