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Vitalis of Savigny
French hermit
SaintResearchedDuchy of NormandyBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 16 September (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
1060
verified
Died
16 September 1122
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Vitalis, chaplain to Robert of Mortain, gave up his canonry in 1095 to live as a hermit in the forest of Craon, helping the outcasts who gathered round him. He was a tireless, fearless preacher.
He founded the monastery and congregation of Savigny in 1112 and a convent at Mortain with his sister St Adeline as abbess. He died at Savigny on 16 September 1122.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe how he came to be honoured as a saint.
Why that counted as sanctity
A hermit-preacher who founded Savigny.
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - Blessed Vitalis of Savigny
- Wikidata Q1117753 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Vitalis of Savigny (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.