Reference

Vitalis and Valeria, a married couple, were both martyred for their faith in the early Church. They were wealthy—Vitalis might have been a soldier of rank—and were parents of Sts. Gervase and Protase, brothers who were both later martyred as well. The family lived in Milan at a time when Christians were being actively persecuted.

S.Vital was a knight and a consul, and of Valeria his wife he gat begot S. Gervase and S. Prothase. He went to Ravenna with Paulin that was judge of the country, and when he came thither he saw that this Paulin made a physician named Ursian to suffer many torments because he would not reny deny his faith, and at the last when they would have beheaded him he was so afraid that he would have

As an important military figure, St. Vitalis is shown on an impressive white horse in the picture at right. St. Valeria stands at his side, dressed as a distinguished matron of the 16th century. Perhaps the most famous image of St. Vitalis is the mosaic in the apse at San Vitale, Ravenna. The couple seem to have no fixed attributes.