The macabre object, which is housed in a Queen Anne case, is being sold by an Anglo-Irish family based in Co Louth and has a guide price of between €800 and €1,200.
Saint Vitalis of Assisi (there are a number of saints with the name Vitalis) was an Italian hermit and monk who died in 1370.
He became a saint despite an early life marked by licentiousness and immorality.
However, in an attempt to atone he went on pilgrimages to various sanctuaries.
On his return to Umbria, he became a Benedictine monk at Subiaco and later lived as a hermit. He spent the rest of his life in the hermitage of Santa Maria di Viole, near Assisi, in utter poverty.
His reputation for holiness soon spread after his death. He was known as a patron against sicknesses and diseases affecting the genitals.
How what is believed to be the saint's decapitated head came to Ireland is unclear.
Auctioneer Damien Matthews, who will sell the saint's severed head at auction at Annesbrook House in Duleek, Co Meath, says the current owners believed it was brought here by an Anglo-Irish couple who had acquired it on the 'grand tour' of Europe which was a ritual for ascendancy types during the 19th century.
For many years the ornate case with the skull housed inside it behind glass, had pride of place in the entrance hall of the current owner's home but when children arrived was stored in an old outhouse for many years.
"That's where I came across it. It is strange and it is macabre but it is very interesting object," said Mr Matthews.
The auction is on in the house next Sunday, May 29, at 3pm -- but items will be on view on Friday and Saturday from 11am-6pm.
"It's a fine country estate about seven miles from Slane, off the N2 motorway from Dublin (R152). There are over 400 lots with estimates ranging in value from €100 up to €30,000," he said. - belfasttelegraph
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Saint Vitalis of Assisi (1295 – May 31, 1370) was an Italian hermit and monk. Born in Bastia Umbra, Vitalis as a youth was licentious and immoral. However, he attempted to expiate his sins by going on pilgrimage to various sanctuaries in Italy and Europe. When he returned to Umbria, he became a Benedictine monk at Subiaco and later lived as a hermit. He spent the rest of his life in the hermitage of Santa Maria di Viole, near Assisi, in utter poverty. His one possession was an old container that he used to drink water from a nearby spring. His reputation for holiness soon spread after his death. He was known as a patron against sicknesses and diseases affecting the genitals.
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BBC - The severed head of a man said to be the patron saint of genital disease will go on auction in County Meath on Sunday.
The skull is allegedly that of St Vitalis of Assisi, an Italian Benedictine monk from the 14th century.
It belonged to an Anglo-Irish family from County Louth, and is housed in a Queen Anne case dating from the 17th century.
There has been no official verification of the claim.
St Vitalis was born in Umbria, Italy, and is said to have lived an immoral and licentious youth.
In an attempt to atone for his early sins, he later undertook pilgrimages to shrines throughout Europe, eventually entering the Benedictine monastery at Subiaco.
After leaving the monastery, he lived the remainder of his life as a hermit near Assisi.
It is said that he wore only rags and shunned all material wealth, with the exception of a basket which he used to fetch water from a nearby stream.
He died in 1370, and word of his sanctity soon spread due to reports of numerous miracles performed on those with bladder and genital disorders.
It is unclear exactly how his head may have ended up in Ireland.
Auctioneer Damien Matthews, who is selling the macabre item on Sunday, said that the family think an ancestor brought it back from the grand tour of Europe in the 18th century.
The grand tour was an educational rite of passage for wealthy Europeans from the 17th until the 19th century, intended to provide insight into the great cultural symbols of Europe.
The head sat for many years in the family hall in County Louth, but was recently uncovered in an outhouse.
Mr Matthews said that although he couldn't be certain it was the head of a saint: "It's certainly ancient, and it's certainly the head of somebody."
The Holy Cross Monastery, a Benedictine order in Rostrevor, County Down, did not even know who St Vitalis was, and after an internet search, declined to comment further on the matter of his or anyone else's severed head.
The auction takes place at Annesbrook House in Duleek, County Meath, on 29 May at 1500 BST.
The head, holy or otherwise, is valued at between 800 and 1,200 euros (between £698 and £1,047).
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