Vitalis of Creuilly or Vitalis of Bernay (died 19 June 1085) was a Benedictine monk from Normandy. Sources on his life includ
the early 15th century history of the Abbey
by

John Flete John Flete (ca. 1398 – 1466) was an English people, English monk and ecclesiastical historian who documented the history and abbots of Westminster Abbey. He entered the monastery at Westminster some time around 1420. For some years, he was an o ...

and the 1751
An history of the Church of St. Peter, Westminster, commonly called Westminster Abbey
' by Richard Widmore. He was a monk at

Fécamp Abbey The Abbey of the Holy Trinity at Fécamp, commonly known as Fécamp Abbey (), is a Benedictine abbey in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime, Upper Normandy, France. The abbey is known as the first producer of bénédictine, a herbal liqueur based on brand ...

before becoming abbot of Bernay Abbey around 1055. On 28 May 1065 he buried his friend Osbern, Abbot of Saint-Evroul, who had died the previous year. He was a confidant of

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

, abbot of Fecamp, who in 1058 charged him with setting up

Saint-Gabriel-Brécy Priory Saint-Gabriel-Brécy Priory was a Benedictine priory 10 km from the coast between Caen and Bayeux. It is sited in the town of Saint-Gabriel-Brécy, Calvados (department), Calvados, France. A 13th century gate-tower survives, with ogive vaultin ...

- its establishment had been requested by Vitalis' brother Richard, lord of Creully. Finally he was appointed the third

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

William I of England William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was ...

on the advice of

Lanfranc Lanfranc, OSB (1005 1010 – 24 May 1089) was an Italian-born English churchman, monk and scholar. Born in Italy, he moved to Normandy to become a Benedictine monk at Bec. He served successively as prior of Bec Abbey and abbot of St Ste ...

, the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury. William also granted Vitalis a manor at

Doddington, Lincolnshire Doddington is a village in the civil parish of Doddington and Whisby, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. The population of the civil parish of "Doddington and Whisby" at the 2011 census was 319. The parish of Doddington ...

, whilst Vitalis' brother Osbern took over at Bernay. Vitalis may have been reluctant to come - Widmore states that William wrote a letter to John of Fecamp demanding his consent to sending Vitalis. Flete states his year of appointment as 1078, but it is stated as 1076 in the

Winchester Annals Winchester (, ) is a cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, at the western end of the South Downs National Park, on the River Itchen. It is south-west of ...

and as 1077 in the

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' is a collection of annals in Old English, chronicling the history of the Anglo-Saxons. The original manuscript of the ''Chronicle'' was created late in the ninth century, probably in Wessex, during the reign of ...

. He held the post until his death and continued the building work on the abbey as well as supervising work on

Westminster Palace The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the ...

and commissioning the monk

Sulcard Sulcard (floruit ''c''. 1080) was a Benedictine monk at St. Peter's, Westminster Abbey, and the author of the first history of the abbey. Little is known of Sulcard, whose unusual name may reflect either Anglo-Saxon or Norman parentage.Harvey, "Su ...

to write a number of tracts on the Abbey's history. Vitalis was buried beneath a small white stone at the head of Abbot Gislebert in the south cloister of the Abbey - its Latin inscription stated that "He who derived his name from life 'vita'' Abbot Vitalis, at death's summons passed on and lies here". A tapestry and a silk cloth were placed on his grave annually on 19 June, with two candles burning from Vespers until the end of Requiem Mass on 20 June.{{Cite web, url=http://www.westminster-abbey.org/our-history/people/abbot-vitalis, title = Abbot Vitalis His grave is now unmarked.

References

1085 deaths Abbots of Westminster Anglo-Norman Benedictines French Benedictines 11th-century Christian abbots