Saint Donatus of Arezzo. Saint Donatus of Arezzo is the patron saint of Arezzo, and considered a bishop of the city.
A Passio of Donatus' life was written by a bishop of Arezzo, Severinus; it is of questionable historicity. He calls Donatus a martyr, though Donatus is described as a bishop and confessor of the faith in ancient sources rather than as a martyr.
An early hagiography of Donatus was already known to Gregory the Great. According to tradition, Donatus was martyred on August 7, 362 during the reign of Julian the Apostate and was a native of Nicomedia.
According to Severinus' account, as a child Donatus came to Rome with his family from Nicomedia. He was orphaned, in this early account, during a persecution, and named by the bishop of Arezzo.
The Latin name Donatus translates into English as donated. By Severinus' narrative, Donatus was educated by a Christian priest named Pymenius; his friend and companion in these religious studies was a boy named Julian-who would later become Emperor Julian the Apostate. Julian rose to the position of subdeacon; Donatus became a lector. Saint Peter Damian would later write in his Sermones that in the field of the Lord two sprigs, Donatus and Julian, grow together, but one will become a cedar of Paradise, the other coal for the eternal flames of Hell. On 4 February 362, Julian promulgated an edict to guarantee freedom of religion. This edict proclaimed that a
A Passio of Donatus' life was written by a bishop of Arezzo, Severinus; it is of questionable historicity. He calls Donatus a martyr, though Donatus is described as a bishop and confessor of the faith in ancient sources rather than as a martyr.
An early hagiography of Donatus was already known to Gregory the Great. According to tradition, Donatus was martyred on August 7, 362 during the reign of Julian the Apostate and was a native of Nicomedia.
According to Severinus' account, as a child Donatus came to Rome with his family from Nicomedia. He was orphaned, in this early account, during a persecution, and named by the bishop of Arezzo.
The Latin name Donatus translates into English as donated. By Severinus' narrative, Donatus was educated by a Christian priest named Pymenius; his friend and companion in these religious studies was a boy named Julian-who would later become Emperor Julian the Apostate. Julian rose to the position of subdeacon; Donatus became a lector. Saint Peter Damian would later write in his Sermones that in the field of the Lord two sprigs, Donatus and Julian, grow together, but one will become a cedar of Paradise, the other coal for the eternal flames of Hell. On 4 February 362, Julian promulgated an edict to guarantee freedom of religion. This edict proclaimed that a
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