Saint Donatus of Arezzo

Memorial

• 7 August

Profile

Educated in Rome, Italy. During the persecutions of Diocletian, he fled from Rome to Arezzo, Italy. There his obvious sanctity and education led to his election as the second bishop of Arezzo in 346. Due to the number of saints named Donatus, there is some confusion about his death; he may have been martyred in Rome, but he may have died of natural causes in Arezzo.

Born

• Nicomedia (part of modern Turkey)

Died

• 362
• interred in the cathedral of Arezzo, Italy
• some relics at Ostia, Italy

Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

Patronage

• Arezzo, Italy
• Cavriglia, Italy

Representation

• bishop with a sword and dragon
• bishop beheaded with sword
• bishop stabbed with a dagger
• bishop freeing a poisoned well from a dragon
• bishop kneeling at an altar with an angel whispering to him
• bishop with a chalice and dragon at his feet
• bishop on horseback, raising his crozier at a dragon

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Katherine Rabeinstein
• New Catholic Dictionary
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
• Wikipedia

MLA Citation

• “Saint Donatus of Arezzo“. Saints.SQPN.com. 27 March 2013. Web. 24 May 2013. <>