St Donatus (d. 876) bishop of Fiesole
Donatus is said to have lived in the ninth century when the Irish Church had accepted the Roman customs of tonsure and time of Easter. He travelled to Rome on pilgrimage with his servant Andrew. On the way back while passing through Fiesole, near Florence, he was elected its bishop. He turned out to be an effective bishop and a brilliant diplomat.
A monk of Inis Cealtra
Donatus was born in Ireland of noble parents towards the end of the eighth century and was educated in the monastic school founded by St Caimin on Inishcealtra, a small island in Lough Derg, near the Galway shore, now better known as Holy Island.
On pilgrimage to Rome
Tradition has it that Donatus, who may have been a priest and even a bishop as well as a monk, went with his servant Andrew on pilgrimage to Rome. On the return journey (c. 829) he arrived at Fiesole, near Florence, on the day when a new bishop was to be chosen. As he entered the cathedral where the people had gathered to pray for enlightenment before the election, suddenly and spontaneously the bells rang and all the lamps were lit.
Elected bishop of Fiesole
The people interpreted this as a sign from God indicating that the stranger who had just come in was destined to be their next bishop. The puzzled Irishman was elected by acclamation. It could well be that none of the locals would accept the office. Six years earlier the feudal barons had murdered the local bishop by drowning him!
A man of piety and culture
Fortunately, Donatus was a man of piety and culture. In addition to many other works, he is said to have been the author of two lives of Saint Brigid of Kildare, one in prose and the other in verse, and a poem in praise of Ireland. A manuscript in his own handwriting is preserved by the Dominicans in Rome.
Wrote his won epitaph
Donatus is also said to have written his own epitaph, which survives. It describes him as a splendid teacher, specialising in grammar and fine writing and that he loyally advised and served the Frankish King Lothair I and the Emperor Louis.
Military and diplomatic initiatives
At times (840 and 866) Donatus became a military leader, raising armies and conducting expeditions against the Saracens. He attended Lothair's coronation by Pope Sergius II, and was a judge in the dispute between the bishops of Arezzo and Siena. In 862, he assisted at the Council of Rome convened by Pope Saint Nicholas I against Archbishop John of Ravenna.
Support for Irish pilgrims
Donatus was also a generous supporter of monastic foundations. In 852, he founded a church and a hospice dedicated to Saint Brigid at Piacenza, placing it under the protection of Saint Columban's monastery at Bobbio. He specified his particular wish that the monastery continue to render particular hospitality to Irish pilgrims.
Charter of independence
Before he died Donatus obtained from King Charles the Bald a charter of independence for the bishops of Fiesole with the power to impose taxes and administer their own laws.
Altar in the cathedral at Fiesole
In 1817, the relics of Donatus were translated to the new cathedral of Fiesole. His altar is in the last chapel on the right behind the high altar.