Saint Donatus (Donat, Donagh) of Fiesole was an Irish teacher and poet, Bishop of Fiesole, about 829-876. His feast day is October 22. Florence as seen from Fiesole Fiesole is a town and comune (township) of Firenze province in the Italian region of Tuscany, 43°49N 11°18E, on a famously scenic height 346 m (1140 ft) above Florence, 8 km (5 mi) NE of that city. ... Events Egbert of Wessex conquers Mercia and is recognized as Bretwalda. ... Events Seiwa is succeeded by Yozei as emperor of Japan. ... October 22 is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 70 days remaining. ...

Biography

In an ancient collection of the Vitae Patrum, of which an eleventh century copy exists in the Laurentian library of Florence, there is an account of the life of Donatus, which includes the following. (10th century - 11th century - 12th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ...

Donatus was born in Ireland, of a noble family. About 816 he visited the tombs of the Apostles in Rome with his friend, Andrew the Scot. On his journey northwards he was led by Divine Providence to the cathedral of Fiesole, which he entered at the moment when the people were grouped around their altars praying for a bishop to deliver them from the evils, temporal and spiritual, which afflicted them. Raised by popular acclaim to the See of Fiesole, Donatus instituted a revival of piety and learning in the Church over which he was placed. Donatus made Andrew his deacon. Events Frankish king Louis the Pious crowned emperor. ... Alternate meaning: See Apostle (Mormonism) The Christian Apostles were Jewish men chosen from among the disciples, who were sent forth (as indicated by the Greek word απόστολος apostolos= messenger), by Jesus to preach the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles, across the... Nickname: The Eternal City Motto: SPQR: Senatus PopulusQue Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area    - City 1285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban...

Works

He himself did not disdain to teach "the art of metrical composition". The "Life" is interspersed with short poems written by the saintly bishop. The best known of these is the twelve-line poem in which he describes the beauty and fertility of his native land, and the prowess and piety of its inhabitants. Donatus also composed an epitaph in which he alludes to his birth in Ireland, his years in the service of the princes of Italy (Lothair and Louis), his episcopate at Fiesole, and his activity as a teacher of grammar and poetry. Poetry (ancient Greek: poieo = create) is an art form in which human language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or instead of, its notional and semantic content. ... An epitaph ( literally: on the gravestone in ancient Greek) is text honoring the deceased, most commonly inscribed on a tombstone or plaque. ... Lothair (Latin Lotharius; German Lothar; French Lothaire) is a Germanic given name, derived from the older form Clotaire (Chlotharius). ... Louis or Louÿs may refer to: // Louis, 7th duc de Broglie, French physicist and Nobel Prize laureate Louis, Duke of Savoy, the Duke of Savoy from 1440 to 1465 Louis I of Hungary, King of Hungary and Poland in the late 14th century Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor, eldest... For the surname, see Grammer. ... The Chinese poem Quatrain on Heavenly Mountain by Emperor Gaozong (Song Dynasty) Poetry (from the Greek , poiesis, making or creating) is a form of art in which language is used for its aesthetic qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its ostensible meaning. ...

Iconography

Donatus is usually depicted in the garb of a bishop with an Irish wolfhound at his feet. He is also shown pointing out a church to his deacon Andrew. The Irish Wolfhound is a breed of dog (a sighthound) bred to hunt. ... Deacon is a role in the Christian Church which is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. ...

Source

• Saints of October 22: Donat of Fiesole

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913.