Saint Donatus (second half of 8th century

Zadar Zadar ( , ; historically known as Zara (from Venetian and Italian: ); see also other names), is the oldest continuously inhabited Croatian city. It is situated on the Adriatic Sea, at the northwestern part of Ravni Kotari region. Zadar serv ...

– first half of 9th century), also called Donato of Zara, was a Dalmatian saint who became a

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

and a

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or internati ...

for the Dalmatian city-state of Zadar (Zara). His feast day is celebrated on 25 February. Donatus is mentioned in

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages * Francia, a post-Roman state in France and Germany * East Francia, the successor state to Francia in Germany ...

annals from 805 as an ambassador of the Dalmatian cities to

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

Thionville Thionville (; ; german: Diedenhofen ) is a city in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz. History Thionville was settled as early as the time of th ...

. Donatus is credited for initiating either construction or expansion of the Church of the Holy Trinity. The church was completed in the beginning of the 9th century and in the 15th century. Its name was later changed by the Venetians to the

Church of St. Donatus The Church of St. Donatus ( hr, Crkva sv. Donata) is a church located in Zadar, Croatia. Its name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the forum (Roman), Roman ...

Donatus's Church

The church is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia, and was built upon the ruin of the old Roman forum, part of the forum's foundations can be seen today. The marble

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

in the cathedral preserves the relics of the Sirmian martyr St. Anastasia with an inscription dating from Donatus' time. According to tradition, St. Donatus brought the relics to Zara from Constantinople, when he was there with the Venetian duke Beato. They had been ordered by Charlemagne to negotiate the border between the

Byzantine Empire The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and the

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

n territories that were under the dominion of Charlemagne's

Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

. Donatus died around 811, and was buried in his Church of the Holy Trinity (today the Church of St. Donatus). After 1809, following the French occupation of Zadar, his bones were transferred to the Cathedral of St. Anastasia where they lie to this date, and mass has not been celebrated at the church for around two centuries.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Donatus Of Zadar Bishops of Zadar 8th-century bishops 9th-century bishops 8th-century Christian saints 9th-century Christian saints Illyrian people People from Dalmatia 8th century in Croatia 9th century in Croatia