Saint Donatus of Besançon

Saint Donat Saint Donat Archbishop of Besançon in the 7th century and founder of monasteries. us lived sometimes with the clerics of Saint-Étienne, sometimes with the religious of Saint-Paul, always wearing the monastic habit, faithfully observing the rule, living among them as a simple religious, and exactly fulfilling the office of canon. It would be difficult to describe all the zeal and activity he displayed to maintain the faith among his people. The report of his eminent virtues spread far and wide. "We read in our manuscripts," wrote Dunod, "that Clotaire II showed p articular c Clotaire II King of Neustria and later sole King of the Franks, protector of Columbanus after his exile. onfidence in Saint Donatus, and that he often sought his counsel." A great number of Christians, drawn by his renown, came from all parts to visit the sanctuaries of Saint-Jean and Saint-Étienne, and showed themselves eager to see and hear the holy bishop. Donatus welcomed all these pious visitors with kindness, charming them with the sweetness of his words, and strengthening them through the grace of his blessings. When these faithful placed any offering in his hands, as the first Christians once did at the feet of the Apostles, Donatus never wanted these gifts of piety to be used for his own personal use; rather, he consecrated them to the relief of all the poor.

The name of Saint Donatus is found in the foundation acts of several monasteries established at that time in various provinces of France. In 650, he took part in the Council of Chalon-sur-Saône. In his episcopal city, he founded a monastery for women under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary: it was called Jussa-Mouti er, that is t Jussa-Moutier Monastery of nuns founded by Donatus in Besançon. o say, the lower monastery, because it was situated at the foot of the mountain that overlooks Besançon. Gertrude was its first abbess. Sirude, sister of Donatus, and Flavia, his mother, took the veil there. At their request, he composed a rule for them which we still possess. It has always been cited with praise; in it, he develops

In seventy-seven chapters, he covers all the duties of nuns. He says himself that he drew from Saint Benedict, Saint Caesarius, and Saint Columbanus, and that he offers what is like the flower of their thoughts; he also took a great part in the direction of the monastery of Brégille, founded by his uncle Amalgaire, the second Duke of Burgundy. Amalgaire had established this house for his daughter, Adalsinde. After having governed his Church for about thirty-two years, Saint Donat rendered his soul to God on August 7, around the year 660. He was buried in the abbey of Saint-Paul, near his father Valdelène. God glorified his tomb, and he was honored as a Saint.

## CULT AND RELICS.

The cult of Saint Donatus spread from Besançon to the various regions of Upper Burgundy. From the 13th century, we see two churches placed under his invocation: that of Avondrey, in the canton of Vercel, which was then in the country of Varase, and that of Plasse, in the canton of Voiteur. Later, the church of Cuvier, in the canton of Nozeroy, also took Saint Donatus as its patron. It was above all in Besançon that his cult had the most brilliance. In the 13th century, a church was built in his honor within the very enclosure of Saint-Paul Abbey, to which it was annexed in 1173. In 1770, it was demolished because it was falling into ruins.

After the calming of the revolutionary troubles, the churches having been returned to worship, in 1802, that of Saint-Maurice was re-established under the title of Saint-Maurice and Saint-Donat. As for the relics that this church possesses, they are of Saint Donat, martyr. Where are the relics of Saint Donat, Archbishop of Besançon? According to the most probable opinion, the body of the holy prelate was never buried. It was he who was discovered in 1667, while making repairs in the church of Saint-Paul. A flat tomb was uncovered without date or inscription, marked only with the pastoral cross. Under this tomb were found the bones of an entire body, enclosed in a hollow and round stone, one and a half feet deep, and surrounded by masonry. Everything was put back in the same tomb, on the left side of the choir, at the entrance to the presbytery. The church of Saint-Paul, raised from its ruins in the 14th century, restored and embellished in the 14th and 15th, has been, in our century, transformed into a warehouse and a stable. The elegant Byzantine bell tower that crowned this church, and whose slender spire gracefully dominated the entire neighborhood, was made to disappear.

See, for more details, the Vie des Saints de Franche-Comté, by the professors of the Collège Saint-François-Xavier of Besançon, from which we have extracted this biography. — Cf. Dom Cellier.