Saint Donatus of Orléans

Donatus believed this word, and, after having gone to pray at the glorious tomb of Saint Martin of To saint Martin de Tours Saint whose relics were honored by missionaries in Tours. urs, fortified in his heroic resolution, he tore himself away from the embraces of his family, from the paternal affection of his bishop, said farewell to the city of Orleans, and went without worry and without fear in search of that other homeland which the finger of God would indicate to him; a magnificent example of the total abandonment into the hands of Providence of a soul that pursues the kingdom of heaven through the tears of a tender mother and the embraces of an afflicted father.

Donatus, called to the desert, took the path, and, plunging into the immense forests that covered the land, he reached the mountain of Lure. The yo montagne de Lure Mountain range in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence where the sanctuary is located. ung solitary had found his Thebaid: it was a wild site, surrounded by thick woods, where no human noise could interrupt the recollection of the contemplative soul. Happy and full of gratitude, he took possession, in the name of his God, of this deep solitude and pitched his tent there. But isolation does not spare man from temptations and trials: it is even when he finds himself alone that he is exposed to the most terrible battles. The demon soon taught this to Donatus; scarcely had he fixed his steps in the middle of this desert, when a dragon, of prodigious size, advanced, emitting horrible hisses and vomiting whirlwinds of smoke; around him rose an innumerable multitude of enormous snakes, of hideous reptiles; the entire forest seemed to move. In the presence of this strange spectacle, the new Anthony remained calm, prostrated himself, raised his prayers to God, implored the assistance of heaven against the powers of hell, and the angel of darkness, defeated by the simplicity of the pious solitary's faith, ceased to terrify him; the sinister phantoms that had obsessed him a moment before vanished, and he could in peace enjoy the calm and rest of his mysterious retreat in the very lair of the monster which he made his cell.

Donatus divided his time between psalmody, reading, contemplation, and acts of rigorous penance; he had for a bed the bare earth; for clothing, a rough hairshirt; to appease his hunger, wild fruits, and to quench his thirst, the water of the torrent; thus the good odor of this life and of the virtues of the Saint soon spread far and wide, like the sweet perfume of the humble plants of the mountains.

But the voice that had called the young priest into the desert was for a time to cast him back into the midst of the fatigues and perils of the apostolic ministry; it made itself heard, prescribing that he leave the joys of his dear solitude and fly to the aid of the lost sheep of the house of Israel. He knows only how to obey: he therefore leaves his retreat; he shows himself with that recollected and mortified exterior which impresses, and he communicates to the outside the celestial fire that consumes him. An abundant harvest offered itself to his zeal. The populations of the neighboring regions were, some still buried in the darkness of idolatry, others Christian in name only and fallen into an abject materialism or a mortal indifference. The young Apostle sets to work: with a gentle and manly eloquence that carries conviction, repentance, and love into hearts, he preaches the truth of the cross, the falsehood of idolatry, the mercies of the Savior, the mysteries of his painful passion, his sacred wounds, his outstretched arms, his bloodied feet, his head crowned with thorns, his pierced heart; he recalls the beauty of virtue, the brevity of pleasures, the eternity of celestial glory, and he speaks with such a penetrating unction, God gives so much virtue to the efforts of his zeal, that the remnants of idolatry disappear, and the vigor of Christianity flourishes again on an arid and desolate land. These striking conversions excited the hatred of Celsus , pro Celse Proconsul of the Maritime Alps, initially a persecutor then a convert. consul of the Maritime Alps, who, indignant at the losses that the cult of idols had suffered following the preachings of Donatus, had him beaten with rods, and forbade him, under pain of death, from ever leaving his desert again.

Happy to have been able to suffer persecution for the name of Jesus Christ, our Saint returned to the path of his solitude. But no sooner had he returned there than the daughter of Celsus suddenly lost her sight. In her cruel sufferings, she incessantly called Donatus to her aid, whether because of the fame of his miracles or because she was inspired by God. Celsus, who loved his daughter, had the holy hermit sought after, and had him searched for a long time without result, when a peasant, running after an ox that had strayed, caught sight of Donatus at the back of his cave, singing the praises of God. He hastened to inform Celsus. The senator left immediately, accompanied by the mother of the young blind girl. They employed in their favor several persons of distinction, among l'évêque de Sisteron Place of solitary life of Saint Donatus. others the Bishop of Sisteron, to reconcile them with the one they believed to be irritated against them. This prelate allowed himself to be persuaded. He went to see the pious hermit and begged him to intercede with God for the healing of this girl and the salvation of the entire family of Celsus. Donatus received these orders with joy; he followed Celsus to his house; he restored sight to the young girl and brought about the conversion of this entire family. The news of it soon spread and faith grew in souls. This miracle caused a multitude of the sick to crowd around him; all found there their perfect and complete healing.

Finally, through persistent requests, Donat obtained from the Bishop of Sisteron the freedom to return to his hermitage. Alone in his deep retreat, the pious hermit could not for a long time join the sacrifice to his prayer; no one was there to help him ascend to the holy altar and offer the host of praise; he suffered cruelly from being thus deprived of this immense consolation of the priest, when a young man from Embrun, n amed Fl Florent Author of the ancient biography of Rusticula. orent, came to place himself under his guidance. Florent had heard of the holy anchorite; enamored of his virtues, his hidden and penitent life, he wished to attach himself to his footsteps and live with him in the desert. He therefore mounted his horse, and such was, popular tradition tells us, the ardor that carried him toward Saint Donat, that he covered in four hours the space of fifteen leagues that separate Embrun from the Lure mountain. He threw himself at the feet of the solitary, shared his pious desires with him, and implored him to receive him and allow him to build a cell near his own. The holy Confessor listened to him with admiration, raised him with kindness, embraced him with tenderness, and, having tested for some time his vocation, which knew how to resist the inconstancy of youth and the impetuosity of the passions, so violent at that age, he regarded him from then on as his son.

But Florent's father had set out in pursuit of him. After much searching, he finally arrived at the hermit's retreat. Prayers, threats, promises, everything was employed to touch the heart of the young novice, and everything was useless. Grace triumphed over nature, and the softened father did not insist any further. Donat, more assured than ever of the uprightness and fervor of his disciple, allowed him to live an even more intimate life with him. Florent well deserved this holy affection. He assisted Donat at the altar with ecstatic recollection, prayed with him, worked by his side, and learned, by seeing and listening to him, to serve God in the simplicity of a perfect heart.

Very close to their solitude, Donat and Florent had chosen a propitious piece of land and had planted a small vineyard there; they cultivated it with care for the use of the sacrifice; at the time of maturity, they religiously pressed the grapes and kept, as a holy thing, this wine which was, each day, to be changed into the blood of Jesus Christ.

However, the angelic life of Donatus was, once again, to edify men. Saint Gallica nus II, then Arch Saint Gallican II Archbishop of Embrun who summoned Donatus to his side. bishop of Embrun, called him from his solitude to his episcopal city, and the pious hermit, a child of obedience, hastened at the voice of his superior and father, went to him in Embrun, and remained there for some time. He was besieged there by the respect and veneration of the people. The reputation of his holiness spread far and wide, and the brilliance of his miracles earned him such confidence that, after his death, a church was built in his honor in that city which bears his name, just as the desert of Lure is still called the Combe-de-Saint-Donat. Our Saint then returned to his dear solitude. It was there that, already in possession of the object of his love, he fell asleep in God, in the sleep of peace, which is for the just the end of their miseries and the beginning of eternal happiness. Immediately, two choirs of Angels were heard, accompanying with their joyful melodies this blessed soul as it flew toward the heavens. It was the 16th of August in the year 522. He was buried in the very place where he had just ended his innocent life; thus the cave that Donatus had inhabited served as his sepulcher; such was the custom at that time for burying solitaries.

A monastery was built shortly thereafter, near Donat's cell, which was converted into a chapel; and the praises of God did not cease to resound in these wild places.

Later, the body of Saint Donat was transported to Sisteron, from where a portion of these precious relics was distributed to the Church of Avignon, which l'Église d'Avignon City of which Saint Rufus was the first bishop and founder of the church. , from then on, celebrated the feast of Saint Donat under the major double rite; another portion was ceded to the parish church of Saint-Donat in Embrun, where, to this day, the feast of the Saint has continued to be celebrated on August 18; several other fragments were also granted to other churches in Provence.

Excerpt from the Hagiological History of the Diocese of G ap, by Mgr Mgr Depôry Author of the Hagiological History of the Diocese of Gap. Depôry.