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Saintly Bishop without Hagiography?: The Emergence and the Development of the Cult of St Donatus in Zadar

Departing from the fact that one of the three most important holy patrons of the Dalmatian city of Zadar, Bishop Donatus, has no hagiography of his own, I will inquire into the chronology and the circumstances of the emergence of his cult. Bishop Donatus is praised for representing Dalmatians at Charlemagne’s court, orchestrating the translation of St Anastasia, and building the church of Holy Trinity in Zadar. Often regarded almost as the founder of Medieval Zadar by the local chroniclers, the “historicity” of Bishop Donatus is well attested by different sources. Perceived as the “third” heavenly protector (following St Anastasia and St Chryosogonus), Donatus enjoyed a relatively high rank in the liturgy of Zadar Cathedral in the late medieval period. Yet, in contrast to seemingly stable long-term collective memory, his hagiography is (almost) non-existent. The questions I propose to consider are therefore: (a) When can one actually pin down the beginning of his cult? (b) In which circumstances did the cult emerge? (c) What are the possible relations between its emergence and the contemporary ecclesiastical politics? In order to try to answer to these questions I will investigate diverse material ranging from early medieval epigraphic inscriptions to early modern liturgical books, while focusing on the legend Translatio S. Anastasia. Interpreting its “hidden agendas”, in an attempt to sketch the context in which cult of St Donatus might have appeared, I will use the occasion to modify my previous views about the legend. Finally, the question of the context in which the cult of St Donatus might have appeared, as well as that of its initial functions, is aimed at initiating a broader discussion about the emergence and the role of the cult of other local bishops in medieval Dalmatian cities.

St Donatus; Zadar; cult of the saint; hagiography

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