Hierarch 4th century

Saint Donatus Bishop of Euroea

died c. 387

Also known as Donatus of Euroea in Epirus

Bishop of Euroea in Epirus during the reign of Theodosius the Great, remembered for his pastoral care and for many miracles of healing and deliverance.

Feast Day

April 30

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Commemorated as

Our Father among the Saints Donatus, Bishop of Euroea in Epirus, the Wonderworker

Come to them for

Healing

Life

Saint Donatus was bishop of Euroea, a see in the province of Epirus in northwestern Greece, during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius the Great (379-397). He is remembered chiefly as a wonderworker whose pastoral care over his flock was joined to a series of miracles of healing, deliverance, and provision recorded in the synaxarion. By tradition he reposed in peace about the year 387.

The fifth-century church historian Sozomen preserves information about Donatus, and his veneration spread widely through Epirus, Corfu, and the surrounding regions in the Middle Ages. The episcopal see of Euroea has been identified with the site of Glyki in Epirus. He is honored on April 30 in the Orthodox Church, and his cult was also received in the West, so that he is commemorated by both the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.

The miracles attributed to Donatus center on his power over the natural world and over unclean spirits. The synaxarion relates that he cleansed a poisoned spring, drew water from dry rock, summoned rain in a drought, healed the emperor's possessed daughter, and even raised a dead man to give testimony. These episodes account for his enduring title of wonderworker and for the breadth of his veneration.

Timeline 3 moments Read Hide

379-397 Bishop under Theodosius the Great Donatus serves as bishop of Euroea in Epirus during the reign of the Emperor Theodosius the Great.
c. 387 Repose Saint Donatus reposes in peace.
c. 602 Translation of relics By tradition his relics are transferred to Kassiopi on Corfu to protect them from invasion.

Contributions & Legacy

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Miracles of the Synaxarion

According to the synaxarion, when Donatus learned of a brackish spring in the vicinity of Soreia near his city, he went to it with his clergy and cast out a monstrous serpent that infested the place; the serpent died, and the saint then prayed, blessed the spring, and drank its water without harm. On another occasion he brought forth water from a dry and rocky place by his prayer, and during a drought he entreated the Lord to send rain upon the parched land.

The tradition further relates that when the daughter of the Emperor Theodosius fell gravely ill and was afflicted by an unclean spirit, Donatus came to the imperial palace; as soon as he arrived the spirit departed and the woman was made well. He is also said to have raised a dead man so that his testimony might resolve a dispute with a creditor. Such accounts gave Donatus his standing as a wonderworker over both the natural elements and the powers of darkness.

Veneration and Relics

By tradition the relics of Saint Donatus were transferred to Kassiopi on the island of Corfu around the year 602 to preserve them from barbarian invasions. According to the historical record, the translation occasioned a jurisdictional dispute that was resolved by Pope Gregory I. His veneration was widespread during the Middle Ages, especially in Epirus, Corfu, and the lands of present-day Albania and Greece.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints