Beschütze Unser Obst, Unsere Weinreben Vor Eis, Plagen... Die Verehrung des Heiligen Donatus
The Cult of St Donatus

Summary/Abstract: For vinegrowers, particularly those in Transdanubia, Upper Hungary and Transylvania, St Donatus, martyr bishop of Arezzo, is a popular patron saint. Devotion to the saint began in earnest in Germany during the baroque period. When his relics were taken from Rome and Münster in the Rhineland an accompanying priest was struck by lightning only to survive unscathed. It was a miracle that was explained by the divine intervention of St Donatus. Devotion to the saint consequently spread rapidly in the Rhine wine region. Since the 18th century processions have also been held and supplications made to the saint in Austria and Hungary on his feast day (August 7th) to ward off natural disasters, lightning and hail. The feast day of St Donatus is celebrated on two different days: August 7th in Székesfehérvár and Csókakő and July 14th in Budafok, with Eger celebrating on the second Sunday in July. The explanation lies in the Roman martyrology, where August 7th marks the martyrdom Donatus shared with the monk Hilarinus, while July 16th was the date their bodies were taken to Ostia. It is account of their joint martyrdom that St Donatus’s death is also commemorated on this day.

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