The Story of the Cut Head of Saint Donato

The story that I want to tell you tonight is the story of Saint Donato, the protector of Arezzo.

Saint Donato lived in Arezzo for a long time and made a lot of miracles. He gave his help to a lot of poor people. For this reason a bad king put him in jail and decapitated him on the 7th of August, 362.

His head was cut off on the highest square of Arezzo, in front of the cathedral.

His cut head rolled down along the main street of the city and stopped in front of the little roman church of Santa Maria in the poorest part of the city.

A soldier immediately took the head and brought it back to the top of the hill.

As soon as the soldier put the cut head near the dead body, the head rolled down again as if an invisible hand hit it. It stopped at the same point where it stopped the first time.

Another soldier ran after it, got the head and carried it back to the top again.

The people looked speechless.

Then, for the third time, the head rolled down where it rolled before.

Still nowadays the head is kept inside a golden chest in the little church on the poorest part of the city and the bust of the Saint is stored in a silver chest inside the cathedral on the top of the city.

Saint Donato, who is the patron of Arezzo, is the protector of the barber too, but mostly he is remembered because everyone who has a headache prays to him.