ITALY Italian States AREZZO REPUBLIC Silver Medieval Coin ST DONATUS NGC i71937

Description

Item:
i71937
Authentic Coin of:
Italy
. Italian States. Arezzo Republic
Silver Grosso 20mm (1.79 grams) Struck circa 1230-1250 A.D.
Reference: CNI 6/7; Vanni 1997, p. 68, no. 66 (but pellet after first S on obverse).
Certification:
NGC
AU 55  4829213-003
+ S A DONATVS Mitred bust of Saint Donatus facing wearing palium, raising right hand blessing, holding crosier in left hand.
+ DE ARITIO around cross within pellet border.
According to Vanni the lack of a nimbus in the saint’s image, the bust’s style and weight place this coin at the end of the first grosso series (Vanni 1997, p. 31, tipo 1B), issued from the early 1240s (first written evidence dating 1243)
.
This is likely the finest example of this type I have seen having done research with over a decade of auction records. A choice piece for the discerning collector.
You are bidding on the exact item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
Saint Donatus of Arezzo
(Italian:
San Donato di Arezzo
) is the patron saint of Arezzo, and considered a bishop of the city.
A
Passio
of Donatus' life was written by a bishop of Arezzo, Severinus; it is of questionable historicity. He calls Donatus a martyr, though Donatus is described as a bishop and confessor of the faith in ancient sources rather than as a martyr. An early hagiography of Donatus was already known to Gregory the Great.
According to tradition, Donatus was martyred on August 7, 362 during the reign of Julian the Apostate and was a native of Nicomedia.
According to Severinus' account, as a child Donatus came to Rome with his family from Nicomedia. Orphaned, in the early account, during a persecution and named by the bishop of Arezzo, by Severinus' account Donatus was educated by a Christian priest named Pymenius (Pimenio); his friend and companion in these religious studies was a boy named Julian -who would later become Emperor Julian the Apostate. Julian rose to the position of subdeacon; Donatus became a lector. Saint Peter Damian would later write in his
Sermones
that "in the field of the Lord two sprigs, Donatus and Julian, grow together, but one will become a cedar of Paradise, the other coal for the eternal flames of Hell."
On 4 February 362, Julian promulgated an edict to guarantee freedom of religion. This edict proclaimed that all the religions were equal before the law, and that the Roman Empire had to return to its original religious eclecticism, according to which the Roman State did not impose any religion on its provinces. Christian chroniclers considered that it had as its purpose the restoration of paganism at the expense of Christianity. Catholic tradition states that Julian also persecuted individual Christians, and that Donatus' parents, as well as his teacher Pymenius, would die during these persecutions. Donatus escaped to Arezzo and would work with a monk named Hilarian to preach the Christian faith, as well as perform penances and miracles. Severinus'
Passio
states that Donatus brought back to life a woman named Euphrosina; fought and slew a dragon who had poisoned the local well; gave sight back to a blind woman named Syriana; and exorcised a demon that had been tormenting Asterius, the son of the Roman prefect of Arezzo.
Donatus was ordained a deacon and priest by Saint Satyrus of Arezzo, bishop of that city, and continued to preach in the city and in the surrounding region. At the death of Satyrus, Donatus was appointed a bishop by Pope Julius I. A man named Anthimus was Donatus' deacon.
During a celebration of Mass, at the moment of the giving of Communion, in which a glass chalice was being administered, some pagans entered the church and shattered the chalice in question. Donatus, after intense prayer, collected all of the fragments and joined them together. There was a piece missing from the bottom of the cup; miraculously, however, nothing spilled from the cup. Astounded, seventy-nine pagans converted to Christianity. A similar legend is told of Saint Nonnosus, but the object is a shattered glass lamp.
A month after this episode, the prefect of Arezzo, Quadratian, arrested Hilarian the Monk and Donatus. Hilarian was martyred on July 16, 362 and Donatus was beheaded on August 7 at Arezzo.
Arezzo
is a city and
comune
in Italy, capital of the province of the same name located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 kilometres (50 miles) southeast of Florence at an elevation of 296 metres (971 ft) above sea level. It is also 30 km west of Città di Castello. In 2013 the population was about 99,000.
The
province of Arezzo
or
Arretium
(Italian:
provincia di Arezzo
) is the easternmost province in the Tuscany region of northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Arezzo. The province is bordered by the regions of Marche, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria, and the provinces Siena and Florence of Tuscany. It has an area of 3,233 square kilometres (1,248 sq mi), a total population of about 344,000 in 36
comuni
(singular:
comune
)
The north of the province of Arezzo contains the Pratomagno and Casentino mountain ranges and valleys, and the southern areas of the region contain the fertile Tiber and Chiana valleys. It is believed that the province was a major Etruscan urban centre known as Arretium, and a wall was built around the province in this period of rule. In Roman times, the settlement expanded down from the hills, and the settlement assisted Ancient Rome in the Punic Wars against Ancient Carthage. After attacks from barbarians, the settlement mostly disappeared in around 400 AD.
Towards the end of the 11th century, the settlement grew again into a city, despite being located between the powerful nations of Siena and Florence. Its location led to its ownership changing repeatedly; Florence owned the province after the Battle of Campaldino, later lost authority over it, and then annexed it again in 1384. Florence possessed the province until 1859 when Italy was unified. The province is in close proximity to Camaldoli, ancestral seat of the Camaldolese monks.
Italy
, officially the
Italian Republic
(Italian:
Repubblica Italiana
), is a unitary parliamentary republic in Europe. Italy covers an area of 301,338 km
2
(116,347 sq mi) and has a largely temperate climate; due to its shape, it is often referred to in Italy as
lo Stivale
(the Boot). With 61 million inhabitants, it is the 4th most populous EU member state. Located in the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Italy shares open land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia, San Marino and Vatican City.
Since ancient times, Greek, Etruscan, Celtic, and other cultures have thrived on the Italian Peninsula. Rome ultimately emerged as the dominant power, conquering much of the ancient world and becoming the leading cultural, political, and religious centre of Western civilisation. During the Dark Ages, the region suffered sociopolitical collapse amid calamitous barbarian invasions, but by the 11th century, numerous Italian city-states rose to great prosperity through shipping, commerce and banking, and even laid the groundwork for capitalism. The Renaissance led to a flourishing of Italian culture, producing famous scholars, artists, and polymaths such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Machiavelli. Italian explorers such as Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Giovanni da Verrazzano discovered new routes to the Far East and the New World, helping to usher in the European Age of Discovery. Nevertheless, Italy remained politically fragmented and fell prey to European powers such as France, Spain, and later Austria, subsequently entering a long period of decline that lasted until the mid-19th century.
After various unsuccessful attempts, the second and the third wars for Italian independence resulted in the eventual unification of most of present-day Italy by 1866. From the late 19th century to the early 20th century, the new Kingdom of Italy rapidly industrialised and acquired a colonial empire, becoming a great power. However, southern and rural areas of the country remained largely excluded from industrialisation, fuelling a large and influential diaspora. Despite being one of the main victors in World War I, Italy entered a period of economic crisis and social turmoil, leading the way to the rise of a Fascist dictatorship in 1922. The subsequent participation in World War II on the Axis side ended in military defeat, economic destruction and civil war. In the years that followed, Italy abolished the monarchy, reinstated democracy, and enjoyed a prolonged economic boom, thus becoming one of the world's most developed nations.
Italy has the third largest economy in the Eurozone and the eighth largest economy in the world. It has a very high level of human development and enjoys the highest life expectancy in the EU. Italy plays a prominent role in global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs and is also considered to be a major regional power in Europe. Italy is a founding and leading member of the European Union and the member of numerous international institutions, including the UN, NATO, the OECD, the OSCE, the WTO, the G7/G8, G20, the Union for the Mediterranean, the Council of Europe, Uniting for Consensus, and many more. As a reflection of its vast cultural wealth, Italy is home to 51 World Heritage Sites, the most in the world, and is one of the most visited countries.
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