Photos of the Pre-Romanesque St Donatus Church Zadar

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Photos of the Beautiful Medieval Pre-Romanesque St Donatus Church Zadar Architecture & Art, Croatia. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams.  (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Pre-Romanesque St Donatus Church Zadar Architecture & Art, Croatia.

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Photos of the Pre-Romanesque Church of St Donatus Zadar Croatia (Crkva sv. Donata)

Donatus of Zadar

Donatus of Zadar was a Dalmatian saint who became a bishop of Zadar.  In the 9th century he began construction on a church in the northeastern part of the old Roman forum. The church was originally consecrated as the Holy Trinity but in the 15th century it was re-dedicated to St Donatus.

Pre-Romanesque St Donatus Church

The church is a large Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia. The Pre-Romanesque predated the Romanesque but many of the features are the same. The Church of St Donatus does not have a traditional Romanesque layout. Its layout is an example of the centralised type of the Carolingian period in Europe.

Layout of St Donatus Church

St Donatus is a circular church 27 m high which have originally had a dome. The design is simple with no sophisticated architectural details.

Three apses radiate out from the central area of St Donatus. This is surrounded by a semicircular ambulatory, covered walkway, surmounted by circular gallery. The circular shape of St Donatus is typical of the early medieval age in Dalmatia.

St Donatus was built on the old Roman forum. Roman stone fragments were used in its construction. These are partcilarily visible iat the base of the churches walls. One very visible Roman stone comes from the remains of a Roman sacrificial altar. The stone is inscribed in latin “Ivnoni Auguste Iiovi Agusto” a tribute to Emperor Augustus.

Zadar Cathedral

The Cathedral of St. Anastasia is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Zadar, Croatia. It is the seat of the Archdiocese of Zadar.
Today’s cathedral was built in the Romanesque style. It is the largest Romanesque church in all of Dalmatia. The church’s origins date back to a Christian basilica built in the 4th and 5th century, while much of today’s building was constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries.

Trogir is A UNESCO World Heritage Site