The oldest parts of the Fårö church date from the 15th century, but it has been mainly rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries. Lightning struck the steeple in the 18th century, and the spire had to be rebuilt. Later the church became outgrown, so an extension was built towards the east in 1858, when the church doubled its size and took on its present day appearance.
The votive ships made in 1620 and 1767 describe a dramatic seal hunt. Jöns Langhammar and his son Lars set off on a seal hunt in 1767. They drifted to sea on an ice floe, but were rescued by neighbours. As token of his gratitude, Lars promised to give his daughter’s hand in marriage to the son of one of his rescuers.
References:The Church of St Donatus name refers to Donatus of Zadar, who began construction on this church in the 9th century and ended it on the northeastern part of the Roman forum. It is the largest Pre-Romanesque building in Croatia.
The beginning of the building of the church was placed to the second half of the 8th century, and it is supposed to have been completed in the 9th century. The Zadar bishop and diplomat Donat (8th and 9th centuries) is credited with the building of the church. He led the representations of the Dalmatian cities to Constantinople and Charles the Great, which is why this church bears slight resemblance to Charlemagne's court chapels, especially the one in Aachen, and also to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna. It belongs to the Pre-Romanesque architectural period.
The circular church, formerly domed, is 27 m high and is characterised by simplicity and technical primitivism.