The Auld Kirk is one of the oldest buildings in Kirkintilloch. Built in 1644 as Saint Mary's Church, it is Category A listed. There is a full programme of temporary exhibitions throughout the year. Most of the paintings held by the Auld Kirk Museum are of a topographical nature relating to East Dunbartonshire. Arthur Griffith was a commercial artist who painted fairy and fantasy paintings for his own pleasure. They are characterised by attention to detail and sureness of hand.
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.