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The Château de Montsoreau is a castle constructed in 1455 by Jean de Chambes, a senior councillor to King Charles VII. Erected on the bank of the Loire river, it was a strategic fortress, controlling river traffic between Chinon and Saumur. In fact the castle of Montsoreau has an exceptional position at the confluence of two rivers, the Loire and the Vienne, and at the meeting point of three historic regions: Anjou, Poitou and Touraine. Unlike other castles by the Loire, Montsoreau was directly built in the river.
By the end of the 19th century, the castle was abandoned and in near ruins. Today, having undergone extensive renovation, it is owned by the département and houses the Musée des Goums Marocains. In the 20th century the castle became a museum during 50 years.
The Château de Montsoreau has been listed as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture since 1862. However, the photos from the French Cultural Ministry show it to be in significant disrepair with broken doors and windows and untended grounds. Visitors to the castle can see a show with music and light and depicting activity in the river and the landscapes of the Loire, and the legend of its Dame de Montsoreau.
Alexandre Dumas's novel La Dame de Monsoreau is based upon the amorous escapades of two ladies who occupied the castle during the reign of King Henri III.
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.