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St Canna Church is believed to date from the 12th or 13th century. It is said to have been rebuilt in 1820, but by 1875 it was described as being deserted and full of insects, snails and weeds. A publication four years later stated that the church was 'about to be removed' because the population had moved away from the area.
The church is said to have been extensively rebuilt in 1856 with more work being done in 1869. Many of its original features were destroyed during this time period. A school room was added to the structure in 1881. In 1909 a pre-Norman cross was discovered in the garden of the church rectory. The cross is believed to date from the ninth century; it was not intact when found but was pieced together.
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.