Santa María la Real is a Gothic-style, Roman Catholic church, located on Plaza Teobaldos in Olite. The church was erected during the 13th through 14th-centuries. It stands adjacent to the Palacio Real de Olite, much favored by King Charles III of Navarre (1361-1425).
The interior has a retablo depicting the Virgin Mary and the Christ of la Buena Muerte. The 14th-century Christ statue may derive from the former church of San Lázaro.
The facade is profusely decorated with sculptures. The portal, below a large rose window, is formed by 8 arches. In the tympanum are various stories of the early Life of Christ and the Virgin.
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.