The structure of the St Peblig's Church has thirteenth century origins although much of the present fabric is of the fourteenth century. A tower and chapel were added in the sixteenth century, and there were further minor alterations in the eighteenth and ninteenth centuries before major restoration work was undertaken in 1894.
The church is constructed of coursed rubble walls with a slate roof and coped gables. It is notable for its imposing 3-storey western tower and has a high quality, late medieval arch-braced roof. There is a sixteenth century alabaster tomb in the north-eastern chapel, and some evidence of wall painting, including scrollwork in a tomb recess that is probably of medieval date.
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.