Alange Castle was built by the Arabs in the 9th century on a rocky hill, over the Matachel River, on the banks of the Alange reservoir. This defence fortress is at a strategic point from which access to the Silver Way was controlled. Its inaccessibility makes it a privileged place. It was witness to numerous battles and sieges between Moors and Christians.
The castle was conquered by Christians during Reconquista in the mid-13th century. It was abandoned in 1550. Although the castle was a great fortress, nowadays only three towers and the keep, made of strong brick walls and with numerous windows with horseshoe-shaped arches, remain. Some wells from the Islamic period are also preserved.
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.