Built in the 13th century by the lords of Poudenas, vassals of Edward I Plantagenet, Duke of Aquitaine and King of England, the Château de Poudenas defended the valley of the Gélise, overlooking it by 50 meters, at the opening of the Landes Forest.
A military fortification until the 16th century, the castle was then adorned with mullioned windows, opening the keep to the north and south. A hundred years later, a complete redesign adorned the inner courtyard with two terraces each supported by four arcades, and the main facade with a triple gallery reminiscent of an Italian villa and its landscape.
The monument has been classified as a historic monument since August 22, 1984, for its facades and roofs of the keep and the buildings surrounding the main courtyard, its south facade with its gallery and terraces, its corresponding roof, its terrace in front of the castle facade, its stone staircase with straight flights, its fireplace in the grand salon and reception room, and its surrounding wall. It has also been listed since May 26, 1952, for the rest of its facades and roofs.
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.