The Ducal Palace of Gandia was, from the 14th century, the residence of the Royal Dukes of Gandía, and from 1485, the Borja (Borgia) family. It was the birthplace of Saint Francis Borja.
The oldest part of the building dates from the 15th century in Valencian Gothic style, but was restored and turned into a sanctuary by the Society of Jesus. It is attached to the wall that surrounds the city and has two gates, a Gothic one and one from the Renaissance.
Its remarkable interior has some interesting spaces, like the Golden Gallery, made in Baroque style, and the Crown Hall.
Initially the Palace was designed as a civil Gothic style urban castle and was ultimately transformed into a comfortable fortified palace. The main entrance to the Palacio Ducal is a robust door with a rounded arch, which together with the hallways are the oldest elements of the Gothic palace. You enter from this area and there is an imposing central parade ground with an impressive exterior staircase by which you ascend to the halls, among which the Baroque style Salón de Coronas and Galeria Dorada are notable.
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.