Penella Castle is located about 7 km from Cocentaina in the province of Alicante, Spain. It was built in the 13th century, occupying the entirety of a limestone rock with vertical walls on its north side. The castle is named after the area where it is situated.
This castle belongs to the category of rural castles or fortified manor houses from the early Christian period. In 1271, King James I granted Ponç Guillem de Villafranca the villages of Peniella and Forminyàn, authorizing him to build a castle on the rock of Peniella.
Currently, the keep of the castle can be seen, with a square plan measuring 4 meters per side and 12 meters in height. The top of the keep is crenellated. Attached to the keep is a square-shaped building, which is also crenellated.
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.