Senez Cathedral formerly the seat of the Bishopric of Senez, abolished under the Concordat of 1801, when its territory was added to the Diocese of Digne.
The present Romanesque church stands on the site of several older cathedral buildings, but itself dates from the 12th-13th centuries. Construction started in 1176 and the cathedral was consecrated on 22 October 1246.
It suffered severely in the French Wars of Religion and its belltower was destroyed by Protestants. It was rebuilt in the 17th century.
It is particularly known for its church furnishings. The tapestries (seven by Aubusson, end of the 17th century, and one by Audemar of Enghien, end of the 16th century) were presented by Monseigneur de Ruffo Bonneval (bishop of Senez 1783–1784) to mark the completion of the restoration. Napoleon I passed through Senez on 3 March 1815 and greatly admired them. The church's choir stalls, lectern and altar, of the 17th and 18th centuries, are also particularly fine. It has two altarpieces of carved and gilded wood, also from the 17th century.
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.