The royal abbey of Saint-Michel-de Bois-Aubry illustrates the transition from hermitism (Hermit Roberto in the 11th century) to cenobitism (elevated to an abbey in 1138). Mentioned by Popes Eugene III and Alexander III, it survived the Hundred Years' War and was embellished under the reigns of Louis XI and Charles VIII.
After the abbacy of Charles de Ronsard (1544), the abbey endured the Wars of Religion, the French Revolution, and modern times. In 1978, an Orthodox monastic community undertook major restoration work (nave, rood screen, bell tower) before leaving in 2006. The ashes of Yul Brynner were interred here in 1990. A private site since 2006, the abbey remains a heritage treasure.
Built from tuffeau stone, the abbey blends Romanesque (12th century) and Gothic (14th-15th century) styles, featuring notable elements such as stone spire-topped bell tower (14th century), the abbey church, rood screen, cloister (12th century), chapter house with a Roman column (3rd century).
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.