St. Alban's Roman Catholic Church in Odense should not be confused with the medieval church of St. Alban's Priory where King Canute IV was murdered in 1086, and which was later replaced with St. Canute's Cathedral. Odense's first Catholic congregation since the Protestant reformation was established in 1867, and consisted of 12 adults and 7 children. In the first few years services were hold in rented space, but in 1869 the congregation purchased part of Odense Priory and established St. Mary's church, an all-girls school, and residence for the Sisters of St. Joseph. An additional building was constructed, which housed an all-boys school and homes for the priests.
In 1899 the first Redemptorists arrived from Austria and started collecting funds for the building of a permanent church, receiving considerable contributions from Austria and Germany. The foundation for the new church was placed on October 21, 1906, and on October 25, 1908, the unfinished building was consecrated and dedicated to Our Lady, Saint Alban, and Saint Canute.
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.