Château de Médavy is a beautiful 18th century castle with classical architecture inspired in particular by Mansart (Versailles’ architect). Current main building was erected between 1705 and 1724 for Jacques-Léonor Rouxel de Médavy, marshal of France. The entirety was refurbished between 1754 and 1789 by Pierre Thiroux de Monregard, superintendent of the French relays and postal service.
The guided tour allows visitors to discover an elegant stairway, rooms decorated with pieces of French eighteenth century furniture, and portraits of previous owners such as the countess of Thiroux de Monregard painted by Louis-Michel Van Loo (Louis XVth court portraitist). Finally, two well-endowed chart rooms shelter Spanish cabinets as well as a collection of globes and atlases from the XVI to the XVIII century.
Outdoors (non-guided), two superb pathways, lined by lime trees, offer a pleasant walk along the Orne river. One of the towers has been transformed into a chapel and African works of art are exposed in the dovecote.
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.