L'Isle Castle was built in 1696 by Charles de Chandieu, lieutenant general of the Swiss Guards of Louis XIV, on plans Hardouint Jules Mansard, nephew of the great Mansard. After the hands of different families, it was bought by the municipality of L'Isle in 1876 which transforms it into school classes and as home town.
L'Isle Castle draws a U-shaped plan, between courtyard and garden, with a main building, where are the reception rooms and apartments for teachers and two wings containing services (kitchen, pantry, servants' rooms) and secondary local (archives, library, attic). Note the impressive framing Mansard is in perfect condition. In French-speaking Switzerland, the castle of L'Isle is the first regional example of French classicism and is a key milestone in the dissemination of this current. In 1710, a French garden, with ponds and two rows of trees are created. Waters of the Venoge river are used to establish a comprehensive water plan with a jet of water placed in the axis of the house. The lounge and dining room, the only two original parts furnished are used for cultural or official events. Once the cave was used as a kitchen and refectory for staff and as a prison. After its renovation, different parts of the vaulted and paved spaces are an ideal place for cultural and friendly activities.
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.