In the 13th century Skånelaholm was owned by the King Magnus III of Sweden. He sold the manor to the Skokloster monastery in 1276. After the Reformation Skånelaholm was confiscated to the Crown. In 1641 Anders Gyldenklou aqcuired the manor and completed the present castle couple years later. After several owners Herbert Rettig donated the manor to Vitterhetsakademien (Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities) in 1962. Today it is open to the public in summer season.
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.