Santa Maria della Passione was initially built in 1496 for the Order of Canons Lateran. The church plan as we see today was based on initial designs of Giovanni Antonio Amadeo, but realized as a centralized greek cross design by Giovanni Battagio. The architect Cristoforo Lombardo designed the large dome to replace the prior crumbling structure. By the late 16th century, under the design of Martino Bassi, the nave acquired a longer longitudinal axis, conforming with the structure of post-Reformation churches. The facade has a series of panels depicting the Passion of Christ. The late Baroque architect and sculptor Giuseppe Rusnati designed the ornate facade.
The interior and the canon's rooms contain a cycle of monumental frescoes by Ambrogio Bergognone completed in around 1510-1515. They depict Christ and the Apostles in the church, and Saints and Popes in elsewhere. The basilica has two organs: the one on right by the Antegnati Family, the one on left, by Valvassori.
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.