User Reviews
The Franciscan order arrived in Brescia around 1220, after a visit to the city by the founder himself. Construction of the convent structures began around 1254 and continued for over a century. The cloister of the adjacent Convent, designed by Guglielmo da Frisone, was completed in 1394.
In the 14th century, it is likely the entire walls and ceilings were frescoed, but the creation of chapels and other restorations covered much of this work except for traces behind the 2nd and third altars. The Crucifixion fresco in the 2nd chapel on the left dates to 1310-1320. On the right, the chapel dedicated to St Jerome has decorative sculpture (1506) by Gasparo da Coirano. Other internal decoration was by Ottavio Viviani, Pietro Ricchi (il Lucchese), and Gian Giacomo Barbello.
The Franciscan order's residence in the monastery was suppressed during Napoleonic rule, only for them to return later in the 19th century. The structure still houses monks from the order.
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.