Royal Stables (Caballerizas Reales) are a set of stables in Córdoba. The building is situated in the historic centre and borders the Guadalquivir. The stables housed the best stallions and mares of the royal stud breed Andalusian horse.
By royal decree of Felipe II on November 28, 1567, the Spanish Horse breed with formalized standards was created, and a royal stable was established in Córdoba. The king commissioned Diego López de Haro y Sotomayor, 1st Marquis of El Carpio to build the stables on part of the site of the Alcázar fortress.
The building design is characterized by a distinct military style in keeping with its location by the Alcázar fortress. The main area features a cross-vaulted roof which is supported on sandstone columns and is divided into small stables. The building features a permanent equestrian display.
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.