This unusual 9th-century church and the buildings around it were erected on the ruins of the city's Roman Forum. Some of the Forum's foundations lie exposed outside like an ancient sculpture garden. Kids play on them, people sit on them, and sellers display their wares on them all day and far into the night, oblivious to their history. St. Donatus originally was called the Church of the Holy Trinity, but eventually it was rechristened with its present name in honor of the bishop who founded it. The church's interior has a circular center and three apses; the narthex lies between the principal entrance and the rotunda. A circular stairway leads to the first floor. The church grew into a complex of ecclesiastical buildings over the years, and the cathedral itself is very plain inside with walls and altars devoid of statues, paintings, and other ornamentation. Mass has not been said in St. Donatus for more than 2 centuries, but the church is used for classical and sacral concerts because of its superior acoustics.
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