Åtvids old church was built around 1500 and was one of Östergötland County’s largest at the time. In the late 1800s, Åtvidaberg was in need of a larger church. The old church fell into ruins and served as an open-air church for about 70 years. In the 1950s, Elof Ericsson, the director at the time, donated a large sum of money so the church could be rebuilt. The rededication took place in 1957. Now the old church is the one most frequently used in Åtvidaberg.
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.