Historical Monuments
Quality analysis of the cultural and monumental heritage of this 1700 years old city would require a lot of space, time and expertise. A great number of different civilizations, historical moments and a long period of time have left on this small area of turbulent history a lot of traces, from which in the tourist offer the most prominent are architectural works.
Diocletian`s Palace is the most interesting and complex Split monument. It is the best preserved complex of late Roman court architecture in whole, but also with its separate parts. It is unique for its character, because from an independent urban whole, over centuries, it has become a part of the city tissue and the lives of its inhabitants.
In 1979 it was proclaimed a monument of zero category and was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Although its basic function was of a luxurious imperial villa, the Palace with its architectonic arrangement resembles a military fortification. Surrounded by walls and towers, square interior is divided on the northern and southern part by a diagonal street (Decuman). Architectonic contents of the southern part were for emperor`s use and therefore make an interesting part of the palace for their beauty and historical significance. Peristil was the central square and it had the access to the emperor`s chambers, Mausoleum and temples. In this cult place the masses used to bow to the emperor when he would come out from his chambers through Vestibul. On the eastern and western side Peristil is surrounded by rows of six columns with Corinth capitals. Behind the eastern row of columns there is the Diocletian`s Mausoleum which, after the integration of the palace within the city, has become Split cathedral of St. Dujam, the martyr from Solin and the patron saint of Split. With time, this edifice has been enriched by works of art and historical monuments that it would take too long to try to describe it. This symbol of Split with the bell-tower from the 13th century you just have to experience for yourself.
In the west there used to be three temples: Jupiter`s, Kibela’s and Venus`s. Jupiter`s temple is the best preserved of the three and represents one of the main monumental attractions of the palace. In the Middle Ages it was transformed into a baptistery and it is ornamented with four monuments of great historical and cultural value; sarcophagus of the archbishop Ivan (John, 7th c.), sarcophagus of the archbishop Lovre (Lawrence, 9th c.), baptismal font whose front plaque from the 11th c. is decorated with the image of a monarch on the throne (Christ or Zvonimir) and bronze statue of St. John the Baptist work of Ivan Meštrović (20th c.).
We should also mention the four gates through which people used to come into the palace (Golden, Silver, Iron and Southern), extremely well preserved ground floor of the Diocletian`s apartment (famous cellars), eastern and western baths, streets and many others which cannot fit this short description of the Palace.
Of course, the Palace is not the only Split monument worthwhile seeing. Through centuries life was blooming even outside the walls of the Palace therefore there are numerous historical monuments connected to the spiritual and mundane life of Split inhabitants.
Not far from Split there is Solin (Roman Salona), one of the most interesting Croatian archaeological sites and Klis Fortress, the witness of heroic struggle of people from this region against Turkish occupation. |
