Page 122 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Croatia

120  CRO A TIA AREA B Y AREA

u Split

Shipyards, factories and a busy port present the modern face
of Split, which expanded unchecked after World War II. The
Old Town centre is still full of charm however; it grew up in
and around the Emperor Diocletian’s vast Roman palace, one
of the largest and best-preserved left from the Roman world.
In 614, the palace took in refugees from Salona (see pp118–
19), which had been razed by the Avars, and these newcomers
began to use the Roman structure as housing. Among the
refugees were the bishop and other religious dignitaries,
who breathed new life into the bishopric of Split. After two
centuries of Byzantine rule and the establishment of Croat Baptismal font in the Baptistry of St John,
communities, Split became part of the Venetian territories in former Temple of Jupiter
1409. Under the Venetians, fortifications were built, including
new walls, and the arts flourished. R Cathedral of St Domnius
Katedrala sv. Duje
See p123.
abandoned parts of the
Diocletian complex. It P Silver Gate and Church
houses an exhibition of St Dominic
with various artistic Srebrna vrata i Sv. Dominik
finds, paintings and Hrvojeva ulica. Church of
books illustrating the St Dominic: Open am.
city’s celebrated history Near the Silver Gate there is a
from the 12th to the market, a wonderful chaos of
18th centuries. seasonal fruit and vegetables,
homemade cheeses, hams and
P Peristyle dried herbs. Because of the
The peristyle, the interior open space, this also provides
courtyard, of Diocletian’s the best view of the Palace of
Palace is an impressive Diocletian. It is still possible
part of the complex to distinguish the different
The port and the seafront of Split where the layers of structures of the complex, and
centuries of building can part of the guards’ corridor, on
P Golden Gate clearly be seen. The slim columns the walls, can be walked along.
Zlatna vrata bordering three sides rest on In front of the gate is the
This was the main entrance to a high plinth and have finely Oratory of St Catherine, built
Diocletian’s Palace (see p122) and worked capitals. The access to in the Middle Ages. It was used
was the most impressive of the the former private quarters of by the Dominicans while they
gates, with towers and decorative Dio cletian has a tall arched built their own monastery
elements above the arches. In tympanum and relief decorations. (1217). The oratory was rebuilt
the 11th century, the corridor in the 17th century and became
between the palace and the gate R Baptistry of St John the Church of St Dominic
was closed and turned into the Sv. Ivan Krstitelj (Sv. Dominik). Inside the church,
Church of St Martin (Sv. Martin). Tel (021) 345 602. which was enlarged in 1930, are
An inscription commemorates Open 9am–7pm daily. a Miracle in Surian by Palma il
Father Dominic, the founder. This small, beautiful building, Giovane and an Apparition in the
consecrated in the 6th century, Temple, attributed to his school.
E Split City Museum was the Palace’s Temple of
Muzej grada Splita Jupiter. Inside, the baptismal P Brass Gate
Papalićeva 1. Tel (021) 360 171. font incorporates a pre- Mjedena vrata
Open Apr & May: 8:30am–9pm daily; Romanesque panel of King Ethnographic Museum: Iza Vestibula
Jun–Sep: 8:30am–10pm daily; Oct: Zvonimir and other dignitaries. 4. Tel (021) 344 164. Open Jun–Sep:
8:30am–9pm Mon–Sat, 9am–5pm The statue of St John on the 9:30am–8pm Mon–Sat, 9:30am–
Sun; Nov–Mar: 9am–5pm Tue–Sat, end wall is by Ivan Meštrović 1pm Sun; Oct–May: 9am–4pm
9am–2pm Sun. & ∑ mgst.net and was added before World Mon–Fri, 9am–1pm Sat. & 7
The Gothic Papalić Palace, War II. The tomb of Bishop John ∑ etnografski-muzej-split.hr
housing the Split City Museum, is from the 8th century and the Although the Brass Gate is plain
is one of the most interesting one in front of it, that of Bishop and faces the sea and port, it
of the 15th–16th-century Lawrence, dates from the opens on to the richest façade of
buildings constructed in the 11th century. the palace. The upper floor had a
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp228–30 and pp240–45

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