A walk through Split history: The story of Diocletian and his Palace

The Cellars of Diocletian’s Palace (sometimes referred to as ‘’basements’’, or the ‘’substructions’’) represent one of the best-preserved ancient complexes of this kind in the world. Since they are an exact representation of the layout of the emperor’s chambers above them, the structure of cellars enabled archeologists to precisely reconstruct the architectural design of the Diocletian’s private residences. In Roman times, their function was to raise the emperor’s apartment on the upper floor, but they were also used as the storage zone of the Palace. The basements are full of life even today since regularly many painting and sculpture exhibitions are organized within the premises, as well as theater performances, fairs, but also famous film productions. In 2014, the dark ambiance of Diocletian’s cellars proved to be the perfect location for shooting scenes from the popular series Game of Thrones. Useful tip: Make sure to buy a souvenir here, since it is a unique shopping area with many interesting pieces representing history.   

Exiting the basements will take you to Peristil, a central square of the Palace. The magnificent Cathedral of Saint Domnius, the patron saint of the Split, is the dominant centerpiece of the square. It was once the Diocletian’s mausoleum. In front of the entrance is a black sphinx, another reminder of ancient times. It is precisely this part of the Palace that was covered in detail in one of our previous blogs and is worth additional reading since it describes other attractions worth seeing: the bell tower, the Vestibul and the Temple of Jupiter.  

If you head toward the north, the path will take you to the Golden Gate, or Porta Septemtrionalis in their Roman name. They were constructed in the shape of quadrangles, containing double doors, as part of the defensive military tactics. The façade is decorated with niches encompassing sculptures of for tetrarchs (Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus). The door was reserved for and used only by the emperor and his family members, and in the Roman era, it led to Salona, the biggest city on the eastern shore of the Adriatic. Today, together with the nearby monument to bishop Grgur Ninski, made by Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović, make Split’s favorite sightseeing spot. A piece of advice: touch the big shiny toe on the Grgur Ninski statue and make a wish! 

A place nearby worth seeing, if headed southeast, is the city’s main marketplace, locally known as Pazar. This is a perfect place to shop locally grown, natural products of Split and Dalmatia. The market will then lead you to the Silver Gate, known as Porta Orientalis in Roman. Silver Gate was closed from the Middle Ages until 1952 when the Baroque church Dušice was demolished, and the Gate was reconstructed. The remains of octagonal towers are also visible by the gate, while the pavement under the gate is still originally dating from the Diocletian era. This route will also take you to Peristil, and then to the Iron Gate, or Porta Occidentalis. Above the door, there used to be a relief of Nika, a Roman goddess of victory, but in the fifth century, Christians carved a cross in its place. In the 11th century, a small church of Our Lady of the Bell was built over the gate with a beautiful bell tower. In the Middle Ages, the space was also used as a courtroom. Today, the unique attraction represents a town clock. A useful tip: Try to count the numbers on the town clock. You will come to a number of 24, instead of 12.