Diocletian's Palace, Split, Croatia

You simply cannot go to Brac without visiting Diocletian's Palace in Split, it's a must see, which is why, early one morning, we boarded the ferry for the mainland to do just that.

How Diocletian's Palace looked originally. Right on the sea front with a sea entry

The palace was built for the emperor Diocletian at the turn of the 4th century taking 10 years to complete. Interestingly Diocletian abdicated in 305AD but continued to live in the palace until his death in 311AD.  To call it a palace is a bit misleading, it is actually a walled city covering 38,700 square metres, or half of the old town of Split. Originally half palace and half garrison it was built from the pure white stone from the island of Brac, and marble from Italy and Greece. It also boasted 12 sphinxes from Egypt.  Today it is a living and breathing enclosed town where 3000 people live, its tiny narrow streets and alleys housing numerous restaurants, bars and shops. UNESCO world heritage listed it as the best preserved and most complete remains of a Roman Palace in the world. It is a fascinating place where washing hangs out from windows above ancient streets and old women sit at windows looking down on the crowds of tourists thronging the alley ways. It is not too much of a stretch to imagine life as it was there in ancient times.

Below: Ancient housing still lived in and, right, quaint narrow streets lined with shops

Original pillars and frieze, St Domnius
Right: The underground craft market

We started our tour by entering at the lowest level of the palace, wandering through the bustling craft
market before climbing the stairs to emerge at the square fronting St Domnius Cathedral.  This tiny but incredibly ornate cathedral was originally Diocletian's mausoleum.  St Domnius, the patron saint of Split, was martyred during Diocletian's  persecution of Christians. It is a delicious irony that the Christians gained control of the site, destroying Diocletian's tomb and converting his mausoleum into a cathedral named to honour one of his victims. Consecrated in the 7th century it is the oldest Catholic Cathedral in the world. It is a feast for the eyes with so many original Roman features, including  carvings of the emperor and his wife in a high frieze, competing with the voluptuous iconography and ornamentation of early Christianity. On leaving the cathedral the large carved wooden doors (1220AD)   depicting 28 scenes from the life of Christ are well worth a look. Below the cathedral is the crypt, or burial chamber, now the Chapel of St Lucy.  It is eerily quiet and deliciously cool.

A riot of gold and silver in St Domnius Cathedral, flanked by Roman pillars

Nearby is the baptistery, originally the temple of Jupiter. Reliefs featuring various Roman gods decorate the entrance and an Egyptian sphinx stands guard. Sadly it was defaced, literally, by early Christians who saw it as a pagan idol. The most impressive feature of the Baptistery is the original, ornately carved, barrel vaulted ceiling. Dating from the early 300sAD it is still in perfect condition.  A statue of St John the Baptist now stands where the statue of Jupiter once stood.

The barrel vaulted ceiling in the Baptistry

Ancient buildings and alley ways

Diocletian's Palace is an awesome place. It is incredible how much of the original palace remains and in such amazing condition.  I love the fact that it is a busy, bustling walled town where people get on with their lives rather than simply a tourist attraction or museum piece. I doubt that anything built in the 21st century would last as long.

When it was time for refreshments we were spoilt for choice since  there are many places to eat or buy take away lunches within the palace walls.  We settled on filled rolls which we ate on a grassy bank outside the Golden Gate, after doing the traditional thing of rubbing the toe on the statue of Gregory of Nin for luck.

Above: Gregory of Nin
Left: On the Split waterfront

We strolled the ancient streets some more, stopping for a while to listen to a glorious male choir singing traditional Croatian songs, and somewhat loath to leave, before heading out through a gate into a medieval square and then along the modern sea front. Numerous little cafes and restaurants line the waterfront where tourists were enjoying long lunches over glasses of wine  while misting machines sprayed fine droplets of water overhead to keep them cool. Then it was onto the ferry and back to Brac to the peace and tranquility of "our" island. What an interesting, educational, and  enjoyable day it had been.