468 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp502–503 and pp506–507
Split’s main attraction is the Old Town centre, a fantastic
architectural jumble built on what remains of the once-
magnificent Palace of Diocletian, now a World Heritage
Site. Believed to be a native of Salona, Diocletian became
emperor of Rome in 284. After gover ning for 20 years, he
retired from public life and in 305 moved into the palace
in the bay of Split. The corners of the palace were marked
by four square towers. Four further towers were set along
each of the north, east and south sides, while the side
facing the sea had a loggia with arches. After Diocletian’s
death, the palace was used as an admin istrative centre
and also housed the gover nor’s resi dence. In 615, refu-
gees from Salona found shelter here after the destruc tion
of their city by the Avars.
Split: Palace of Diocletian
Dioklecijanova palača
. Temple of Jupiter
Consecrated in the 6th century,
the Temple of Jupiter had an
atrium with six columns, while
the main building had a coffered
vault resting on a crypt. In the
early Middle Ages, it was
turned into the Baptistry
of St John.
. Peristyle
Near the crossroads where the Cardo and
Decumanus intersected, the peristyle gave
access to the sacred area of the palace. On
one side were the temples of Venus and
Cybele and, further back, that of Jupiter,
now the Baptistry of St John.
Iron Gate and the
Clock Tower
The best preserved gate
leads to the Church of Our
Lady of the Belfry, with a
12th-century bell tower
next to it.The Temples of
Venus and Cybele
were cir cular
outside and
had a hexa gonal
ground plan
inside. A colon-
naded corridor
ran around
the outside.
STAR FEATURES. Temple of Jupiter
. Peristyle
. Cathedral of
St Domnius
Temple of CybeleBronze Gate