Croatia Day 1 – Split

Saturday, November 2, 2024

After a peaceful overnight cruise, we awoke to beautiful coastline views of the Dalmatian Coast. Shortly after, we pulled alongside the Split harbor pier with views of downtown Split and the walls of Diocletian’s retirement palace, finished in 304 A.D. He was the only Roman Emperor to abdicate his throne and retire in peace, which he did in 305.

An artist rendering of Diocletian’s palace with his private residence and gardens along the waterfront, his mausoleum with the dome and Jupiter’s temple opposite in the center, and slave and servant quarters in the two squares in the back.

But, before we toured the palace, or rather what’s left of it, we boarded a bus to go a little ways to tour a famous Croatian sculptor’s house and gallery. Ivan Meštrovića designed the house for his family and included gallery space for his works. He and his family only lived in it a few years in the 1930s before he was arrested and jailed by the Nazis. Luckily, he was already well-known and only served three months before being released, so he headed to America, lived in New York City for a time before becoming a professor at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, where a number of his sculptures are located.

Views of the house

Back on the bus, we returned to the palace for a walking tour through and around it. We entered through the water gate, which is now on a broad pedestrian walk lined with cafes along the wall, looking out over the harbor. The gate brings you into the cavernous basement under what used to be the private residence. Over the centuries, the complex has been modified and trashed by many different occupants, including residents who moved within the walls and used the wall material to build their homes, so it is now a small city with shops and homes within the walls, and has gone from a slum to an exclusive address once it became a UNESCO World Heritage site!

Hodgepodge of infill among the original Roman architecture.

As we left the open floor of the private residence, we entered the round domed foyer and were greeted by four men singing traditional Croatian songs in harmony, making wonderful use of the great acoustics!

Constantine succeeded Diocletian as Emperor, and he decided the Roman Empire should denounce paganism and become Christian, so Diocletian’s peaceful resting place in his mausoleum was short-lived. His body was removed, and the building became a Christian church with an altar and more space added beyond it as well as burial spaces under the floor. The large pair of bronze doors were added and each panel depicts illustrated stories from the Bible for the illiterate populace. Archaeologists found evidence that they were painted at one time.

Views of the mausoleum/church with added tower, altar, and bronze doors.

Leaving the walled city through the north gate, we were faced with another of Meštrovića’s giant sculptures adjacent to a bell tower. We walked around the walls to see other plazas with buildings from all of the centuries side by side. We then wandered back to the ship for lunch (time to eat again…!) via the promenade along the harbor.

Final views of Split, Croatia. On to Dubrovnik, cruising overnight.