Another early morning start to beat the heat and crowds….to see the main draw card in Split – Diocletian’s Palace. It’s an ancient palace built for the Roman Emperor at the turn of the fourth century AD, which today forms about half the old town of Split. While it is referred to as a “palace” because of its intended use as the retirement residence of Diocletian, about half of it was for Diocletian’s personal use, and the rest housed the military garrison. Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus (nickname “Jovius”), was known for restoring government efficiency after the near anarchy of the 3rdC. His reorganisation of the fiscal, administrative, and military machinery of the empire, laid the foundation for the Byzantine Empire in the East and temporarily shored up the decaying empire in the West.

I particularly liked the shape of the vestibule (in a rotunda form), which was once the first section of the imperial corridor in the Palace that led to the Imperial apartments.

Diocletian was adamant in appropriating the Egyptian custom of having a sphinx, the guardian of holy grounds, guarding the entrance to temples and tombs. On his orders, 12 sphinxes were shipped from Egypt to adorn the palace facades. 

Last stop for the day, the Mestrovic Gallery. Ivan Mestrovic, 1883-1962, displayed a carving talent from a young age. He studied formally at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna and his graduation iin 1901, marked the beginning of a brilliant artistic career, with subsequent exhibitions in Europe’s cultural centres. He traveled throughout Europe and studied the works of ancient and Renaissance masters, especially Michelangelo and French sculptors such as Auguste Rodin. 

The bible; folk epics; his incarceration by the Ustache in WW2 and his longing for peace and harmony, also formed the well of inspiration for his works.