Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
About the time the mausoleum became a cathedral, this temple was converted into a bap-
tistery (same ticket and hours as cathedral; off-season, if it's locked, go ask the person at
the cathedral to let you in). Inside, the big 12th-century baptismal font—large enough to
immerse someone (as was the tradition in those days)—is decorated with the intricate, tra-
ditional woven-rope
pleter
design. Observant travelers will see examples of this motif all
over the country. On the font, notice the engraving: a bishop (on the left) and the king on
his throne (on the right). At their feet (literally under the feet of the bishop) is a submissive
commoner—neatlysummingupthesocialstructureoftheMiddleAges.Standingabovethe
font is a statue of St. John the Baptist counting to four, done by the great Croatian sculptor
best-preserved of its kind anywhere. Every face and each patterned box is different.
• Back at the Peristyle, stand in front of the little chapel with your back to the square. The
small street just beyond the chapel (going left to right) connects the east and west gates.
If you've had enough Roman history, head right (east) to go through the Silver Gate and
find Split's busy, open-air Green Market. Or, head to the left (west), which takes you to the
Iron Gate and People's Square (see “Sights in Split,” later) and, beyond that, the fresh-and-
smelly fish market. But if you want to see one last bit of Roman history, continue straight
ahead up the...
Cardo
AtraditionalRomanstreetplanhastworoads:Cardo(thenorth-southaxis)andDecumanus
(the east-west axis). Split's Cardo street was the most important in Diocletian's Palace, con-
necting the main entry with the heart of the complex. As you walk, you'll pass several note-
worthysights:inthefirstbuildingontheright,abankwithmoderncomputergearallaround
itsexposedRomanruins(lookthroughwindow);atthefirstgateontheleft,thecourtyardof
a Venetian merchant's palace (a reminder that Split was dominated by Venice from the 15th
century on); farther along on the right, an alley to the
City Museum
(described later, un-
der“Sights inSplit”); and,beyondthatontheright,
Nadalina,
anartisan chocolatier selling
mostly dark chocolate creations with some innovative Dalmatian flavors—such as dried fig
andprosecco(32kn/100grams,chocolatebars,Mon-Fri8:30-20:30,Sat9:00-14:00,closed
Sun, mobile 091-210-8889).
At the end of the street, just before the Golden Gate, detour a few steps to the left along
covered
Majstora Jurja
street—lined with some of the most appealing outdoor cafés in
town,livelybothdayandnight(describedlater,under“NightlifeinSplit”).Nearthestartof
this street, just after its initial jog, stairs climb to the miniscule
St. Martin's Chapel,
bur-
rowed into the city wall. Dating from the fifth century, this is one of the earliest Christian
chapels anywhere. St. Martin is the patron saint of soldiers, and the chapel was built for the
troops who guarded this gate (free, sporadic hours—just climb the stairs to see if it's open).
