The Cathedral of Saint Domnius (Croatian: Katedrala Svetog Duje) is a complex of a church that’s built on top of Emperor Diocletian’s mausoleum and a Romanesque bell tower, which was added to it later. The church itself is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, while the bell tower is dedicated to Saint Domnius (the patron saint of Split, who was Bishop of Salona in the 3rd century AD). Together, they form the Cathedral of St. Domnius.
Diocletian’s mausoleum was built with the rest of the original palace in 305 AD, making it the second-oldest structure used by any Christian cathedral in the world. A peripteros made of 24 columns encloses the mausoleum on the outside. The emperor was buried there exactly as he wished; his sarcophagus once stood in the middle of the Mausoleum, but it was later destroyed during an Ostrogoth invasion in 549 AD.
While Diocletian was still alive, Christianity was still illegal in the Roman Empire, and he was known for persecuting Christians. Despite this fact, Christianity was spreading through this part of the empire very rapidly. Having sadly killed many Christians during his persecutions, the Christians hated Diocletian even after his death. In their wrath towards the emperor, they destroyed many buildings and objects within the palace.
Luckily, the mausoleum had a slightly different fate, as the church repossessed it once the Ostrogth invaders were gone. The first bishop of Split consecrated the mausoleum in 653, which is how it became the Cathedral of St. Domnius.
Saint Domnius was the Bishop of Salona during Diocletian’s reign and was, sadly, one of the Christians that was executed during the persecutions. To this day, he is the patron saint of Split, and the cathedral is consecrated in his name. You can also see his relics, such as sacral artifacts, objects, and famous books, in the cathedral’s treasury on the opposite side of Peristyle Square.
The bell tower was constructed around 1100 AD in the Romanesque style and was rebuilt in 1908. The rebuild changed the Bell Tower as many of the original Romanesque sculptures were removed. It is 57 meters high, and visitors can climb on top of it. It provides a great view of Diocletian’s Palace and the old part of the city of Split.
Andrija Buvina, a famous sculptor and painter, carved the walnut wood doors on the Cathedral of St. Domnius in the 13th century. Two wings of the door contain 14 scenes from the life of Jesus Christ (scenes from the Gospels), separated by wood ornaments.
The Cathedral of Saint Domnius is located on Peristyle Square and can only be accessed from the square. To this day, it remains a place of liturgy with long-lasting traditions, such as the procession on St. Domnius’s Day.
