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Split - Croatia 1700 years of history |
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A town and port in Central Dalmatia, Split is the main cultural, trading and traffic center of Dalmatia which in the summer becomes a meeting-place for many people and cultures from around the world. Once in Split, visitors can go for a trip by land or by sea to any of the numerous resorts in the southern part of the Adriatic, or they can remain right where they are – at the foot of mount Marjan, in a town with 1700 years of history; a history through which numerous archaeological, historical and cultural monuments have been preserved, starting with the magnificent Diocletian’s Palace – the heart of the town – which is on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List.
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What historical facts can we say about Split?
There used to be Illyrians, Romans and the town of Salona, during the time of Croatian dukes and kings when Split strengthened its ties with Croatia at Synods in 925 and 928, when Byzantine Dalmatia and Croatia ecclesiastically became one, and Split became the church centre of all of Dalmatia.... |
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However, the thing every visitor will find most interesting is the story of the magnificent Diocletian’s Place and the birth of Split. At first, the palace, with its 30,000 m², was ’just’ a home to an old Roman Emperor who built the palace at the end of the 3rd and at the beginning of the 4th century – Emperor Diocletian, who reorganized the Roman Empire and persecuted the Christians. His decision to spend his last days in that palace can be explained by the vicinity of Salona (one of the most important towns in the Roman Empire and with the rise of Christianity in the 3rd and 4th centuries, one of the strongholds of the new religion in the West) and medicinal sulfurous springs in that area that alleviated the discomfort of the Emperor’s old age. |
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After his death, the palace became a refuge for persecuted members of the imperial family, and at the end of the 6th and beginning of the 7th century it became a sanctuary for refugees. Little by little, the palace had transformed into a town and within its walls the medieval town of Split developed. New sacral buildings and rich citizens’ houses sprang up changing the ancient appearance of the palace and characteristics of the old pagan world, replacing them with many cultural and artistic monuments (of the early Medieval period), marked by Christian symbols. So Fate played a joke on Diocletian: in the Mausoleum of an Emperor who wanted to root out Christianity, the Cathedral of St. Duje (the guardian of Split) was built, and the little temple dedicated to Jupiter opposite the Mausoleum had been turned into a baptistery. Many important artifacts are kept inside the Cathedral. |
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| One of the most beautiful places in this palace is by far the Epistyle, once an entrance-court to the imperial apartments, and a place designated for the Diocletian Cult in which his divine birth was celebrated. Today many cultural events take place there.
At the end of the 12th century, an entirely new story of Split began. A story in which the walls became too tight for the upcoming times; times that will bring modern characteristics to the town, new streets, squares, suburbs, churches, monasteries, monuments and many museums. A time when, especially during the summer, Split with its squares and yards transforms into a big stage under an open sky, a stage with a beautiful sea, a long history and thousands of lights from the rhapsodic town. |
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JeriCo Christian Journeys will do best to answer all your tour requests to this beautiful country. History, architecture hospitality and Mediterranean temper of the people and the land will make deep impression on every traveler to Croatia.
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| Planning a pilgrimage?
We in JeriCo Christian Journeys will assist you in creating a tour to any Christian site you would like to visit. Whether you plan the tour with your parish community, your prayer group, youth or student group or maybe just your family we will make sure it fits your budget. If you are a priest, coordinator or a group leader with your own group, travel for free! We would like to help you plan and carry out your pilgrimage itinerary. You will have our assistance and support from the initial idea to the final product. |
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| You as a leader can have our internet and marketing support with your page on our "Specials".
We can help with brochure distribution as well as with spreading the word of your pilgrimage in your parish and community. |
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Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Poland, Germany, Russia, Portugal, Croatia... |
