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| History of the city
The history of Trogir can be followed
from the original inhabitants, Illyrians, who had their settlement on
the grounds of today’s Trogir. The first colonizators of the Adriatic
islands and coast were Doric Greeks from Syracuse who founded Issa on
the island of Vis in 390 B.C., and in the 3 rd century B.C. the colony
of Tragurion.. Greek historians and geographers Ptolomey and Strabo mention
Trogir as an Isseian “island and city”. After his victory over Pompey,
Caesar punished Issa, by abolishing its independence and taking away its
mainland properties, including Trogir. In the chaos of the early Middle
Ages, the Roman natives, with no strong Byzantine garisons, lived in fear
of attacks by the barbarian nations, who unprotected, prayed to the new
Cristian God. Due to its islet location between the mainland and the island
of Ciovo, the town did not meet the tragic fate of Salona, destroyed during
an attack of the Avars and Slavs. From the seventh century Croatian princes
built their castles with the endowment church of St. Martha, not far from
Trogir, in Biaci. Gradually, the Croats enter the town developing certain
Roman-Croatian ethnic symbiosis. After the great conquests of Carlemagne
(?814.), the Dalmatian cities, including Trogir, came under Frankish rule.
The document on the foundation of the Monastery of St. Doimus (1064.)
contains only Croatian national names. Croatian princes and kings after
stayed in Trogir which enjoyed their protection and privileges. After
the fall of the Croatian national dynasty, due to the diplomatic skills
of the Bishop Ivan Orsini (1111.) the citizens of Trogir opened the city
gates to the Hungarian king Koloman who was also crowned the king of Croatia
in Biograd na moru.
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Turkish devastation
in the near of Trogir from the 17 th century completely destroyed
the town from the economic point of view. At the end of the 18 th
century Venetian Republic was abolished. During Napoleon’s wars
from 1806-1814., Trogir was annexed to the Illyrian provinces under
Marshal Marmont. After Napoleon’s military defeat Trogir became
the part of Austria-Hungary. In 1867., with the support of Bishop
Strossmayer, the National Library was founded and became the focal
point of national renaissance. Twenty years later, after long political
struggles with Italy-oriented population demanding autonomy, the
commune of Trogir passed into Croatian hands. With the fall of the
Austrian Empire after the World War I in 1918., Trogir joins Kingdom
of Serbs, Croats and Slovenians. General dissatisfaction and stagnation
was gradually increasing. In April 1941., Italy occupies Trogir
without resistance and in 1943., one-year German occupation of Trogir
begins. Trogir gained its freedom in the end of 1944., after numerous
victims and destroyed economy.
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The period of economical
development, particulary shipbuilding and turism, follows, together
with the increase of life standard of the citizens. But, the narrowness
of the national awareness and democratic freedoms in South-Slavic
Federation causes a great discontent of the citizens. |
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After the first democratic elections, held in 1990.
by general plebiscitery of the Croatian for free and independent
state of Croatia, Trogir gives new victims as the foundation of
the freeedom of the Croatian people and the involvement of Croatia
in European civilizational and economic prosperity.
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old town core has been formed between the 13 th and 15 th century
inside defence wall that was restored by Venice in the 15 th century.
They also added two forts that are still preserved: citadel Kamerlengo,
and the tower of St. Mark. The Kamerlengo citadel, that is used
to be connected with the city walls, is on the south-western part
of the island. Its present shape it got in the 15th century. More
in the south is the tower of St. Mark from the 15th century, and
between the tower and the citadel, there is a gloriet built in the
style of classicism, from the time of the French occupation. In
the part of the town that developed on Ciovo there are a few interesting
small churches. |
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The older, eastern
part of the town has developed around the main square with the cathedral.
The western part, Pasika, was built later. In the past, the town
was one of the cultural centres of Dalmatia: in the 13 th century
master Radovan worked there, and in the 15 th century there were
famous sculptors, architects, builders, humanists and historians
(Ivan Lucius). The Radovan Portal finished in 1240, is a monumental
and perhaps unique work of this great Croatian artist, of whom the
inscription on the base of the lunette says he is "the best
of all in this artisanship". |
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The entrance into
the town from the north is through the renaissance town gates from
the 17 th century with the sculpture of Blessed Ivan Ursini, the
patron saint of the town. On the main square there is the cathedral
from the 13 th - 15 th century with characteristics of both Romanesque
and Gothic styles. The most important port of the cathedral, and
the most valuable work of the Romanesque sculpture in Dalmatia is
the portal of master Radovan from 1240.
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The sculpture of
St. Lovro and triangular gable were added to it in the 14 th century.
In the cathedral there are also: the baptistery from 1464, the most
important preserved work of the sculptor Andrija Alesi; octagonal
stone pulpit from the 13 th century; Gothic chorus benches; ciborium
from the 14 th century; paintings of the local and Italian masters;
Gothic chapel of St. Jeronim from 1438; and chapel of the Blessed
Ivan Ursini, the most beautiful renaissance monument in Dalmatia,
the work of Nikola Firentinac from the 15 th century.
The most beautiful objects from the treasury are embroideries, ivory
Gothic triptych, and medieval illuminated codices. |
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On the square there
is the town loggia from the 15 th century, clock tower, and the
small church of St. Sebastijan that was built in the renaissance
style. The small, early medieval church of St. Barbara, from the
9 th - 10 th century, is located behind the loggia and it is the
oldest church in Trogir. The square is closed by the Cipiko Palace.
Opposite to it, is the town hall from the 15 th century. |
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renaissance church of the St. John the Baptist from the 13 th century,
with remains of the medieval frescos and the tomb of the Cipiko
family, is on the coast. Further down the coast is part of preserved
defence walls with tower and renaissance town gates from 1593.
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The relief of Kairos,
the Greek god of the happy moment, probably from the 1st century
B.C., is kept in the Benedictine nunnery with the church of St.
Nikola. The Greek inscription from the 4th - 3rd century B.C., the
oldest written monument in the area of Trogir, is also built in
the wall of the cloister of this nunnery.
Trogir is a treasury of cultural and historical monuments, and beauties
of the Mediterranean landscape with abundance of tourist possibilities.
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The origin of the Croatian
name Solin is in latinized name Salona, having root in the Illyirian
language. In the history this name is first mentioned in the year
119 B.C. during the war between Illyrs and Romans. The time of
foundation of this settlement is certainly much earlier. According
to old Greek geographer Strabon Salona was the harbour of the
Illyrian tribe Dalmati who probably were trading with the Greek
seamen. The remains of the walls, objects of the Greek origin
found in Salona and its neighbourhood refered to the Greeks as
the founders of the town. Some writers take a possible time of
foundation the 4th century before Christ. It is obviously that
very early Salona had a strong Greek influence and for that first
period of time it could be said that it was Greek-Illyrian settlement.
In the 1st century B.C. Salona was conquisted by the Romans. In
the civil war between Caesar and Pompey the inhabitants joined
the Caesar's side and since he has won the town became a Roman
colony with the honourable title 'Colonia Martia Julia Salona'.
The town extended from the east to the west getting two new parts:
besides the Greek-Illyrian older one, it got new Roman one both
to the west and east. Thus from that time the writers used the
plural form for the name of Solin - Salonae. |
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When Illyric has
been arranged as the Roman province, Salona became the cultural,
political, commercial and for certain period of time the military
centre as well. In further centuries it is the ecclesiastical centre
in these sides. In the first centuries A.C. many easterns immigrated
in, among them also heralds of the Gospel, establishing in Salona
the Christian Municipality. Under the rule of Diocletian it had
numerous martyrs. The fact that Emperor Diocletian was born in Salona
or in its neighbourhood and that in the closeness he built the famous
palace, arised the reputation of this however important centre.
The last three centuries of the ancient Salona are specific regarding
to the development of the Christian community in the town and its
influence to the whole province. Salona's Bishop became the Metropolitan
of the whole province of Dalmatia. That was the time of progressive
invasions of the barbarians, some of them like the Eastern Goths
by the end of the 5th century came to these sides. While under their
stroke declined the Western Roman Empire, Salona enough far away
from the main ways of their penetrations, has lived for 130 years
more and became refuge for some of the last Western Roman emperors.
The town was destroyed by the Avars and Slavens in the year 614.
The inhabitants flew before the furry of the Avars and took shelter
on the neighbouring islands and in the Diocletian Palace making
it soon a new town - Split.
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In the very northwestern part
of the town it is located the AMPHITHEATRE. The
world famous archeologist of Salona Ejnar Dyggve thinks that it
was built in the 2nd century A.C, in the course of great rise of
Salona. It is supposed that it could have 18.000 spectators. In
the southern part it had three floors, in the north part one, since
the amphitheatre leaned to the hill-side. It is elipsoidal, 126
m long and 102 m wide, while arena is 67 m long and 43 m wide. In
the center of southern part was the prominent place reserved for
the town-noblemen. In the eastern part is "Porta Pompae"
where the procession of gladiators and their assistants entered
in. The similar gate is also in the west part. Near to the eastern
gate were the rooms for animals (carceres).
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animation of amphitheatre |
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As the
animals were locked with the iron gratings, they could be seen by
the spectators even before the games. The underground hall led from
centre of arena outside the amphitheatre on the southern part and
probably served for carrying out the wounded and died gladiators.
Beneath the prominent seats was found a part of inscription:"RP
DONO DEDIT" showing that amphitheatre was gifted to the town
by some reach Salona`s citizen.At the time of Byzantine-Gothic wars
amphitheatre was reconstructed for defensive purposes. It outlived
the decline of Salona but was destroyed in the 17th century by the
Venetian generals, not to became shelter for the Turks.
Inside a room in the south-eastern part of amphitheatre it was uncovered
the Christian oratory, probably arranged in the 6th century, upon
the empire Justinian forbade the gladiatorial fights. It is dedicated
to St.Asterius and to other martyrs who just in amphitheatre shed
a blood for the Christian faith. |
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The oldest and biggest
gate PORTA CAESAREA (The Imperial Gate) is relatively
in good condition. In the middle is the passage for carts and on
other side the arcade for pedestrians. In the east is the gate guarded
by two octagonal fortresses and the remains of water-supply are
visible. The road in direction from the gate outside to the city
was passing accross "Five Bridges" so called the remains
of archs and so far in the east. According to some authors below
the archs flew the water of Jadro tributary and according to others
the water from neighbouring thermal baths flew into. In the neighbourhood
there were found precious mosaic (showing Orfei with the sea animals
and Triton), belonged probably to some public building, maybe to
pretor's palace, today stored in the Archeological Museum in Split. |
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The city had several thermal public baths
(THERMAE) and the best preserved one are
situated in the east of town’s basilica. In the centre there
is yard with arcade served for outside training. There were
great apsis with the pool for cold water and two smaller
rooms with warm water. In these rooms there are two vertical
stones with engraved cross. The remains of smaller pool
and “caldaria” i.e. the room for perspiration are also found.
There are still visible the remains of heating equipment:
tubulouses (hollow bricks) and hypocaust (pavement on small
pillars made of the other bricks). West of thermae, in direction
to the north, leads “Petar’s Road”, so called due to Archbishop
of Salona, Petar, the initials of his monogram are engraved
on capital and architrave. To the west of that road there
is centre of the Christian Salona.
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| MANASTIRINE
is the most interesting part of the Early-Christian Salona. It is
one of the greatest Early-Christian cemeteries under the open sky
(sub divo). The escavations proved that in the begining near small
cemetery there was private estate which maybe belonged to some Christian
; therefore upon his torture, St.Dujam was buried at this place.
The Christians warmly desired to be buried near the martyrs beleiving
in power of their prayers. For a short period of time the large
Christian cemetery with the graves of each kind set in here: from
the poorest one built of bricks to these erected with arcades, from
sarcophagus to the tomb-chapels. Looking the position of chapels,
it’s quite clear that they are situated around one center. The centre
is evidently the grave of the martyr St. Dujam, situated in south-east
of basilica, where several sarcophagus of Salona’s Bishops stand.
The nearest sarcophagus is that one of the Bishop Primus, nephew
and successor of St.Dujam. To the grave stands stone luminary providing
the light on the martyr’s grave and inside a wall there is little
window (finestella) looking at the grave and the scarfs had been
put on it. It seems that cemetery was destroyed and robbed by the
end of the 4th century, at the time of the invasions of Western
Goths. |
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The other witness
about the force and size of the Christian morality when the Roman
Empire decayed in unmorality. The inscription on sarcophagus of
Flavio Terencio and his wife Flavia Talasia speaks about their matrimonial
fidelity, maybe according to the ideal upon the Virgin Mary and
St. Joseph. The grave stolatae feminae testemonies about the Christian
women who were living as perfect wifes and mothers and deserved
even the imperial medal. The sarcophagus of the nun Ivana unveils
her escape from Sirmium before the Avars and her arrival in Salona
where she died in the year 614. This is the last one of the known
and dated inscriptions before the decline of Salona. Besides the
mentioned ones, the sarcophagus with the figure of the Good Shepherd,
this one with the image of Red-Sea crossing of the Israelis, the
other with figures of Hipolit and Fedra are famous as well. The
parts of inscription and sarcophagus are stored in Archeological
Museum of Split.
Besides the cemetery it should be mentioned also the chapel, dedicated
to St.Dujam and St.Anastasius, situated in the part of cemetery
first escavated, then the grave of Rev. Frane Bulic, the great explorer
of the Early-Christian and Early-Croatian Salona’s inheritance.
Rev. Frane had the grave built for himself in the shape of sarcophagus
and engraved into the parts of several Christian epitaphs, one from
the grave of one boy burned in the vestibule of the basilica at
Manastirine and another one from the grave of the priest Ivan who
spoke about himself as “sinful and unworthy priest” resting here
“ keeping the honourable door-steps of the saints ”. |
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Diokleciánův
palác - Split |
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At the end
of the third century AD, the Roman Emperor Diocletian built his
palace on the bay of Aspalathos. Here, after abdicating on the first
of May in A.D. 305, he spent the last years of his life. The bay
is located on the south side of a short peninsula running out from
the Dalmatian coast into the Adriatic, four miles from the site
of Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain
on which the palace was built slopes gently seaward. It is typical
karst terrain, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to
west with marl in the clefts between them.
This palace is today the heart of the inner-city of Split where
all the most important historical buildings can be found. The importance
of Diocletian's Palace far transcends local significance because
of its level of preservation and the buildings of succeeding historical
periods, stretching from Roman times onwards, which form the very
tissue of old Split. The Palace is one of the most famous and integral
architectural and cultural constructs on the Croatian Adriatic coast
and holds an outstanding place in the Mediterranean, European and
world heritage.In November 1979 UNESCO, in
line with the international convention concerning the cultural and
natural heritage, adopted a proposal that the historic Split inner
city, built around the Palace, should be included in the register
of the World Cultural Heritage. |
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The
ground plan of the palace is an irregular rectangle with towers
projecting from the western, northern, and eastern facades. It combines
qualities of a luxurious villa with those of a military camp. Only
the southern facade, which rose directly from, or very near to,
the sea, was unfortified. The elaborate architectural composition
of the arcaded gallery on its upper floor differs from the more
severe treatment of the three shore facades. A monumental gate in
the middle of each of these walls led to an enclosed courtyard.
The southern Sea Gate was simpler in shape and dimensions than the
other three. Perhaps it was originally intended as the emperor's
private access to boats, or as a service entrance for supplies.
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The dual nature of the
architectural scheme, derived from both villa and castrum types,
is also evident in the arrangement of the interior. The transverse
road (decumanus) linking the east and west gates divided the complex
into two halves. In the southern half were the more luxurious structures;
that is, the emperor's apartment, both public and private, and cult
buildings. The emperor's apartment formed a block along the sea
front. Because the sloping terrain created large differences in
level, this block was situated above a substructure. Although for
many centuries almost completely filled with refuse, most of the
substructure is well preserved, giving us evidence as to the original
shape and disposition of the rooms above. A monumental court, called
the Perystile, formed the northern access to the imperial apartments.
It also gave access to Diocletian's Mausoleum on the east, and to
three temples on the west. |
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The
northern half of the palace, which was divided in two parts by the
main longitudinal street (cardo) leading from the North Gate to
the Perystile, is less well preserved. It is usually supposed that
each of these parts formed a large residential complex, housing
soldiers, servants, and possibly some other facilities. Both parts
were apparently surrounded on all sides by streets. Leading to perimeter
walls there were rectangular buildings, possibly storage magazines.
The Palace is built of white local limestone of high quality, most
of which was from quarries on the island of Brac; tuffa taken from
the nearby river beds; and brick made in Salonitan and other workshops.
Some material for decoration was imported: Egyptian granite columns
and sphinxes, fine marble for revetments and some capitals produced
in workshops in the Proconnesos. Water for the palace came from
the Jadro river near Salona. Along the road from Split to Salona
impressive remains of the original aqueduct can still be seen. They
were extensively restored in the nineteenth century. |
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