Description of the attraction
The Temple of Jupiter in Split is a Roman temple dedicated to the main god of the ancient Romans, Jupiter. The temple is part of Diocletian's Palace and is recognized as a World Heritage Site, because This is one of the few Roman temples that are well preserved not only externally, but also internally (in particular, the caisson interiors have been preserved). The temple is located in the western part of the palace, next to the Peristyle (not far from the central square of the imperial complex).
The temple was built at the end of the third century at the same time as the Palace of Diocletian. At the entrance to the temple is one of the twelve sphinxes brought to Egypt by Emperor Diocletian. Part of the temple remained unfinished due to the sudden abdication of the emperor from the throne.
In the Middle Ages, the temple was rebuilt into the baptistery of St. John the Baptist. In the 11th and 12th centuries, a bell tower was erected over the temple, similar to the bell tower of the Church of Our Lady in the west of Split.
On one of the marble slabs of the temple, the names of the Croatian king Zvonimir were later engraved. Inside the temple are two sarcophagi, in which the archbishops of Split Ivan II (X century) and Lawrence (1099) are buried. Also in the church there is a large bronze statue of John the Baptist - the work of a sculpture by Ivan Mestrovich.
