Temple of Jupiter
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The Temple of Jupiter was built between 295 and 305 AD, as part of Diocletian's Palace. Located in its western part, not far from the Peristyle, it was erected as a sanctuary dedicated to the Roman god Jupiter, the highest deity of the Roman pantheon. Emperor Diocletian, who considered himself a divine descendant of Jupiter, had the temple built not only as a place of religious ritual, but also as a confirmation of his political and spiritual power. The temple was built on a raised podium, with a rectangular floor plan and a portico in front of the entrance adorned with six columns. The entrance portal is richly decorated with reliefs, including figures of gorgons - mythical creatures believed to protect against evil. Special attention is also drawn to the Egyptian sphinx placed in front of the entrance, one of the twelve that Diocletian brought from Egypt. The interior of the temple is dominated by a barrel vault, richly decorated with coffers, which is exceptionally well preserved. This architectural element later had a significant influence on the development of Renaissance architecture on the Dalmatian coast, especially in Trogir. During the 6th century, during the spread of Christianity, the temple was converted into a baptistery, which did not destroy the original architecture, but rather carefully adapted it to new symbols and functions. In the crypt below the baptistery, a space dedicated to Saint Thomas was arranged, while above, in the baptistery itself, in the 13th century, a baptismal font was installed made of stone elements from the 11th century, originally from the Split Cathedral. One of the more interesting historical features of this space is located on one segment of the marble slab of the well – a relief depiction of the Croatian king, probably Petar Krešimir IV. or Zvonimir, which is also the oldest known depiction of a European ruler in stone. Next to the well, inside the space are two sarcophagi with the mortal remains of Archbishops Ivan II. and Lawrence, which further confirms the role of this baptistery as an important spiritual point of the Split church community. Today, the space is dominated by a bronze statue of Saint John the Baptist, a work by Ivan Meštrović from the 20th century, which in modern times rounds off the church function of the building. Above, on the coffered vault, there used to be an early Romanesque bell tower in the Middle Ages, but it was removed in the 19th century during the restoration of the building in order to return the temple to its original antique appearance. It is precisely this long-term use of the space, which has never lost its sacred function, that makes the Temple of Jupiter a unique example of architectural and cultural adaptation. As part of Diocletian's Palace, the Temple of Jupiter has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. It is here that different historical layers meet: the Roman imperial cult, early Christian symbolism and contemporary Croatian art.