Iron door
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You are near the Iron Gate, the best preserved of all four gates of the imperial residence. Already in Roman times, they were called Porta occidentalis or Porta principalis sinistra, and their role was wider than an ordinary passage: they were used to enter the imperial sulfur baths and, less well known, it was the passage through which punished legionnaires were taken out to be flogged or stoned. The gate stands right on the axis of the via decumanus, that main road that cut through the palace from east to west, ending with the Silver Gate on the opposite side. This very position provided them with the most everyday functions; it is the only door that was constantly open, practically from its construction until today. With the entry into the Middle Ages, the space above the door takes on a new level of interest: a small church was built there, originally dedicated to St. Teodoru, later known as the Church of Our Lady of the Bell Tower. A pre-Romanesque bell tower was also erected, today the oldest preserved bell tower on the Adriatic, which gives the Iron Gate an additional ecclesiastical dimension. After the city expanded beyond the palace walls to the west, the Iron Gate became permanently open and has since been called the "free gate". On the left outside, another famous bell tower was erected, with a city clock divided into 24 hours, a unique attraction. Another unusual fact: the relative height at the location of the corridor above the gate is as much as 15.75 meters, and this is the only place where the preserved stone covering shows the true top of the palace's perimeter wall. This gate was not only a functional passage, but also the lifeblood of the city's daily and business life, without interruption throughout all periods of Split's history. Its original purpose was intended for the Romans, but the space was later taken over by craftsmen, merchants, judges, churchmen - everything you can imagine as the drivers of life in a Mediterranean city. With the arrival of tourists and the new age, traffic through them has never stopped – only the goods, language, and clothing of those who enter through the Iron Gates are constantly changing.