Split Cathedral: la tomba dell’imperatore che perseguitò i cristiani, trasformata in cattedrale dedicata a una delle sue vittime
La cattedrale di San Doimo occupa l’edificio più antico tra tutte le cattedrali d’Europa ancora in uso: il mausoleo ottagonale costruito per l’imperatore Diocleziano, uno degli ultimi grandi persecutori dei cristiani della storia romana, che vi fu sepolto nel 311 d.C. dopo essersi ritirato dal potere. La struttura originaria, decorata con colonne corinzie e fregi elaborati, era un’espressione monumentale dell’autorità imperiale. Ma nel V secolo i cristiani ebbero l’ultima risata: distrussero il sarcofago dell’imperatore e trasformarono la sua tomba in una chiesa, dedicandola proprio a Doimo, primo vescovo di Salona, giustiziato nel 304 per ordine dello stesso Diocleziano insieme al martire Anastasio. Le reliquie di entrambi furono traslate nella cattedrale, che porta ancora oggi il nome del vescovo martirizzato dall’imperatore la cui tomba oggi la ospita.
About Split Cathedral
The Cathedral of Saint Domnius occupies what is, among all cathedrals in Europe, housed within the oldest surviving structure: the octagonal mausoleum built for the Roman Emperor Diocletian in the early 4th century CE, within his sprawling retirement palace complex at Split. Diocletian, remembered as one of the last and most severe persecutors of Christians in Roman history, was interred in this lavishly decorated mausoleum — originally encircled by a roofed peristyle supported by 24 marble columns with Corinthian capitals — following his death in 311 CE. The building’s transformation into a Christian cathedral carries a profound historical irony: in the 5th century, Christians destroyed Diocletian’s sarcophagus and converted his imperial tomb directly into a church, dedicating it to Saint Domnius, the first bishop of Salona, whom Diocletian himself had ordered executed in 304 CE during his persecutions. The relics of Domnius, along with those of Saint Anastasius, a humble labourer likewise martyred under Diocletian’s orders, were subsequently transferred into the cathedral, permanently linking the building’s dedication to two of the emperor’s own victims. The cathedral retains an ancient Roman portal within its structure, while its tall Romanesque bell tower, constructed in stages between the 13th and 16th centuries, later collapsed and was fully reconstructed in 1908. Today the Cathedral of Saint Domnius is widely recognised as one of the oldest cathedrals in the world still functioning in its original structure, without the near-total rebuilding that has affected most comparably ancient religious buildings elsewhere in Europe.
Key facts
- Early 4th century CE: octagonal mausoleum built for Emperor Diocletian
- 304 CE: Domnius, bishop of Salona, executed under Diocletian’s persecution
- 311 CE: Diocletian dies and is interred in the mausoleum
- 5th century: Diocletian’s sarcophagus destroyed, mausoleum converted into a church dedicated to Domnius
- 13th-16th centuries: Romanesque bell tower built in stages
- 1908: bell tower reconstructed after collapse
- Status: oldest cathedral structure in Europe still in continuous use
History
The cathedral’s origin as the mausoleum of one of Christianity’s most severe Roman persecutors, later repurposed as a church dedicated to one of his own victims, stands as one of the most historically pointed reversals of fortune anywhere in European religious architecture, transforming a monument to imperial anti-Christian power into a permanent site of Christian veneration. This transformation situates Split Cathedral within a broader pattern of late antique and early medieval Christians directly repurposing pagan and imperial Roman structures, but few examples carry the same degree of deliberate, symbolically loaded irony as converting a persecutor’s own tomb into his victim’s shrine.
The cathedral’s status as the oldest surviving cathedral structure in Europe still in active use, without the extensive rebuilding that has altered most comparably ancient religious sites, gives Split a uniquely direct physical connection to both the late Roman imperial world and the earliest centuries of institutional Christianity in the Adriatic region.
What you see
The cathedral’s octagonal Roman core, its ancient portal and remaining Corinthian columns visible testimony to its origins as Diocletian’s mausoleum, sits at the heart of the sprawling Diocletian’s Palace complex that still forms the core of modern Split’s old town. The tall Romanesque bell tower, reconstructed in 1908 after an earlier collapse, offers panoramic views over the city and the Adriatic, while the cathedral’s interior preserves the relics of Saints Domnius and Anastasius within the very space once occupied by the emperor who ordered their deaths.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily with seasonal variation; admission fee applies, combined tickets available with the bell tower and crypt; check current hours before visiting
- Address: Peristil 2, 21000 Split, Croatia
Getting there
Split Cathedral stands at the heart of Diocletian’s Palace in the historic centre of Split, on Croatia’s Dalmatian coast, easily reachable on foot from the city’s waterfront. GPS: 43.5080° N, 16.4404° E.
Nearby
- Diocletian’s Palace — the wider Roman palace complex surrounding the cathedral
- Peristyle — the palace’s central courtyard, immediately adjacent
- Split waterfront (Riva) — the city’s historic promenade, a short walk away
Sources
- Wikipedia — “Cathedral of Saint Domnius” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Visit Split — “Cathedral of Saint Domnius” (visitsplit.com)
- Diocletian Palace — “The Cathedral of Saint Domnius” (diocletianpalace.com)
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