Saint Domnius Cathedral in Split

All summer, I was looking forward to go to Croatia to enjoy warm weather and lots of sunshine before autumn would start as we didn't have good summer this year. It was a warm evening when we arrived in Split, and you wouldn't expect a drastic change in weather unless you checked or somebody warned you like the receptionist at our hotel did.

We were tired after a long day and bumpy flight, so we had our dinner at the hotel and went to bed early because we wanted to be ready to explore Split the next day. In the morning it was very windy, but still warm and it hasn't started raining yet. We got ready and walked down to the old town. Honestly, we didn't follow any plan, but simply walked from one street to another instead until it eventually started to rain heavily. At that time we happened to be in front of The Cathedral of Saint Domnius, so we decided to give it a go.

When we were standing in front of the cathedral for the first time, we didn't know that it would become our main meeting point during our stay. It is likely the most popular spot in Split as you can find there the most beautiful buildings and well known monuments.

The queue in front of the ticket office was long, but it was moving quickly. I was equipped with my umbrella and raincoat, so I didn't mind waiting for a bit. It was a bit chaotic inside as there are 4 types of tickets and many people were discussing which one they should take. To us it was clear as we wanted to see everything. When it was our turn to purchase our tickets we learned that the crypt was closed because of the rain, so we could only see the cathedral, baptistry, treasury and bell tower. We started our tour with the bell tower which turned out to be not the best choice.

What I noticed on the bell towers in Croatia is that they have large windows which are open (no glass), and when you think about it (which we didn't) you realize that when it's raining and windy it is going to be wet inside.

The cathedral is on the opposite side of square. We walked some stairs up to enter the bell tower. We waited and waited as there were many people coming back down and the opening is narrow. We used the time to walk around and enjoyed the views.

When we finally entered the building I was surprised to see large stairs. They were almost up to my knees and I only prayed that it wouldn't be like this all the time as my hip wouldn't thank me for that.

It didn't take long to get to the first floor which was like a big balcony surrounded by Roman pillars. There was a roof, but it didn't matter at that point because of the wind.

From there we took a narrow staircase to the bell tower. The staircase starts with large steps until you reach a more comfortable metal staircase. I usually get irritated when I get wet, but this time I found this situation funny. I had long wide pants that got soaked and heavy on the way up because the water was streaming down the stairs. Every time the fabric touched the stone (which was all the time) it absorbed more and more water. Those with tight jeans didn't have such problem.

When we reached the metal staircase it became easier although then I was worried to lose a slipper 😊

We reached the first windows soon...

The views were amazing even though we couldn't see that far because of the clouds. They were moving fast, and we watched the storm coming our way. I put down my umbrella as it truly didn't matter anymore. It seemed to rain diagonally, my hair was wet, my clothes as well, and I was surrounded by metal staircase, so it seemed safer to put it down.

The boats kept coming and going, and I was grateful that I was in the bell tower instead.

Marjan forest park in the back was on our list of places to see as well...

The bell tower was originally built in the 13th century, and reconstructed in the 20th century. I think this is when the openings were created because I imagine that it was like any other medieval tower in the past - closed with tiny windows in thick walls, but I might be wrong and this might be a typical way of building towers in Croatia.

There are several levels were you can admire the views and catch your breath...

It was so cloudy that day that we had no idea there were mountains all along the coast. We were surprised to see them in the coming days...

The rain was so strong that it was creating a dark curtain above the sea...

The views are spectacular, but the tower itself is not too shabby either! On each level you can enjoy 360 degrees views, and I can only imagine how impressive it is there on a sunny day.

When we walked up the stairs I focused on not losing my slippers, and I didn't pay attention to the way. On the way down, I didn't have a choice, but to look down and it was quite scary. There was a railing you could hold onto, but since you could see down the tower it wasn't very comfortable to go down.

It's an interesting combination of old and new, but I would have preferred if it would be closed...

Let's enjoy some more views before going inside of the Cathedral...

The Cathedral was originally built as the mausoleum of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, and only later it became a church. The sarcophagus that stood in the middle was destroyed, and today there are multiple altars and lots of statues in there instead. The fact that it used to be a mausoleum means that the cathedral is really small.

There was a guided group inside, and we couldn't really get around them. It's interesting that it still serves as a functioning church, and I wonder how many people come there for a regular service. I can imagine it works on a principle first comes, first serves due to the limited space.

I wish we could stay there longer because it was so beautiful and there were so many details to see, but there were also too many people, so we left after a while.

From the cathedral we went to The Baptistry of St. John which is located a short walk through a narrow street between two buildings on the opposite side of the square.

The view of the bell tower from the baptistry...

The whole cathedral complex dates back to the ancient times. It was built at the end of the 3rd century. Imagine 1700 years of history in this place!

The baptistry is dedicated to St John the Baptist, and there is a large bronze sculpture of St. John in the back. Except of this sculpture and a couple of sarcophagus there is not so much to see there, but just the fact that it's so old is amazing to me.

The most interesting part of the baptistry was the ceiling. If you look closer you will see creepy faces with scared (I guess) expression.

In the meantime the rain changed into rain shower, and we stayed hidden inside. I was the lucky one as I had a spot next to the door. It was very humid inside, and I was grateful for fresh air. It also gave me the opportunity to talk to a cathedral's employee. Of course we discussed the weather, and she told me that they were grateful for the rain because it hasn't rain for more than 3 months.

It didn't look like the rain would stop soon, so we left because it was almost dinner time. Even though the weather didn't cooperate we had a great day and we fell in love with Split already.

Thank you for reading,

Cheers,
Martina