The Iron Gate ( hr, Željezna vrata, la, Porta ferrea), or "the Western Gate", is one of the four principal Roman gates into the stari grad (old town) of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enterta ...

that was once

Diocletian's Palace Diocletian's Palace ( hr, Dioklecijanova palača, ) is an ancient palace built for the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD, which today forms about half the old town of Split, Croatia. While it is referred to as a "palac ...

. Originally a military gate from which troops entered the complex, the gate is the only one to have remained in continuous use to the present day.

History

During the

late antiquity Late antiquity is the time of transition from classical antiquity to the Middle Ages, generally spanning the 3rd–7th century in Europe and adjacent areas bordering the Mediterranean Basin. The popularization of this periodization in English ha ...

, the gate was known as the ''Porta Occidentalis'' ("the Western Gate"). During the persecutions under Theodosius I, a relief sculpture of

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine given ...

, the Roman goddess of victory (which stood on the lintel) was removed from the gate, later in the 5th century,

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

engraved a

Cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

in its place. In the 6th century, above the gate a small church dedicated to St Theodore was built. This coincided with the complex seeing an influx of refugees from outlining communities, similar churches were over the

Golden Gate The Golden Gate is a strait on the west coast of North America that connects San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. It is defined by the headlands of the San Francisco Peninsula and the Marin Peninsula, and, since 1937, has been spanned by th ...

, the Silver Gate, and the Bronze Gate. Above the Church of Our Lady of Zvonik a

pre-Romanesque Pre-Romanesque art and architecture is the period in European art from either the emergence of the Merovingian kingdom in about 500 AD or from the Carolingian Renaissance in the late 8th century, to the beginning of the 11th century Romanesqu ...

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

was erected in the 11th century and the oldest preserved bell tower on the Adriatic coast. In the 11th century, the church was rebuilt and rededicated, now known as the church of our Lady of the Belfry or Church of Our Lady of Zvonik, where an image of Our Lady of Zvonik is preserved. Later a clock was added to outface of the gate. During the Middle Ages the area inside the gate was used as a courthouse. After the expansion of the city from the palace to the west, the Iron Gate remained in operation as a city gate with a guard house. The Romanesque bell tower partially concealed the left side of the gate, on the right the

palace A palace is a grand residence, especially a royal residence, or the home of a head of state or some other high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome which ...

of the family Cipriani Benedetti, decorated with two unique six-sided windows. In later years, a

Bazaar A bazaar () or souk (; also transliterated as souq) is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, North Africa and India. However, temporary open markets elsewhere, suc ...

of small shops operated well into the 20th century.

Description

The Porta Occidentalis was a secondary gate of

Diocletian's palace Diocletian's Palace ( hr, Dioklecijanova palača, ) is an ancient palace built for the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD, which today forms about half the old town of Split, Croatia. While it is referred to as a "palac ...

, as it was not the main gate and was located in the middle of the west wall. Made up of two parts, an outer and inner gates designed as a defensive system the architecture has a rich profile, while the arch is easily profiled. Instead of blind arches and columns, a series of casual arcades are arranged. These doors are located next to the propagator stairs, similar to the original ones, leading to the patrol corridor. The hallway on each side has three arcades of 1.45 x 2.90 ms on the inside and five on the outside. The width of the corridor is 1.20 m, the right part of the wall is 0.57, the left 0.45 m, and the total wall thickness is 2.22 m. The corridor is about 5.20 m high and the original rock stone cover a slab ending the height of the perimeter wall and is the only place in the palace where you can see the tip of the main wall. The relative height at that place is 15.75 m and the threshold is 1m lower than today's passage. The city clock is also of special interest as it has 24 digits (instead of the usual 12).

Gallery

File:SPLIT-Porta Ferrea restitution.jpg , Reconstruction of the 5th century Porta Ferrea File:Split-Diokletianpalast-EisernesTor-.jpg , The Porta Ferrea and its adjacent buildings 2017

References

External links

Zlatna vrata u Splitu - putovnica.net
(accessed 23.06.2019.)

(accessed 23.06.2019.)
Zlatna vrata - visitsplit.com
(accessed 23.06.2019.) {{Landmarks in Dalmatia World Heritage Sites in Croatia Archaeological sites in Croatia Buildings and structures in Split, Croatia Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Croatia Romanesque architecture Churches in Croatia Tourist attractions in Split-Dalmatia County City gates in Croatia

History

Description

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading

External links