The Silver Gate ( hr, Srebrna vrata, la, Porta argentea), or "the Eastern 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, entertain ...

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 "pala ...

. The gate faces east towards the

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

town of Epetia, today

Stobreč Stobreč ( it, Stobrezio, la, Epetium, el, Εpetion) is a historical village and now a tourist resort on the Adriatic Sea, in central Dalmatia, Croatia. Administratively it is part of the city of Split. Founded as Epetium, Stobreč has been se ...

.Šušnjar, Bogdan, Villa of the Diocletian in Split, p. 74th

History

During

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 has ...

, the gate was known as the ''Porta Orientalis'' ("the Eastern Gate"). Probably in or around the 6th century, a small church dedicated to

St. Apolinar ST, St, or St. may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Stanza, in poetry * Suicidal Tendencies, an American heavy metal/hardcore punk band * Star Trek, a science-fiction media franchise * Summa Theologica, a compendium of Catholic philosophy ...

was built above the gate, in the sentry corridor. This coincided with the complex seeing an influx of refugees from outlying communities. Similar churches were built 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 ...

, the Iron Gate, and the Bronze Gate. The structure of this part of the wall and the door itself were incorporated in various buildings in the following centuries, such as the Church of Dušica, which was destroyed in the Second World War. The gate was still in operation during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. In 1764 the Venetians, who had ruled over the city for some time, opened what became known as 'the Small Gate', a few meters from the Silver Gate. Immediately next to the Small Gate, a building (later the Archaeological Museum) was built in 1820. At the end of the 19th century, the church was enlarged, and its present appearance was gained in the early 1930s. The gate was extensively renovated in 1952, after the

Allied bombing of Yugoslavia in World War II The Allied bombing of Yugoslavia in World War II involved air attacks on cities and towns in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the United States Army Air Force (USAAF) and Royal Air Force (RAF), including the Balkan Air Force (BAF), between 1941 and 19 ...

during which the

Baroque church Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the early 17th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means ...

Dušica (Saints-innocents) suffered extensive damage. It was during this time, controversially that attempts were made to clean up and restore the building by removing later additions of the fabric of the structure of the eastern wall of the Palace. Gates such as 'the Small Gate' were closed off, which undermined the former aesthetic quality of the surroundings. Opposite the Silver Gate, next to the main town market is an old monastery and a church of the Dominican monastery of St. Catherine of Alexandria built in the 13th century and restored after the demolition in the 17th century. The Silver Gate was used by the

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in his

popemobile The popemobile is a specially designed motor vehicle used by the pope of the Catholic Church during public appearances. It is usually considered the successor to the antiquated and was designed to allow the pope to be more visible when greeting l ...

on the way to the

Cathedral of Saint Domnius The Cathedral of Saint Domnius ( hr, Katedrala Svetog Duje), known locally as the ''Sveti Dujam'' or colloquially ''Sveti Duje'', is the Catholic cathedral in Split, Croatia. The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, headed ...

, during his visit to

in 2000.

Description

The Porta Orientalis was a secondary gate of

, as it was not the main gate and was located in the middle of the east wall. Made up of two parts, an outer and inner gates designed as a defensive system the architecture was less ornate and decorative that the

located in the north wall of the palace, but still retains 2 niches, which most probably housed sculptures. Like the Golden Gate, the Silver Gate was located between two octagonal towers, and beside them, there were four more towers which oversaw the eastern gateway to the palace.

References

External links

Srebrena vrata - visitsplit.com
(pristupljeno 30.6.2015.)

(pristupljeno 30.6.2015.)
Srebrna vrata u Splitu - putovnica.net
(pristupljeno 30.6.2015.)
Srebrna vrata - splitculture.hr
(pristupljeno 30.6.2015.) {{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 Tourist attractions in Split-Dalmatia County City gates in Croatia

History

Description

See also

References

Further reading

External links