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Golden Gate (Diocletian's Palace)

May 13, 2024

The Golden Gate (Croatian: Zlatna vrata, Latin: Porta Aurea), or "the Northern Gate", is one of the four principal Roman gates into the stari grad (old town) of Split. Built as part of Diocletian's Palace, it served as the main gate through which the Emperor entered the complex and was elaborately decorated to mark its status. Over the course of the Middle Ages, the gate was sealed off and lost its columns and statuary. It was reopened and repaired in modern times and now serves as a tourist attraction.

Golden Gate
Native name
Croatian: Zlatna vrata
The Golden Gate (Porta Aurea) May 2018
TypeGatehouse
LocationSplit, Croatia
Coordinates43°30′33″N 16°26′26″E / 43.50917°N 16.44056°E / 43.50917; 16.44056
Built4th century AD
Built byDiocletian
Architectural style(s)Roman
Location of Golden Gate in Croatia

History edit

The gate stood at a terminal point of the road which led north towards Salona, Diocletian's birthplace and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. It was probably used by Diocletian to enter the palace after his abdication from the imperial throne on 1 May 305.[1] The Romans of late antiquity called the structure Porta Septemtrionalis ("Northern Gate"). In the Middle Ages, its name was changed to Porta Romae ("Roman Gate");[2] the name "Golden Gate" seems to date from the Renaissance, making its first appearance in the 1553 itinerary of the Venetian trade unions Died and Giustiniana.[3]

Amid the upheavals of the Migration Period in the 6th century, small churches were built over the Golden, Silver, Iron, and Bronze gates. Dedicated to St. Martin, the church of the Golden Gate occupies a narrow corridor (1.64 x 10 meters),[4] which had been used as a guard passageway in the time of Diocletian. St. Martin's Church was later augmented by a pre-Romanesque bell tower. Demolished in the 19th century, this was similar in style to the still-surviving bell tower of the Church of Our Lady of Zvonik above the Iron Gate.

The sieges of the early Middle Ages prompted the town's inhabitants to close off the gate, using a smaller and more defensible passageway in its place. In more settled times, a new gate, the Door of Picture, permanently superseded the Golden Gate as the main entrance to the city on the north side.

In or around 1630, the Venetian governor Alvise Zorzi ordered the disassembly of eleven Roman towers on the north and east sides of the palace wall, sending the stone blocks to Venice to be used in the construction of Santa Maria della Salute. Among the casualties of this project were the two octagonal towers flanking the Golden Gate.[5] The gate was only re-opened in 1857,[3] in an undertaking which necessitated the demolition of houses which had been built up against the north wall of the palace. Much accumulated earth was cleared away, but around 2 meters of the gate and wall remain below ground level. The most recent reconstruction was carried out by the metropolis in the first years of the new millennium, with the gate covered in a building wrap from 2012 until 2015. As of 2020, the structure was open to the public.

Description edit

The Porta Septemtrionalis was the "main landward gate" of Diocletian's palace,[6] located in the middle of the northern wall. Its exterior opening measures 4.17 by 4.36 meters; above the lintel is a 3.02-meter-high arch composed of 19 stone blocks.[7] The double doors of the gate were set into this opening, which could also be closed by a portcullis.[8] Between the inner and outer openings of the gate is a courtyard (propugnaculum), once overseen by guard passageways built into its upper walls. The inner gate opens onto the Cardo Maximus, at whose opposite end is the Bronze Gate. Centuries of soil accumulation at the base of the wall have reduced the openings in the gate from 6.5 to fewer than 4.5 meters in height.[3]

 
Interior of The Church of Saint Martin with a view of the chancel screen (June 2013)

Set into the facade of the gate are five niches, two on each side of the central arch and one above. Four of these once housed statues of the Tetrarchs: Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus.[9] Modern restorers note that the fifth, central niche was made too shallow to hold a statue, to leave room for the portcullis to retract into the upper part of the gate. The same examination found no evidence of statues having stood in the other niches, and the restorers express doubt that the decoration of the gate was ever finished.[10]

The upper three niches are incorporated into a blind arcade of seven arches. Formerly the arches were supported by columns, whose bases stood on corbels projecting from the facade. These columns have since disappeared, although five of their capitals remain, still affixed to the underside of the arcade.[8] The undersides of the corbels are decorated with carved acanthus, with the exception of those immediately over the gateway, which display sculptures of small humanoid faces with horns (one set of which has been broken off) and animals' ears. A modern scholar found these faces "not unlike medieval devils" in appearance.[8] Above the arcade are four plinths; some reconstructions of the gate prefer these, rather than the niches, as the location of the Tetrarchs' portrait statues.[11] John Bryan Ward-Perkins sees the style of the gate as influenced by the architectural practices of the eastern Roman provinces, particularly Syria. He cites such "typically Syrian" features as the "combination of an open arch with a horizontal lintel [and] the bracketing out on consoles of [the] decorative arcade".[12]

The outer gate was defended by two octagonal towers, since lost. The surface of each tower on the ground floor was about 60m, the inner diameter 8.53m, and the side 3.41 m. There were no corresponding structures on the inner face of the gate. The towers and their connecting walkways could be entered only through passages built into the palace wall and had no doorways on the ground floor.[13]

Gallery edit

  •  
    Reconstruction of the 5th century Porta Aurea
  •  
    View of The Golden Gate ca. 1910, Photo by E. Hébrard and J. Zeiller, Spalato, le Palais de Dioclétien, Paris, 1912.
  •  
    The Porta Aurea, during cleaning and restoration 2007

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Zlatna vrata u Splitu".
  2. ^ Prijatelj 2005, p. 32.
  3. ^ a b c Prijatelj 2005, p. 33.
  4. ^ "Is Saint Martin the Narrowest Church You Have Ever Seen?".
  5. ^ Baras 2010, pp. 42–43.
  6. ^ Ward-Perkins, John B. (1979). Roman Architecture. 597 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY: Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. p. 198. ISBN 0-8478-0972-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  7. ^ Šušnjar 2003, pp. 71–72.
  8. ^ a b c Brothers, A. J. (1972). "Diocletian's Palace at Split". Greece & Rome. 19 (2): 175–186. doi:10.1017/S0017383500019847. JSTOR 642672. S2CID 248519582.
  9. ^ Šušnjar 2003, p. 73.
  10. ^ Nikšić, Goran (2004). "The Restoration of Diocletian's Palace – Mausoleum, Temple, and Porta Aurea (With the analysis of the original architectural design)". Diokletian und die Tetrarchie. pp. 163–171. doi:10.1515/9783110914603.163. ISBN 978-3-11-091460-3.
  11. ^ Bousfield, Jonathan (2010). The Rough Guide to Croatia (5th ed.). 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL: Rough Guides Ltd. p. 319. ISBN 978-1-84836-472-1.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  12. ^ Ward-Perkins, J.B. (1994). Roman Imperial Architecture. London: Yale University Press. p. 458. ISBN 978-0-30005-292-3.
  13. ^ Šušnjar 2003, pp. 56–57.

Further reading edit

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Golden Gate, Split.
  • Zlatna vrata u Splitu - putovnica.net (accessed 23.06.2019.) (in Croatian)
  • Zlatna vrata - visitsplit.com (accessed 23.06.2019.) (in Croatian)

May 13, 2024
golden, gate, diocletian, palace, golden, gate, croatian, zlatna, vrata, latin, porta, aurea, northern, gate, four, principal, roman, gates, into, stari, grad, town, split, built, part, diocletian, palace, served, main, gate, through, which, emperor, entered, . The Golden Gate Croatian Zlatna vrata Latin Porta Aurea or the Northern Gate is one of the four principal Roman gates into the stari grad old town of Split Built as part of Diocletian s Palace it served as the main gate through which the Emperor entered the complex and was elaborately decorated to mark its status Over the course of the Middle Ages the gate was sealed off and lost its columns and statuary It was reopened and repaired in modern times and now serves as a tourist attraction Golden GateNative name Croatian Zlatna vrataThe Golden Gate Porta Aurea May 2018TypeGatehouseLocationSplit CroatiaCoordinates43 30 33 N 16 26 26 E 43 50917 N 16 44056 E 43 50917 16 44056Built4th century ADBuilt byDiocletianArchitectural style s RomanLocation of Golden Gate in Croatia Contents 1 History 2 Description 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksHistory editThe gate stood at a terminal point of the road which led north towards Salona Diocletian s birthplace and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia It was probably used by Diocletian to enter the palace after his abdication from the imperial throne on 1 May 305 1 The Romans of late antiquity called the structure Porta Septemtrionalis Northern Gate In the Middle Ages its name was changed to Porta Romae Roman Gate 2 the name Golden Gate seems to date from the Renaissance making its first appearance in the 1553 itinerary of the Venetian trade unions Died and Giustiniana 3 Amid the upheavals of the Migration Period in the 6th century small churches were built over the Golden Silver Iron and Bronze gates Dedicated to St Martin the church of the Golden Gate occupies a narrow corridor 1 64 x 10 meters 4 which had been used as a guard passageway in the time of Diocletian St Martin s Church was later augmented by a pre Romanesque bell tower Demolished in the 19th century this was similar in style to the still surviving bell tower of the Church of Our Lady of Zvonik above the Iron Gate The sieges of the early Middle Ages prompted the town s inhabitants to close off the gate using a smaller and more defensible passageway in its place In more settled times a new gate the Door of Picture permanently superseded the Golden Gate as the main entrance to the city on the north side In or around 1630 the Venetian governor Alvise Zorzi ordered the disassembly of eleven Roman towers on the north and east sides of the palace wall sending the stone blocks to Venice to be used in the construction of Santa Maria della Salute Among the casualties of this project were the two octagonal towers flanking the Golden Gate 5 The gate was only re opened in 1857 3 in an undertaking which necessitated the demolition of houses which had been built up against the north wall of the palace Much accumulated earth was cleared away but around 2 meters of the gate and wall remain below ground level The most recent reconstruction was carried out by the metropolis in the first years of the new millennium with the gate covered in a building wrap from 2012 until 2015 As of 2020 the structure was open to the public Description editThe Porta Septemtrionalis was the main landward gate of Diocletian s palace 6 located in the middle of the northern wall Its exterior opening measures 4 17 by 4 36 meters above the lintel is a 3 02 meter high arch composed of 19 stone blocks 7 The double doors of the gate were set into this opening which could also be closed by a portcullis 8 Between the inner and outer openings of the gate is a courtyard propugnaculum once overseen by guard passageways built into its upper walls The inner gate opens onto the Cardo Maximus at whose opposite end is the Bronze Gate Centuries of soil accumulation at the base of the wall have reduced the openings in the gate from 6 5 to fewer than 4 5 meters in height 3 nbsp Interior of The Church of Saint Martin with a view of the chancel screen June 2013 Set into the facade of the gate are five niches two on each side of the central arch and one above Four of these once housed statues of the Tetrarchs Diocletian Maximian Galerius and Constantius Chlorus 9 Modern restorers note that the fifth central niche was made too shallow to hold a statue to leave room for the portcullis to retract into the upper part of the gate The same examination found no evidence of statues having stood in the other niches and the restorers express doubt that the decoration of the gate was ever finished 10 The upper three niches are incorporated into a blind arcade of seven arches Formerly the arches were supported by columns whose bases stood on corbels projecting from the facade These columns have since disappeared although five of their capitals remain still affixed to the underside of the arcade 8 The undersides of the corbels are decorated with carved acanthus with the exception of those immediately over the gateway which display sculptures of small humanoid faces with horns one set of which has been broken off and animals ears A modern scholar found these faces not unlike medieval devils in appearance 8 Above the arcade are four plinths some reconstructions of the gate prefer these rather than the niches as the location of the Tetrarchs portrait statues 11 John Bryan Ward Perkins sees the style of the gate as influenced by the architectural practices of the eastern Roman provinces particularly Syria He cites such typically Syrian features as the combination of an open arch with a horizontal lintel and the bracketing out on consoles of the decorative arcade 12 The outer gate was defended by two octagonal towers since lost The surface of each tower on the ground floor was about 60m the inner diameter 8 53m and the side 3 41 m There were no corresponding structures on the inner face of the gate The towers and their connecting walkways could be entered only through passages built into the palace wall and had no doorways on the ground floor 13 Gallery edit nbsp Reconstruction of the 5th century Porta Aurea nbsp View of The Golden Gate ca 1910 Photo by E Hebrard and J Zeiller Spalato le Palais de Diocletien Paris 1912 nbsp The Porta Aurea during cleaning and restoration 2007See also edit nbsp Croatia portal Diocletian s Palace Vestibule Split The Bronze Gate Diocletian s Palace The Iron Gate Diocletian s Palace The Silver Gate Diocletian s Palace The Golden Gate Constantinople Imperial entrance gate of the city of Constantinople present day Istanbul Turkey Red Peristyle an act of urban intervention done on the main square of the palace Roman architecture Marjan Croatia Salona DalmatiaReferences edit Zlatna vrata u Splitu Prijatelj 2005 p 32 a b c Prijatelj 2005 p 33 Is Saint Martin the Narrowest Church You Have Ever Seen Baras 2010 pp 42 43 Ward Perkins John B 1979 Roman Architecture 597 Fifth Avenue New York NY Rizzoli International Publications Inc p 198 ISBN 0 8478 0972 2 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link Susnjar 2003 pp 71 72 a b c Brothers A J 1972 Diocletian s Palace at Split Greece amp Rome 19 2 175 186 doi 10 1017 S0017383500019847 JSTOR 642672 S2CID 248519582 Susnjar 2003 p 73 Niksic Goran 2004 The Restoration of Diocletian s Palace Mausoleum Temple and Porta Aurea With the analysis of the original architectural design Diokletian und die Tetrarchie pp 163 171 doi 10 1515 9783110914603 163 ISBN 978 3 11 091460 3 Bousfield Jonathan 2010 The Rough Guide to Croatia 5th ed 80 Strand London WC2R 0RL Rough Guides Ltd p 319 ISBN 978 1 84836 472 1 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location link Ward Perkins J B 1994 Roman Imperial Architecture London Yale University Press p 458 ISBN 978 0 30005 292 3 Susnjar 2003 pp 56 57 Further reading editBaras Frano 2010 Prohujalo pod marjanom legende i kronike ISBN 978 953 263 147 0 OCLC 1240825879 Prijatelj Kruno 2005 Spomenici Splita i okolice Ex libris ISBN 978 953 6310 45 6 OCLC 191703015 Susnjar Bogdan 2003 Villa cara Dioklecijana u Splitu Boskovic ISBN 978 953 7090 06 7 OCLC 163413680 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Golden Gate Split Zlatna vrata u Splitu putovnica net accessed 23 06 2019 in Croatian Zlatna vrata visitsplit com accessed 23 06 2019 in Croatian Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Golden Gate Diocletian 27s Palace amp oldid 1221393698, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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