BLOCK - THE 1700TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE TOWN OF SPLIT

Motif: the Diocletian’s Palace The Emperor Diocletian had built his palace in a bay on the coast near Salona in c. 295. He retired to it after his abdication in AD 305. The Emperor Diocletian was of Illyric origin himself, probably born in Solin and his choice of site for this important and best preserved monument of late antiquity is not surprising. Its architectural forms reflect the plurality of artistic styles of various architects and builders who worked on it during decades. This vast structure was made of stone quarried on the island of Brač and near the town of Trogir. The granite sphynxes were imported from Egypt and some of the capitals were made in the imperial workshops. The palace, which was completed in 305 is rectangular (215 X 180 m) in shape and covers about 38 000 square metres. From the 4th century, when pagan cults were replaced by Christianity, Diocletian’s mausoleum was used as a church, and after the destruction of Salona, as the cathedral of Split, dedicated to St. Mary at first and named after St. Domnium from the 9th century on. It was during the jurisdiction of John from Ravenna, the first archbishop of Split. In 1979, the Diocletian’s Palace came under the protection of UNESCO and were put on their list of world heritage. HPT issued a First Day Cover and a First Day Sheet with set of stamps and block on it.