The Peristyle (Peristil in Croatian) is the colonnaded square at the centre of Diocletian's Palace in Split, the palace a Roman emperor built for his retirement around 300 AD. It was the ceremonial court in front of his private apartments, and 1,700 years later it is still the main square of the old town, with a cathedral on one side and a 3,500-year-old Egyptian sphinx on the steps.
The Peristyle at a glance
- Where: in the middle of Diocletian's Palace, where its two main streets meet, a few steps up from the waterfront through the palace cellars.
- Built: around 295–305 AD, as part of the palace of Emperor Diocletian.
- What it is today: the main square of Split's old town and a stage for concerts and the Split Summer Festival, inside a UNESCO World Heritage site listed in 1979.
- Time needed: 15–20 minutes, more if you go into the cathedral, the Vestibule or up the bell tower.
An emperor's ceremonial court
Diocletian ruled from 284 to 305 and was the first Roman emperor to give up the throne of his own free will. He retired to the palace he had built on the coast near Salona, the Roman capital of Dalmatia. The Peristyle was the formal court between the public part of the palace and his private quarters: at its south end the Protiron, a raised porch with a triangular gable, framed the emperor when he showed himself, and behind it a round hall, the Vestibule, led to his rooms. On the east side stood his octagonal mausoleum, on the west side his temples.
When Salona was abandoned in the 7th century, its people took refuge inside the palace walls and turned it into a town. The mausoleum became the Cathedral of St Domnius, the temple of Jupiter a baptistery, and chapels and family palaces were built into the colonnades, which is why Renaissance windows sit between Roman columns. On 11 January 1968 a group of young people painted the whole floor of the square red overnight. The action caused a scandal in Yugoslavia, and the group became known as the Red Peristyle.
What to look for
- The colonnades on the east and west sides: granite columns, some brought from Egypt, with Corinthian capitals carrying arches rather than a flat beam.
- The Protiron at the south end, with four columns and a triangular gable. Climb its steps into the Vestibule, the round hall whose dome is now open to the sky; klapa groups often sing here because of the echo.
- The sphinx: a black granite sphinx about 3,500 years old, usually dated to the reign of Pharaoh Thutmose III. Diocletian had more than a dozen brought from Egypt; a headless one stands in front of the Temple of Jupiter.
- The Cathedral of St Domnius on the east side, Diocletian's mausoleum turned into a church, with its Romanesque bell tower rising above the colonnade.
- Later additions set into the Roman frame: the chapel of Our Lady of the Belt (1544) beside the Protiron and the Renaissance chapel of St Roch (1516) at the end of the eastern colonnade.
The noon guard and the summer opera
In the summer season a changing of the Roman guard is staged on the Peristyle at noon, with actors dressed as soldiers and, on many days, an actor playing Diocletian on the Protiron. It is a show, not a historical ritual, but it uses the square the way it was built to be used. During the Split Summer Festival the Peristyle becomes an open-air opera stage, with the Protiron as the backdrop.
Tips for your visit
- Come early in the morning or after dinner: at midday in summer the square is packed with tour groups.
- Arrive from the waterfront through the palace cellars and the Vestibule, the way you climb into the square is the best introduction to the palace.
- For a view down onto the whole Peristyle, climb the cathedral bell tower; the steps are steep and narrow near the top.
Nearby
- Temple of Jupiter: a minute's walk west through a narrow lane, with a coffered stone ceiling and the headless sphinx outside.
- Diocletian's cellars: the vaulted halls under the palace, which keep the layout of the lost imperial rooms above; scenes of Game of Thrones were filmed here.
- Golden Gate and the statue of Gregory of Nin: the palace's north gate and Ivan Meštrović's giant bronze bishop, whose big toe visitors rub for luck by tradition.
- The Riva: the palm-lined waterfront promenade along the south wall of the palace.
See Split with World City Trail
Our Split scavenger hunt turns the old town into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around 2 hours, with about 20 minutes of walking. It includes the Golden Gate of Diocletian's Palace, the statue of Gregory of Nin and the Croatian National Theatre.
If you prefer a different format, there is also a self-guided walking tour and an outdoor escape game in Split.
Play the Split scavenger hunt →
Take the self-guided walking tour of Split →
Play the outdoor escape game in Split →
Facts checked in October 2026.