Split, an ancient Croatian city with a rich history and culture dating back to the earliest centuries of AD, has preserved for posterity a splendid legacy of the past: magnificent landmarks of ancient architecture, impressive collections of history and art museums, and, of course, ancient churches and temples crowned by the oldest landmark of sacral architecture, the Roman Temple of Jupiter.

The oldest stone temple was built at the end of the 3rd century by Diocletian, emperor of the Roman Empire. Its construction took more than ten years until the emperor left his post and moved to the vicinity of today's Split to his estate, where an agonizing death took this iconic ruler. Even though the reign of Diocletian lasted only a couple of decades, during this time, many architectural landmarks were built, including the emperor’s palace in Split, which has been perfectly preserved to this day. Within its premises, there is a temple in honor of the father of all ancient Roman gods, Jupiter.

The Temple of Jupiter is located in the western part of the palace in place of a peristyle with tall, slender columns that once stood there. Unfortunately, the peristyle and one of the stone sphinxes that guarded the main entrance to the ancient temple have not survived to this day. With the advent of Christianity to the Croatian lands, the sanctuary of the ancient Romans was rebuilt into a baptistry, and the crypt was consecrated in honor of St. Thomas. However, the temple has preserved its old name. As befits a Christian religious building, an austere bell tower soon appeared near the temple. However, it was ruthlessly destroyed eight centuries later, in the 1840s. But the tombs of archbishops Lovre and Ivan of Split have been preserved almost intact, just as the statue of St. John. Currently, the Temple of Jupiter in Split is a UNESCO World Heritage.