What retirement palace in Split, Croatia, was built for Emperor Diocletian?

The retirement palace in Split, Croatia, built for Emperor Diocletian, is Diocletian’s Palace.

The fortified complex was constructed on the Dalmatian coast in the late third or early fourth century AD. Diocletian, who had ruled the Roman Empire for about two decades, voluntarily abdicated in AD 305 and retired there. Roughly half the complex served as his private residence, while the remainder accommodated a military garrison and administrative functions.

The palace combined features of a luxurious villa, military camp, imperial residence, temple precinct, and mausoleum. Its walls, gates, courtyards, and seafront façade were built with local limestone and imported materials, including columns and sphinxes from Egypt. Diocletian reportedly preferred cultivating cabbages in retirement to returning to imperial politics.

After Salona was devastated in the seventh century, refugees settled inside the palace’s walls. Continuous occupation transformed the ancient complex into the core of modern Split. The mausoleum later became the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, while the former Temple of Jupiter became a baptistery. UNESCO listed Split’s historic complex in 1979.