The Monument to Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović in Split

Josip (Joško) Belamarić discusses one of Croatia's most interesting public sculptures, The Monument to Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović

Public Sculpture in Focus series:

The Monument to Gregory of Nin by Ivan Meštrović in Split by Josip (Joško) Belamarić

The ‘termite-like’ work of generations of Split residents transformed Diocletian’s Palace into a medieval town. Its central space, the Peristyle, became the main square. This space, once the sancta sanctorum of Diocletian’s Palace, is today experienced as a cohesive whole, and we are probably not fully aware of the extent to which everything we see is the result of a long series of stylistically diverse architectural interventions and changing functions. The mausoleum of the most fervent persecutor of Christians, by an irony of fate, became the medieval cathedral of the city that had nested within his palace. Above the harmonious ensemble of late antique buildings, from the mid-thirteenthth century onwards, a bell tower was constructed whose monumentality could correspond to a much larger city. In fact, there is no element of the later buildings in the Peristyle — apart from the original arcades—that has not undergone some alteration. The most significant transformation, however, occurred when sculptor Ivan Meštrović installed, on 29 September 1929, a monument to the medieval Croatian bishop Gregory of Nin. The colossal statue sparked enormous controversy, not only because of its size. It was intended to symbolize the triumph of Slavic culture over the Latin tradition, while simultaneously presenting a challenge to the layered historical and aesthetic space of the town. While many contested the statue’s location and monumentality, pointing out its inappropriateness in the sacred space of the Peristyle and suggesting alternative sites, others emphasized its artistic and aesthetic value and its symbolic relationship with the cathedral. Meštrović’s statue, inspired by the monumental sculptures of Egyptian pharaohs and classical masters, was integrated into the Peristyle’s conglomerate of styles, from pagan Rome to the Renaissance and Gothic architecture of Split, creating an unusual dialogue between past and present. After being removed during the Italian occupation in World War II and slated to be melted down into cannons, it was restored in1954, but in a more suitable location in front of the northern façade of Diocletian’s Palace. Over time, it became firmly established as one of the city’s symbols.

At the heart of the lecture will be the question of balancing a pre-existing, historically inherited monumental space with the creative freedom of contemporary artists, as well as a discussion of the ways in which a public monument can become a symbol of a city’s identity and a bridge between past and present.

Josip (Joško) Belamarić is head of the Institute of Art History in Split and is Professor at the Department of Art History, University of Split. Between 1991 and 2009 he served as the director of the Regional Conservation Institute of Dalmatia. He received his MA and PhD degrees from the University of Zagreb. He has published a number of books, studies and articles on the urban history of art, architecture and urbanism of early modern Dalmatia. He has directed conservation works in Dalmatia and also curated a number of exhibitions.
Recent honours include fellowships from Villa I Tatti (The Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies) where he was Robert Lehman Visiting Professor in the second Semester of 2015-2016; the Guest Scholar at the Getty Research Institute for six months from October 2017; the Guest Scholar at the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence in the spring semester of 2019. The most recent of his accolades came in 2023 when he received the Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to the preservation of Croatia’s cultural heritage. In 2005, the President of Italy honoured him with the knighthood of Commendatore

Image: Ivan Meštrovic (1883 – 1962), The Monument to Gregory of Nin, Split, 1929.