The huge bronze statue of Gregory of Nin — Bishop of the Croatian church in the 10th century — stands just outside Diocletian's Palace at the Golden Gate, the main northern entrance. Gregory famously advocated for the use of the Croatian language in the liturgy rather than Latin, making him a symbol of Croatian cultural and linguistic identity.
The statue was made by Croatia's most celebrated sculptor, Ivan Meštrović, in 1929. It is unmissable — over 8 metres tall, with the bishop in full ecclesiastical robes raising one hand. It is now the most photographed statue in Split and a standard stop on any walking tour of the old town. The Golden Gate immediately behind it, the best-preserved of the palace's four main entrances, is worth examining in its own right.