The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Split-Makarska is a Metropolitan archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in Croatia and Montenegro. The diocese was established in the 3rd century AD and was made an archdiocese and metropolitan see in the 10th century. The modern diocese was erected in 1828, when the historical archdiocese of Salona was combined with the Diocese of Makarska. It was elevated as an archdiocese and metropolitan see in 1969, restoring the earlier status of the archdiocese of Split, as it is also known. The diocese was also known as Spalato-Macarsca. The current archbishop is Marin Barišić.
History
The see was founded in or before 300 AD as Diocese of Salona. Eastern Roman Emperor Leo I appointed Glycerius as Bishop of Salona in 474, Glycerius had earlier served as Western Roman Emperor but was deposed by Julius Nepos. Around 500 AD it was promoted to a Metropolitan archdiocese. The Archbishopric of Spalathon or Spalatum was a Christian archbishopric with seat in Salona, Dalmatia in the early Middle Ages. It recognized the supremacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople rather than the Roman Pope. In 590 the Salona archdiocese gained territory from the suppressed Roman Catholic Diocese of Makarska. Salona was ravaged by the South Slavs in 614, but in its place, Spalatum subsequently emerged. In 639 the city was razed by the Slavs, and in 647 the city was rebuilt. In 647 the city of Spalato began to arise from the ruins of Salona, and after an interregnum of eleven years its archbishops took over the territory of the archbishops of Salona. In 639 Salona was destroyed by the Slavs. During the rule of Vladislav of Croatia, all of Croatia except the Archdiocese of Nin became subject to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, under the jurisdiction of the Archbishopric of Spalatum. It lost territory in 1144 to establish the Diocese of Hvar. It lost territory again in 1344 to re-establish the Roman Catholic Diocese of Makarska, in 1400 it regained that territory from the re-suppressed the Diocese of Makarska, but again lost territory in 1615 to re-re-establish the Diocese of Makarska. With the death of Archbishop Laelius Cippico began another interregnum which lasted twenty-three years. By papal bullLocum Beati Petri the Church inDalmatia was reorganized in 1828, Makarska united with Split, and the latter demoted as a simple bishopric of Split-Makarska, made subject to the Archdiocese of Zara. Paul Miossich was appointed first bishop of the new diocese in 1830. It also absorbed the suppressed Tragurium. On 27 July 1969, it was promoted again as Metropolitan Archdiocese It enjoyed a papal visit from Pope John Paul II in October 1998.
Hesychius III is mentioned in the twentieth book of St.Augustine of Hippo's
De Civitate Dei
Glycerius, 474
an epistle from Pope Gelasius I is addressed to bishop Honorius.
; Metropolitan Archbishops of Salona Archbishop Honorius III conducted a synod in 530; Natalis at a Council in 590, unjustly deposed his archdeacon Honoratus, but pope Gregory the Great took the latter's part.
Natalis, 582
Maximus the Schismatic
John of Ravenna †
Petar II †
Martin I †
Leone †
Petar III †
Justin †
Marino †
Teodozije †
Petar IV †
Ivan II †
Januarije II †
Frontinijan III †
Martin II †
Pavao †
Martin III †
Dobralj †
Ivan III †
Lawrence, Archbishop of Split †
Crescenzio †
Manasse †
Sede vacante
Grgur †
Gaudio †
Absalom †
Petar V †
Albert de Morra †
Gerardo †
Out of the long series of its seventy-nine archbishops may be mentioned St. Rayner, and the unfortunate Marcus Antonius de Dominis, who was deprived of his office after having filled it for fourteen years and died an apostate at Rome in 1624; Thomas, who resigned his office voluntarily, is the author of a history of the bishops of Salona and Spalato.
