Grgur Ninski Statue, Dalmatia, Croatia

4starlightShanghai 5:00 PM Dec 25, 2021

A rebel with a cause!
This colossal statue honours the 10th-century Croatian bishop, Grgur of Nin, who opposed the pope and introduced the Croatian language into religious services. Seems to me to have been a pretty reasonable course of action, given that majority of the population did not understand the services given in Latin. In fact, even in my own day, as a little kid, I remember sitting through seemingly endless masses, all given in Latin, and wondering if I was really supposed to understand what was being said and/or chanted. Sadly, Greg’s efforts went unappreciated by Rome, and he was effectively relegated thereafter to a subordinate position. The statue itself was created by Croatian sculptor Ivan Meštrović and presents a very melodramatic pose - almost akin to casting out the devil within! It’s an unusual statue and well worth seeing. It’s about a 2-minute walk north of the Peristil and just through the Golden Gate.

4Stewart C 5:00 PM Jul 18, 2022

Popular draw with tourist to the city all of whom want to stroke the toe.
We visited the statue of Grgur Ninski in Split whilst on a one day stop in the city on a Tuesday in June. Arriving on a cruise ship, we had opted to explore the port on our own as we had previously visited here about three years ago. The striking statue is located close by the Golden Gate of the Palace of Diocletian and towers over the small square. The statue commemorates a medieval Croatian bishop and rubbing his left, big toe is said to bring good luck and indeed this toe is noticeably very shiny and worn smooth by visitors. If you wish to get a clear picture of the statue you will have to be patient as it is a popular draw with tourist to the city all of whom want to stroke the toe.