New Finds in the Propugnaculum of the Western Gate of Diocletian’s Palace in Split

U radu autorica donosi pregled ulomaka koji su pronađeni zazidani u niši na sjevernom unutrašnjem zidu propugnakula zapadnih vrata Dioklecijanove palače u Splitu. Pronađene ulomke moguće je sadržajno i kontekstualno povezati s nišom, na temelju čega se daje prijedlog pretpostavljenog izvornog izgleda niše i skulpturalne dekoracije koja ju je krasila. Nova interpretacija skulpturalne dekoracije prilog je u definiranju funkcije propugnakula zapadnih vrata Dioklecijanove palače u novom vijeku.Since 2013, as part of its regular activities, Hrvatski restauratorski zavod has conducted investigative, documentary and conservation-restoration operations at the architectural complex of the western gate of Diocletian’s Palace and the Church of Our Lady of the Bell Tower. The objective has been by minimal and controlled interventions to improve the state of affairs in the exceptionally much frequented zone of the old city centre and at the same time to revitalise the whole western gate complex. Architectural drawings were made in the 2013 to 2018 period, the documentation of the whole complex was supplemented, the dilapidated roof of the Church of Our Lady of the Bell Tower was replaced, preventive operations on the medieval fresco on the outer façade of the church were conducted, the inventory of the church was reviewed and the niche on the northern wall of the propugnaculum or defensive court was reconstructed and presented. All these operations produced a lot of information about the historical development of the western gate and the city of Split and contributed to a deeper understanding. The paper describes the results of research into and conservation-restoration operations on the northern wall of the propugnaculum. During 2016, only the non-Antique stratum of the propugnaculum was considered, that is, the wall niche that consists of several kinds of stone elements (spolia) and that was in the past walled up. The planned works necessarily entailed the removal of the fill from the interior of the niche, the cleaning of the surface of the stone of the layer of grime and vegetation, the removal of the old joints and the making of new ones alongside perhaps the supplementation and consolidation of zones of instability. While the fill was being removed, in the building material stratum, more than 350 different fragments were found, including more than 230 finely moulded fragments that were once parts of the architectural decoration, stone sculpture and wall painting. Also found among the fragments were five potsherds, one fragment of glass, two bricks, an iron clamp and a large stone bracket. When the fragments were systematized it was established that almost all the fragments had been an integral part of the wall niche, that is, parts of the decoration of the framework and the sculptural decoration that embellished it. There were forearms that held a crown over a sculpture of an unknown saint, perhaps the Virgin. The paper discusses the problem of the systematised fragments, on which were based conclusions concerning the original appearance and function of the niche in the wall