Sustipan is a little peninsula that closes off the port of Split from the west, directly past the ACI Marina. This little green haven dotted with pine trees is nestled on a cliff face directly on the edge of the Adriatic. It is a sanctuary for Split’s citizens to sit in the sun on a bench and look across to the Dalmatian islands before a sundowner walk in the park. Sustipan carries quite a historical significance; today a park, once a cemetery and refuge of the last Croatian king.
On Sustipan you will find the medieval Benedictine monastery of St. Stephen Under the Pines built in 1068. It is said that the last Croatian king lived in the monastery during the 11th century when he was secluded there. The peninsula is named after the monastery “San Stephanus de Pinis,” or in Croatian “Sv. Stipan pod borovima,” in short, Sustipan. Today you will see the remains of the original structure however, a small 18th century is today present on the site bearing the same name. Archeological excavations also revealed Roman sarcophagi and remains of a three-naved basilica.
A Neo-classical pavilion marks Sustipan with a cupola known as Glorijet, which was designed by local architect Vicko Andrić and erected in 1825, as part of a municipal project to develop Sustipan a public graveyard.
Sustipan remained one of the Mediterranean’s most beautiful gravesites until it was destroyed in WWII, where after the tombs were shifted to an alternate located to the east of town called Lovrinac. Legend says that citizens stole fragments of tombstones to use as building materials for their homes however, in return they were cursed for life as stole from a holy source.
Sustipan peninsula is a gated area and is open during the day only. It is a popular place for locals and tourists alike providing a quiet escape from the city however, daredevils come to Sustipan to jump into the sea from the high cliffs or for a little adventurous rock climbing.
