Location: Archaeological Museum in Split (Zrinsko-Frankopanska 25)

Date: December 9, 2025 – March 1st, 2026

In the year when we celebrate 1,100 years of the Croatian Kingdom and simultaneously 1,100 years since the Church Councils of Split, the Archaeological Museum in Split is announcing the exhibition “Ecclesia et Regnum – The Church Councils of Split in 925 and 928”, which brings together the most valuable archaeological, sacred, and archival heritage from the area of the Salona-Split metropolis, spanning from Late Antiquity to the early 12th century.

The Church Councils, held in the Cathedral of Split in 925 and 928, were a turning point in the development of both ecclesiastical organization and medieval Croatian statehood. It was precisely in 925 that Pope John X sent a letter in which the Croatian ruler Tomislav is mentioned for the first time as King of the Croats. It is also important to note that by the decisions of these councils, Split became the spiritual center and metropolis of the then kingdom, as well as the place where Church and Kingdom met – Ecclesia et Regnum.

The exhibition “Ecclesia et Regnum – The Church Councils of Split in 925 and 928” is not only an exhibition about the past. It is a story about the roots of religious and cultural identity, and through a combination of archaeology, science, art, and contemporary museology, it brings history back to the place from which it originated – Split, the city where crucial decisions were made 1,100 years ago.

The exhibition brings together more than 250 exceptional monuments and representations of cultural-historical heritage from over 30 institutions across Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, ranging from church treasuries and museums to archives and scientific institutions. For the first time, epigraphic inscriptions, liturgical objects, manuscripts, reliquaries, and architectural fragments that testify to the Early Middle Ages are presented together in a single venue.

Highlights include:

• The sarcophagus of Archbishop Ivan and the letter of Pope John X, in which Croatian ruler Tomislav is mentioned for the first time as King of the Croats.
• Trpimir’s inscription and charter – the oldest mention of a Croatian ruler in Latin script.
• The earliest depictions of the Virgin Mary and crucifixes from the Bishopric near Knin.
• The Baška tablet, the Plomin relief, and the Krk inscription – the most famous Glagolitic monuments.
• Stone fragments with checkerboard motifs from the Coronation Church of St. Peter and Moses, the so-called Hollow Church in Solin.
• Numerous stone fragments with exceptional depictions of various types of interlace patterns, as well as plant and animal ornaments, characteristic of this important period in Croatian history.
• A range of archival documents that testify to key historical moments, and much more.

An important part of the project is the collaboration between the Archaeological Museum in Split and the Treasury of the Cathedral of Split, which provides visitors with a unique experience – in addition to the exhibition at the Museum, they can also visit the Cathedral itself, with its baptistery and treasury.

More information: https://www.armus.hr