Grgur Ninski Statue
Grgur Ninski Statue
4
Historic SitesAncient RuinsMonuments & Statues
About
Roman colony: Colonia Martia Julia Salonae.
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Plan your visit
The area
Address
Reach out directly
See what travellers are saying
  • Aidan R
    58 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A Symbolic Stop in Split’s Heart
    The Grgur Ninski Statue in Split is an iconic historic site that stands as a symbol of local identity and tradition. The impressive bronze statue of Bishop Gregory of Nin is a striking sight, and rubbing his toe for good luck is a fun tradition that many visitors partake in. While the statue itself is noteworthy and the surrounding square is lively, I found the experience somewhat brief. A bit more historical context or interpretive information would have enriched the visit. Nevertheless, it's a unique and culturally significant spot in Split that's worth a visit, and it's conveniently located near other attractions in the city center.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 October 2023
  • tinaNtravel
    San Jose, California2,019 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Large, interesting statue - worth a pic
    This is a large iconic bronze statue outside the Golden Gate where a number of the walking tours start. It is also a nice place to walk around with a park and a small waterfall in the wall where you can kneel down on one side and your friends/family on the other and take a few pictures through the waterfall. The statue and surrounding area are worth a quick visit.
    Visited October 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 16 January 2024
  • 301lisa33
    Coventry, United Kingdom2,012 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    Unusual in style
    This statue is huge at 7m and is quite unusual in style - it could represent a character from say Lord of the Rings. It is just possible to see where it was cut into 4 pieces to hide during the recent war. It has become 'the thing to do' to rub his toe - which is high glass as a result. It is located just to the north of the Palace by its walls
    Visited May 2024
    Travelled with friends
    Written 7 June 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles1,112 reviews
Excellent
352
Very good
483
Average
254
Poor
17
Terrible
6

TOMOSUMIC
Trogir, Croatia816 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023
The whole of Split is in a winter dream.
I like to walk around Split at this time of the year, because there are no tourists and everything is somewhat calm. Today there was a girl in front of the monument and she played some beautiful old Dalmatian songs.
This was my first stop and my first photos. now I'm going to the center of Diocletian's palace.
Written 5 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Stewart C
Chatham, UK1,110 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2022
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.
Written 19 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CatharineB
Ottawa, Canada1,641 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023 • Couples
Just outside the Golden Gate one can find another one of Meštrović’s work (they are all over the city and a visit to his museum is worthwhile).

At 8.5 meters high, this bronze mammoth use to stand in the Peristyle before it was moved during WWII when the Italian occupiers attempted to cleanse the centre of Split of anything resembling a Croatian national symbol.

The gigantic statue of the 10th century Bishop Grgur Ninski was completed in 1929 to mark the thousandth anniversary of the Synod of Split, at which Grgur (Gregory), Bishop of Nin, fought for the right to use Croatian in the liturgy instead of Latin.

The church remained adamant that all services must be delivered in Latin, even at a time when many priests did not speak or understand the language.

Gregory became an important figure for Croatians and is now regarded as a historical defender of Croatian culture, language, and statehood.

Gregory is deep bronze in color, apart from one of his big toes, which has turned golden by decades of constant rubbing. Croatians are taught from an early age that rubbing Gregory’s big toe will grant them their wish, and he has been credited with births, weddings, and riches. Each day hundreds of people stop to rub the toe, before venturing through the Golden Gate into the walled enclosure of the city.
Written 26 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

trvldawn
Cherry Hill, NJ126 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022 • Family
Unexpected surprise. Touched the toe for good luck. The statue is huge. Fun thing to see. As a Roman Catholic, I applaud the Bishop’s stand on bringing the mass to his people in their native language…..a man way ahead of his time.
Written 7 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sean W
London, UK823 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Sept 2022 • Couples
The statue of Gregory of Nin (Grgur Ninski) next to the Diocletian's Palace Golden Gate. This enormous Mestrovic' statue is supposed to bring luck to those who rub its toe. Some say ten years other say twenty years but either way its a lot of luck.
Written 25 September 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Big_Jeff_Leo
St Helens, UK22,620 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2022
Sculpted by Ivan Meštrović, this gargantuan statue is one of the defining images of Split. Its subject, a 10th-century Croatian bishop, fought for the right to use old Croatian in liturgical services instead of Latin. Notice that his left big toe has been polished to a shine – it’s said that rubbing the toe brings good luck.
Written 15 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Sunilein
Hamburg, Germany28 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2022 • Friends
I rubbed it. I rubbed it hard!
The statue is a wonderful piece of art and the surroundings is a great place to soak up the historic scene and vibe of Split. It's definitely worth visiting. Give the toe a big rub and let it do its magic. :)
Written 16 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jbg74
Saint Paul, MN1,099 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2021
This is a cool statue right outside the gold gate of Diocletian's Palace. It looks like a wizard casting a spell. The sculptor is by a famous Croatian artist - Ivan Meštrović. This bishop introduced the Croatian language into Catholic worship services and promoted the Croatian language.
Written 10 June 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Aidan R
58 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
The Grgur Ninski Statue in Split is an iconic historic site that stands as a symbol of local identity and tradition. The impressive bronze statue of Bishop Gregory of Nin is a striking sight, and rubbing his toe for good luck is a fun tradition that many visitors partake in. While the statue itself is noteworthy and the surrounding square is lively, I found the experience somewhat brief. A bit more historical context or interpretive information would have enriched the visit. Nevertheless, it's a unique and culturally significant spot in Split that's worth a visit, and it's conveniently located near other attractions in the city center.
Written 7 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

macedonboy
Glasgow, UK186,708 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
May 2023
This monument is a tribute to Gregory of Nin, a mediaeval bishop of Nin who introduced the Croatian language into church services. The monument is a larger than life statue of Gregory of Nin. The sculpture is monumental and does feel inspiring, with the bishop standing in a pose suggestive of victory.
Written 29 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Showing results 1-10 of 599
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

Grgur Ninski Statue, Split

All Split HotelsSplit Hotel DealsLast Minute Hotels in Split
All things to do in Split
Day Trips in Split
RestaurantsFlightsHoliday RentalsTravel StoriesCruisesCar Hire