Vienna Archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, Split-Makarska Archbishop Marin Barisic and other bishops conducted Mass in front of the city's Church of St. Francis.
In his sermon, which was mostly dedicated to the late Pope John Paul II and to the new pope, Cardinal Schoenborn also spoke about the project Europe, which he said was still not completed.
The project Europe is still under construction and what is important now is whether Christians will arrange the construction works or leave them up to others, he said.
The question is whether Christians will give Europe the spirit and strength of Christian roots, he added.
Christians in the Roman Empire succeeded in doing so although they were not in the majority. They were persecuted and killed, and one example is St. Domnius and his followers, Schoenborn said.
The mausoleum of the Split cathedral, the seat of the persecutor of Christians Diocletian, contains the relics of both the persecutor and his victim, Schoenborn said, adding that he was moved to see that residents of Split today celebrated the anniversary of the city that was established in Diocletian's times and the Day of St. Domnius simultaneously.
The celebration of St. Domnius' Day and the 1700th anniversary of Split will continue with numerous festivities.