In Memory of Tomislav Marasović (September 15, 1929 – October 16, 2024)

Abstract

The monumental life work of the university professor, conservator, and art historian Tomislav Marasović can be considered in three major research areas. The first is the study of early medieval architecture in Dalmatia; the second, the complex transformation of Diocletian’s Palace into the urban core of Split; and the third, the theory and history of the protection of immovable cultural heritage in Croatia and Europe. From the 1960s to the 1980s, the Marasović brothers were pioneers in applying a theoretically grounded method of active conservation of architectural heritage in Split, Croatia, and Yugoslavia. In 1975, T. Marasović conceived, co-founded, and directed the innovative Postgraduate Programme in Architectural Heritage in Split, unique in this region. Closely connected to this academic programme was the publication of his books Protection of Architectural Heritage (1983) and Active Approach to Architectural Heritage (1985), which became standard university textbooks. The Marasović brothers thus contributed to the international recognition of Croatian cultural heritage, especially when architect J. Jokilehto presented in detail their theoretical positions, research results, and intervention method on examples from Diocletian’s Palace in Split in his capital work A History of Architectural Conservation (1999).