The Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence
Legend proclaims that it is physically impossible, upon entering the Baptistery of San Giovanni, not to look up.
– Inferno, Dan Brown
The Baptistery of San Giovanni is the oldest religious building in Florence, Italy, located right in front of the famous Duomo di Firenze. It’s dedicated to the patron saint of the city, St John the Baptist and hence it’s also known as Baptistery of St John. The great Italian poet Dante and many other important figures were baptized here. The exterior and interior beauty of this octagonal building will leave you in awe!
Exteriors of Baptistery of San Giovanni
The present day Baptistery was built around 11th century over ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars. It’s in the shape of an octagon since 8 is a very important number in the Bible as it represents resurrection. The main highlight of the exterior is the doors on the South, North and East side. The door on the South side are the oldest ones, made by Andrea Pisano and consists of 28 panels depicting the life of St John the Baptist.
The North gates were built by Lorenzo Ghiberti, who won a competition to win the commission to create the doors. It took Lorenzo 21 years to complete the doors. The doors on the East side (which face the Duomo) are the most beautiful ones. They too are created by Lorenzo Ghiberti and it took him 27 years to complete them! Michelangelo called them the ‘Gates of Paradise’; straight after baptism one would walk through these gates into the Duomo. The doors consist of 10 panels which depicts various stories from the Old Testament. The doors are substitutes while the original ones are displayed at Museo dell’Opera del Duomo
On top of the East doors is a statue of Jesus Christ getting baptized.
Interiors of Baptistery of San Giovanni
The mosaics inside the Baptistery are inspired by those of San Marco Basilica in Venice. Various stories are depicted in the mosaics; stories from genesis, stories of Joseph, stories of St John the Baptist. But none is depicted more strongly than the Judgement Day. Christ the Judge sits in the centre and segregates the souls, with his right palm pointing upwards towards Heaven and his left palm pointing downwards towards Hell. The depiction of Hell showcases Satan eating a man and snakes emerging from his ears to attack the sinners.
Tickets and Timetable for the Baptistery
The Baptistery is part of all the main attractions on Piazza del Duomo i.e. Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiora, Brunelleschi’s Dome, Giotto’s Bell Tower and the Museo dell ‘Opera del Duomo. And since all of them are a must visit, it’s highly recommended to buy an OPA Pass for 18€ which grants you entry for all of them. The pass is valid for 72 hours which gives you enough time to visit all the attractions. For individual prices for each attraction you can visit this website. The book the tickets and make reservations visit here. The latest information on timetable and opening hours is available here.