Baptistery of San Giovanni Florence

The Baptistery of San Giovanni, located in the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, is one of the city’s oldest and most influential churches. It was consecrated in 1059, but its exact foundation date has yet to be discovered.

The baptistery is octagonal and is clad in white marble from Carrara and green marble from Prato. In the Middle Ages, it was considered a pagan temple that had been converted into a Christian place of worship, as some architectural elements, such as the columns inside, came from Roman buildings in Florence.

The baptistery has a diameter of 25.60 meters and is covered by an eight-sided dome topped with a flattened pyramidal roof. Its shape, with its internal walkway, refers to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, which the Crusaders saw in the Holy Land and then replicated at home.

The interior is heavily inspired by the decoration of Roman buildings, such as the Pantheon, with its polychrome marble inlays. The middle band contains the matronea, while the lower band is punctuated by columns of cipollino marble and granite with gilded capitals.

At the center, there was once a baptismal font. The flooring is worth a closer look: it is decorated with geometric motifs and zoomorphic and plant motifs inspired by the exotic fabrics that came from the East at that time. These decorations may have been made by the same craftsmen who were involved in the decorations of San Miniato al Monte in the early 13th century. It is a true masterpiece that bears the elegant marks of time that has passed since its Creation.

Baptistery of San Giovanni – The eight sides

Have you ever wondered why baptisteries, like the Baptistery of San Giovanni, often have eight sides? Nothing is accidental. The eighth side represents the eighth day after Creation, as it is written in Genesis, the one after the Creator’s rest. Symbolically, the eighth day is seen as the new beginning of the world that happens with the Resurrection of Christ, anticipating eternity that awaits us.

Doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni Florence

The doors of the Baptistery of San Giovanni that you see are copies of the originals, which have been carefully restored and transferred to the Great Museum of the Duomo. However, I will tell you in brief the history of the originals.

The South Door depicts scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist and is the oldest of the three. It was made between 1330 and 1336 by the master of the doors, Andrea Pisano. The bronze and gold door weighs eight tons, and thanks to the recent restoration, gildings that were no longer visible have come to light.

The North Door was designed and executed by Ghiberti and, like Pisano’s door, is divided into 28 panels. The 20 panels positioned in the upper part tell stories from the New Testament, while the four Evangelists and the four Doctors of the Church are depicted further down.

The door called Paradise or East Door is the most famous and was designed by Ghiberti. It is divided into ten large rectangular panels arranged in five rows, each decorated with roundels with the heads of the prophets. All the panels tell scenes taken from the Old Testament.

Baptistery of San Giovanni – The mosaics

The oldest mosaics that can be admired inside the baptistery are those on the vault of the apse. They were made by the Franciscan friar Jacopo beginning in 1225. In the center is the Lamb of God flanked by the Madonna and the Apostles and Prophets, while on the sides, we can see the Madonna and Child on the Throne and Saint John the Baptist on the Throne.

The dome’s covering was carried out starting from around 1270 and is divided into eight sections—the mosaic on a golden background required years of work before it was completed. Venetian artisans were likely employed and supported by local ones. Coppo di Marcovaldo created the cartoons of hell, while the first Stories of the Baptist were attributed to Cimabue and the Master of the Magdalene. As for the depiction of Paradise, Meliore may have created the cartoons.