Baptisteries

Below is an illustrated index of the 8 Baptisteries profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.

Aix Cathedral
Aix-en-Provence, France
The Cathédrale St-Sauveur in Aix was built from the 5th century to the 15th century. Its many highlights include an ancient baptistery, a fine cloister, and Nicolas Fromen's Burning Bush Triptych.
Florence Baptistery
Florence, Italy
Built in the 4th or 5th century, the baptistery is one of Florence's oldest buildings. It is covered inside and out with splendid medieval and Renaissance decoration.
Milan Baptistery
Milan, Italy
Beneath Milan's Duomo lie the ruins of former cathedrals and a 4th-century baptistery, where St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, baptized St. Augustine.
Pisa Baptistery
Pisa, Italy
Begun in 1153 in a Romanesque style and completed in the 1300s in the Gothic style, the Battistero di San Giovanni is the largest in Italy. Among its notable furnishings are a large central font and a Pisano pulpit.
Baptistère Saint-Jean
Poitiers, France
Poitiers Baptistery was built around 360 AD, making it the oldest church in France. It was expanded in the 6th century, decorated with frescoes in the 12th century, and is now a museum.
Arian Baptistery
Ravenna, Italy
This baptistery was built at the end of the 5th century, when the Arian Visigoths ruled Italy. The dome mosaic shows the baptism of Christ with a personification of the River Jordan.
Neonian Baptistery
Ravenna, Italy
The Baptistery of the Orthodox dates from the 5th century and has even more beautiful mosaics than its Arian counterpart.
San Giovanni in Fonte (Lateran Baptistery)
Rome, Italy
Also known as the Lateran Baptistery, this octagonal structure is the oldest baptistery in the world, built by Constantine in 315 AD.