Baptisteries
Below is an illustrated index of the 8 Baptisteries profiled on Sacred Destinations so far. For photo credits, please see corresponding articles.
Poitiers, Poitou-Charentes, FrancePoitiers 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.
Aix-en-Provence, Provence, FranceThe 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.
Rome, Lazio, ItalyAlso known as the Lateran Baptistery, this octagonal structure is the oldest baptistery in the world, built by Constantine in 315 AD.
Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, ItalyThis 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.
Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, ItalyThe Baptistery of the Orthodox dates from the 5th century and has even more beautiful mosaics than its Arian counterpart.
Pisa, Tuscany, ItalyBegun 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.
Milan, Lombardy, ItalyBeneath Milan's Duomo lie the ruins of former cathedrals and a 4th-century baptistery, where St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, baptized St. Augustine.
Florence, Tuscany, ItalyBuilt 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.
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