The baptismal font , dated to , is attributed to a follower of Andrea Pisano and is decorated with six marble bas-reliefs depicting drops of baptism. It is flanked by a candelabra and a pair of Gothic fonts attributed to a follower of Arnolfo di Cambio.
In front of the altar there is a grating that shows the basements, which are home to the ruins of the ancient Roman building with geometric mosaic floors. The ruins were discovered thanks to a series of excavations carried out at the beginning of the twentieth century.
The dome and the apse of the Baptistery of San Giovanni are decorated with impressive golden mosaics. The apse is decorated with images of Christ, the Virgin Mary, the apostles, prophets and angels, accompanied by images of leaves and plants.
Bottom section: A certain amount of variation because there are three entrances included. The middle section features three blind arches on each bay , each arch containing a window. Each window has alternate pointed and semicircular tympani. The north door consists of twenty quatrefoils panels with scenes from the Life of Christ, [plus eight panels from] the Four Evangelists and the Doctors of the Church.
Original dual use:. Such a large building was required because vast crowds attended the administration of baptism, which in those days took place only twice a year.
Tuscan Romanesque. Bronze doors style:. Bronze doors designers:. Baptistery History It was long believed that the Baptistry was originally a Roman temple dedicated to Mars, the tutelary god of ancient Florence.
The granite pilasters were probably taken from the Roman forum located at the present site of Piazza della Repubblica. The structure in Romanesque style was evidence of the growing economic and political importance of Florence. According to legend, the marbles were brought from Fiesole, conquered by Florence in Other marble came from ancient structures.
The construction was finished in when it was consecrated as the Baptistery of Florence and as such is the oldest religious monument in Florence. Up until the end of the 19th century, all catholics in Florence were baptized within its doors.
This is a clear reference to the rite of baptism. The sides, originally constructed in sandstone, are clad in geometrically patterned colored marble, white Carrara marble with green Prato marble inlay, reworked in Romanesque style between and The pilasters on each corner, originally in grey stone, were decorated with white and dark green marble in a zebra-like pattern by Arnolfo di Cambio in An octagonal lantern was added to the pavilion roof around Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, three bronze double doors were added, with bronze and marble statues placed above them [only the statues on the eastern entrance remain in ].
Bronze Doors History The powerful guild of Calimala Cloth-Merchants held the patronage of the Baptistery for centuries, and it was they who commissioned the magnificent gilded bronze doors, as well as many of the works of art inside. When you think about the Baptistery of St. John in Florence it's easy to remember Dante 's words in the Divine Comedy describing it as "my beautiful San Giovanni".
Located in Piazza del Duomo, right in front of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore , it is one of the most important monuments in Florence. Its origins are unknown although it is believed that it was built over the ruins of a Roman temple dedicated to Mars dating back to the 4th-5th century A.
It was first described in as a minor basilica. In , it was consacrated as the Baptistery of Florence and as such is the oldest religious monument in Florence. Up until the end of the 19th century, all catholics in Florence were baptized within its doors. Today, young children can still be baptized here on the first Sunday of the month, but as they only have space and time for 4, you have to make the request with ample time.
The Baptistery, dedicated to Florence's patron saint, has an octagonal plan and an octagonal lantern with a cupola. Outside it is clad in geometrically patterned colored marble, white Carrara marble and green Prato marble that is typical of Florentine Romanesque architecture. On three of the four sides there are three large doors famous for their decorations. The most important door has always been considered the eastern doors, the ones that lead to the Duomo. All of the doors have been originally located on the Eastern side before being moved.
The oldest pair of doors are the bronze doors presently found on the South side of the baptistery. Made by Andrea Pisano around , the doors consist of 28 quatrefoil panels depicting scenes from St. John's life. They have now been moved to the Museum Opera del Duomo for restoration April Cost was likely an aspect that the pragmatic baptistery committee would certainly take into consideration, so perhaps there is some truth to this theory!
All the other panels admitted for the competition ended up being melted down and the metal re-used, whereas Brunelleschi's panel was sent back to him intact , too beautiful to be destroyed. These two original bronze panels of Abraham about to slay his son Isaac by Ghiberti and Brunelleschi can be seen today at the Bargello Museum. This second set of doors follow a similar structure to Pisano's doors: 28 bronze quatrefoil panels depicting episodes from the bible. Ghiberti's doors recount the life of Christ with events from the New Testament in 20 panels and 8 panels at the bottom dedicated to evangelists and fathers of the church.
These doors to the Florence baptistery which you pass through to enter the building took Ghiberti 21 years to make. So admired was the finished product that when the Cloth Guild decided to have a third set of doors commissioned no competition was held, and the job was immediately given to Ghiberti who would go on to create the famous 'Gates of Paradise'. It's said that it was Michelangelo who gave Ghiberti's second set of doors their name , 'the Gates of Paradise'.
Supposedly, upon seeing the finished work, Michelangelo exclaimed, 'these doors are so spectacular they could be the gates of paradise! But one thing can be said for sure about Ghiberti's masterpiece: the 'Gates of Paradise' are considered the first major work of the Florentine renaissance. Made between and - a 27 year project - the doors tell the story of the Old Testament. To carry out his vision for the Florence baptistery Ghiberti set up a workshop of master sculptors and bronzesmiths, including renaissance greats the likes of Donatello , Michelozzo , and Paolo Uccello.
In the 'Gates of Paradise' Ghiberti made a major change from the previous 2 sets of bronze doors: he recounted his story in only 10 panels , rather than 28, telling more than one episode in each panel.
Ghiberti was able to do this by giving depth and 3 dimensions to the reliefs so that each episode within the same panel could be set apart and distinguished from the others. Ghiberti broke away from that and placed his sculptures in an open space with greater perspective , creating a foreground, background and distances in between. For example, 'Adam and Eve ' above shows three stories: the creation of Adam and Eve, original sin and expulsion from paradise.
Similarly, the panel about ' David ' not only tells of the boy's battle and triumph but also his victorious celebration afterwards. The sculptures of ' Jacob and Esau ' is a good example to point out the renaissance features of Ghiberti's work below. Note the classical Roman columns in the background and the floor tiles in the foreground which bring the viewers eyes in towards the main image.
The frame around the doors are equally elaborate filled with figures and small busts of prophets, sibyls and biblical figures. Among these however is a self-portrait of Ghiberti , practically and conveniently! You should have no trouble spotting this small bust of a bald man with a very serene look on his face.
Ghiberti died a few years after his famous doors were installed, having said that he considered this work for the Florence baptistery his life's greatest achievement. Ever since they were unveiled in Ghiberti's doors have been seen as masterpieces to be fiercely protected. They got their first 'cleaning' as early as , during WWII they were removed and hidden for safe keeping and, after the flood of which caused damage to the lower panels, they were removed and replaced by reproductions.
Anyone coming to Florence today is fortunate because the original 'Gates of Paradise' are back on display at the Florence Cathedral Museum after a 27 year restoration process.
There are Byzantine mosaics, Roman sarcophagi, and Romanesque arched windows, as well as funeral monuments to a member of the Medici family and an Antipope from the 's.
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