St. John's Baptistry
St. John's Baptistry
art site
Piazza San Giovanni, 50129 Firenze, Italia
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The baptistry that is dedicated to John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence housed the city's baptismal font that was dismantled in the XVI century. It is octagonal in shape and is dressed with polychrome marble (prior to 1100) and surmounted by a pyramidal roof with the lantern (XII century). The floor is Romanesque marble inlay and the original dome is decorated with grandiose mosaics (XIII century) dominated by the figure of Christ the Judge. The mosaics were done by Coppo di Marcovaldo, Cimabue and others. The bronze doors to the baptistry are famous throughout the world; the oldest, facing south was made by Andrea Pisano (1330-36), while the north and east doors, 1404-24 and 1425-52 respectively, are by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Michelangelo considered the east door, the one facing the cathedral, so beautiful that he dubbed it the "Door of Paradise" (Ghiberti's original panels are in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo)
art site
Piazza San Giovanni, 50129 Firenze, Italia
Show on map
The baptistry that is dedicated to John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence housed the city's baptismal font that was dismantled in the XVI century. It is octagonal in shape and is dressed with polychrome marble (prior to 1100) and surmounted by a pyramidal roof with the lantern (XII century). The floor is Romanesque marble inlay and the original dome is decorated with grandiose mosaics (XIII century) dominated by the figure of Christ the Judge. The mosaics were done by Coppo di Marcovaldo, Cimabue and others. The bronze doors to the baptistry are famous throughout the world; the oldest, facing south was made by Andrea Pisano (1330-36), while the north and east doors, 1404-24 and 1425-52 respectively, are by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Michelangelo considered the east door, the one facing the cathedral, so beautiful that he dubbed it the "Door of Paradise" (Ghiberti's original panels are in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo)