Baptistery Battistero Di San Giovanni - Pisa

The Baptistery or (in Italian) Battistero (baptistery) is one of the buildings in Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa.

The Baptistery, dedicated to John the Baptist, is opposite the western end of the Cathedral. The round building was started in the middle of the 12th century: 1153 Mense August fundata fuit haec ("In the month of August 1153 this building was founded"). It was built in the Romanesque style by an architect known as Diotisalvi, but was not finished until the 14th century, when the Gothic-style loggia, upper floor and dome were added by Nicola Pisano and Giovanni Pisano. With a circumference of 107.25 meters and a height of 54.86 meters it is the largest baptistery in Italy.

The portal, opposite the facade of the Duomo, is flanked by two classical columns, and the inner door jamb is made in Byzantine style. The upper style consists of two parts: the lower one depicts different episodes from the life of John the Baptist, the upper one shows Christ between the Madonna and John the Baptist, flanked by angels and the evangelists.

The size of the interior is overwhelming, but surprisingly simple with almost no decoration. It has striking acoustics.

The octagonal baptismal font in the center dates from 1246 and was created by Guido Bigarelli da Como. The bronze statue of John the Baptist in the center of the font is by Italo Griselli.

The pulpit was built between 1255-1260 by Nicola Pisano, the father of Giovanni Pisano, who made the baptismal font in the Duomo. The scenes in the pulpit, especially the naked Hercules, show Pisano's quality as a sculptor.

Willem Vandenameele