Baptistery (battistero) di san Gaiovanni in Corte Pistoia - Tuscany

That church was apparently strongly connected with the Longobardian administration in Pistoia, hence the connection with the 'court' (Corte). After his death in 1153, the later canonized bishop Atto was buried in the San Giovanni in Corte, but in 1337 his body was transferred to the cathedral opposite. Around that time, the construction of the baptistery on the site of the old church or chapel must have already been in full swing.

The construction of the baptistery started in 1301 or 1303. The baptistery is about forty meters high and has a pyramid-shaped roof, which can be seen especially from the bell tower of the Duomo. On top is an octagonal lantern. The Baptistery resembles the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence, although it is considerably younger and was built in Gothic rather than Romanesque style. The exterior of the building is completely clad in bands of white and green marble. Next to the main entrance we see another external pulpit that was used to address crowds in Piazza del Duomo.

The baptistery has a beautifully carved portal around the main entrance. It starts out wide and gradually narrows inwards. The capitals have very detailed sculptures and in the lunette above the main entrance we see statues of the Madonna and Child, John the Baptist (left) and Peter (right).

Below the statues we see four reliefs with scenes from the life of John the Baptist, including the dance of Salomé, the stepdaughter of Herod Antipas. At her request (and that of her mother Herodias) Herod has John the Baptist beheaded by a guard. “He brought in the head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother,” Mark 6:28 (NKJV). This scene and the subsequent burial of John can also be seen on the reliefs.

The inside of the baptistery is barely decorated. The baptismal font is particularly beautiful. It is a baptismal pool in which people were baptized by immersion. It is square on the outside and round on the inside

Willem Vandenameele