Located just outside the front doors of the Florence Duomo, is a weathered old building, octagonal in shape and Romanesque in design that beckons tourists to come and discover its rich history and inner beauty. Literally a diamond in the rough, upon closer inspection, you'll discover bronze doorways that glisten in the Florentine sunshine and contained within its eight walls, the brilliance of gold shimmering down from the heavens! But what is this place? It is the Baptistery of St. John or the Battistero di San Giovanni and it has stood upon this ground for over 1000 years!Lesser known for its rich history that dates back to the 4th and 5th centuries, the building we see today was consecrated in 1059 as a temple for Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Before that, a structure built in the 9th century stood here to honor Mars, the god of war. War and Peace…And even before that, there is evidence of earlier baptisteries dating back to the 4th century. How incredible is that? Also, at the time of consecration, a Roman cemetery actually surrounded the Baptistery filled with sarcophagi used by the prominent Florentine families. And, upon the exterior walls, there are granite pilasters that are believed to be from the Roman Forum in Florence that stood in the area known today as the Piazza della Republicca.
Ah, but it is the "Gates of Paradise" that adorn the doors on the eastern wall facing the Duomo, that make the Baptistery an attraction unto itself and the reason that tourists swarm this particular side. Named by Michelangelo because of their sheer magnificence and brilliance, the Gates of Paradise were completed in 1452 by Lorenzo Ghiberti. They were the result of a contest for a commission in which Ghiberti competed against Brunelleschi, the renowned architect who designed the dome structure for the Duomo. The panels, ten in all, represent scenes from the Old Testament and each is a real tribute to the mastery of relief by Ghiberti. He introduced a new technique where successive scenes appear simultaneously in the same panel and he also applied perspective, a relatively new technique at the time that was originally introduced by none other than Brunelleschi. In one of the panels, "Jacob and Esau," Ghiberti even sculpts a self-portrait, showing a balding man about age 60. He even signs the panel in relief as well. Because of damaging erosion, vandalism and floods, replicas replaced the original panels which were then moved to the Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore in 1990. The museum lies just the east of the Duomo.
The Gates of Paradise are not the only set of ornate panels adorning doorways. Panels on the southern side, produced my Andrea Pisano in 1329, consist of 28 quatrefoil panels. Twenty of them depict the life of St. John the Baptist and the remaining eight show the eight virtues of hope, faith, charity, humility, fortitude, temperance, justice and prudence.On the northern side, Ghiberti can be seen again but this time, he was only 21 years old when he competed in 1401 and won the commission against the likes of Brunelleschi, Donatello and others. Ironically, it took him 21 years to complete the 28 panels of which 20 depict scenes of the New Testament and the eight lower panels show four evangelists and the Church Fathers Saint Ambrose, Saint Jerome, Saint Gregory and Saint Augustine.
At the time each set of panels was completed, they were featured on the eastern doors and then moved to make way for the new.
After waiting for no time at all, we entered the Baptistery to gaze upon the heavens and appreciate the astounding mosaics that adorn the ceiling. The masterpieces are the work of Venetian craftsman during the Byzantine era or the early 13th century. Without going into too much detail, the focal point is Christ in the Last Judgment where He is surrounded by his Angels of Judgment. Souls of the saved appear at Christ's right hand and those of the damned, at His left. Other sections depict the Choirs of Angels (Thrones, Dominations and Powers), stories of Genesis, stories of Joseph, stories of St. John the Baptist and finally stories of Mary and Christ. Surrounding the figures and what gives the ceiling its shimmering brilliance, is the glass with goldleaf painted on the back. Florence spared no expense. There is a lot to see at ground level as well but I will let you discover that for yourself. Check out this virtual tour. This site is incredible and you can see everything. Be sure to click on both windows at the bottom of the screen so you can change between exterior and interior. Pan around and have fun!
But the most amazing part of my journey to the Baptistery was how the experience affected me spiritually. Upon entry, we received a little brochure about the Baptistery and included was a little anecdote that provided a history of the building and why most baptisteries are 8-sided buildings. All of this was complete news to me and affected me so profoundly, that I will forever remember my moments here. Baptisteries as we all know were/are a place to be christened, but also, these eight-sided buildings represent the "eight days of man." When I read this, I thought to myself, the eight days of man? Well, after reading on, I discovered that we all know the 7 days of man from Genesis in which God created heaven and earth but what I didn't know was that on the 8th day, when we are baptized, we enter into "paradise" or into eternity with God; eternal glory, love and light everlasting. From this moment, our 8th day extends forever! How glorious! How moving! How wonderful!
I just had to run back to my journal and write all of this down so I would never forget and now I impart my wonderful news to all of you. If you remember, earlier in this posting, I mentioned that the Gates of Paradise were coined by Michelangelo, however if you think about it, isn't the Baptistery itself the manifestation of the Gates of Paradise where you enter into the 8th day of our Lord, into "Paradise" for eternity? To this day, it is not known which meaning Michelangelo intended when he spoke of them.
As you can see, the Baptistery is truly worth a visit. Such a small building so often overlooked, speaks volumes of history that span over a thousand years. It offers so much to discover and enjoy. Bask in its glory on your next visit to Florence and once inside, gaze unto the heavens where you'll find Christ Himself waiting to welcome you through His Gates of Paradise, into your 8th day, into an eternity of everlasting love and light.
To learn more about this magnificent place, I found another great resource, the Wikipedia. There, you will find all the facts and descriptions of the three doorways, their panels, descriptions of the interior mosaics, marble and statuary, and pics of them all too!
Ciao from Florence!
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