The Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence: history, architecture, opening hours, ticket prices, and other useful information

The Baptistery of San Giovanni in Florence is located in the religious center of the city, facing the Florence Cathedral and is the oldest monument in the square. Dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence, it was originally surrounded by other buildings, like the Archbishop's Palace, which were demolished in the 14th and 15th centuries to create the current square. Its octagonal plan symbolizes "the eighth day", outside our seven-day time, representing Baptism: the sacrament of initiation into the Christian faith and the passage of men from the death of sin to new life in Christ. This majestic sacred building, designed to house the baptismal font of the Cathedral, served the crowd of Florentines receiving baptism, but only on two predetermined dates each year.

Initially a Temple and Basilica, the Baptistery of San Giovanni was originally considered a temple dedicated to the god Mars also because it was built on the remains of Roman structures. The date of its foundation is uncertain, between the 4th-5th and 7th centuries, but only in 1128 did the building become officially the city's baptistery, later adorned in marble both externally and internally. In the second half of the 13th century, the dome was built and in 1202 the small rectangular apse, also known as the scarsella. Subsequently, the mosaics of the scarsella were executed and at the same time, the small quadrangular tribune was completed. Between 1270-1300, the complex mosaic of the octagonal sections of the dome was created, with contributions from Jacopo Torriti, Coppo di Marcovaldo, and Cimabue. Between 1330 and 1336, the first of the three bronze doors was created, commissioned from Andrea Pisano and initially placed on the east side, the most important facing the Cathedral. Later, the door was moved to the south side to honor the second door. The latter was made between 1401 and 1424 by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Changes were also made for the second door, from the east side to the south. The same Ghiberti also executed the third door between 1425 and 1452, which Michelangelo called the "Gates of Paradise," located on the eastern side of the building.

A celebration of elevated architecture and precious works, the Baptistery quickly became a source of civic pride, so much so that the supreme poet Dante Alighieri referred to it as his "beautiful San Giovanni". The building is covered by an eight-section dome, topped by a flattened pyramid roof, while opposite the entrance protrudes the rectangular body of the apse, the scarsella, added along with the monumental dome in the 12th and 13th centuries.

The exterior of the Baptistery is characterized by the white Carrara and green Prato marble cladding and upon this bicolor scheme were integrated between 1300 and 1500 the three magnificent bronze doors by Andrea Pisano and Lorenzo Ghiberti and the bronze and marble groups illustrating biblical stories of the baptized.

The interior of the Baptistery is characterized by the splendor of the mosaics that adorn the entire dome and vault of the tribune. In the center of the Baptistery originally stood the baptismal font, embellished with marble inlays depicting the signs of the Zodiac.

From the font, looking up at the dome, one can observe the images of Christian Baptism, the Last Judgment, and Christ dominating the 13th-century mosaics: beneath his feet occurs the resurrection of the dead, to his right are the souls of the righteous welcomed into heaven by biblical patriarchs, while to his left is hell.

The dome of the Baptistery features eight sections and is covered with mosaic on a golden background. The entire work of covering the dome was a long and laborious endeavor that lasted from 1270 until the early 1300s and involved important local artists. On the upper band are depicted the angelic hierarchies, while on three of the sections is illustrated the Last Judgment, dominated by the grand figure of Christ: beneath his feet the resurrected dead, to his right the righteous welcomed into heaven by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and to the left, hell with its devils. In the horizontal registers of the other five sections of the dome the stories of Genesis, Joseph the Hebrew, Mary and Christ, and the tales of Saint John the Baptist are depicted.

The south door, created by Andrea Pisano from 1330 to 1336, is the oldest of the Baptistery doors, depicting the life of Saint John the Baptist, the patron of the Baptistery and Florence.

It is divided into 28 panels, the first 20 narrating episodes from the life of Saint John and the other 8 depicting personifications of the three theological virtues and the four cardinal virtues. With this work, the sculptor updated the typology of Romanesque portals by incorporating the so-called "quadrilobe" into the square panels, which are typical frames of Gothic art. Interestingly, the columns of the south door are adorned with bas-reliefs of two rectangles representing two lengths of measure used in the Middle Ages, the Lombard foot and the Florentine foot.

The north door, made between 1401 and 1424 by Lorenzo Ghiberti, is also divided into 28 panels like Pisano's door. The first 20 above narrate stories from the New Testament and scenes from the life of Christ, while the last two rows feature the four evangelists and four Doctors of the Church. Interestingly: for the realization of this and the north door, Ghiberti established a true workshop of bronze workers, where artists like Donatello and Paolo Uccello trained.

From 1425 to 1452, Ghiberti also created the east door of the building, known to everyone as the "Gates of Paradise," so named by Michelangelo.

It is divided into 10 rectangular panels that occupy the entire door and depict scenes from the Old Testament, framed by roundels with heads of prophets. Since the door was damaged by the flood of 1966, its reliefs are currently replaced by copies, while the restored originals can be admired in the Museum of the Opera del Duomo. Interestingly: at the "Gates of Paradise" there are two columns in porphyry, currently broken, which were donated by Pisa as thanks for the help Florence provided against Lucca in 1117.

Address: historic center.How to get there: by footOpening hours:

Monday-Saturday: 11:15 AM - 7:00 PM;Sunday and the first Saturday of the month: 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM;Easter Monday, April 25, May 1, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday: 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM.Access is permitted up to 30 minutes before closing.Opening days and access times may vary depending on religious celebrations.Annual closure: New Year's Day, Easter, and Christmas.

Ticket price:

The ticket costs €15 and includes: