The Baptistery in Pisa is an amazing monument of Italian and Romanesque architectural Gothic, which is located in the Tuscany region (Italy). It was built in a unique location, next to the world famous Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Cathedral of Our Lady. About the baptistery, its history and other interesting and surprising facts will be discussed in this article.
Start of construction of the baptistery
The Baptistery in Pisa named after St. John is a separate building next to the main church and its annex, which is intended for the baptism of converts to Christianity. The Baptistery was founded in 1152, as evidenced by a commemorative plaque inside the church.
The first architect of this building was Diotisalvi, he led the work until about 1180. Under his leadership, the construction of the first tier of the building was completed, with the exception of the inner columns, pillars and capitals. Due to age, Diotisalvi was unable to continue the construction of the building, and it was replaced by other architects.
Construction continued
From the second half of the 13th century to the middle of the 14th century, Nicola Pisano and his son, who completed the construction of the second and third tiers, supervised the construction of the Baptistery in Pisa. These masters in 1362 were replaced by the architect Cellino di Neze. As scientists and researchers suggest, it was he who completed the construction of the double dome. After that, the interior and exterior of the baptistery began.
From 1384 to 1386, Antonio Veneziano, who later created the murals in Campo Santo, was engaged in these works, on them the baptistery is depicted in finished form. After the construction was completed, the building reached a height of about 55 meters, and the diameter of the dome was almost 35 meters.
Building exterior
The architect Diotisalvi began the construction of the Baptistery in Pisa in the Romanesque style, but it was already completed in the Gothic. As a result of such eclecticism, the first tier of the building is decorated with Romanesque - strict, rounded arches and narrow windows, and the second tier is made of double Gothic tops and is decorated with stone carvings. The windows on the third tier of the baptistery are also made in the Gothic style.
The whole building was faced with snow-white marble, which was inlaid with gray and green stone. Great historical and architectural value is represented by the magnificent exterior decoration, as well as the most beautiful statues and busts on the second tier of the Baptistery in Pisa, created by Niccolo Pisano with his son and students. Currently, originals made from these sculptures are in the Cathedral Museum.
Roof and domes of the Baptistery
Researchers believe that according to the Diotisalvi project, the roof of the building was supposed to be in the form of a pyramid. However, in the future, another hemisphere-shaped one was added to the built pyramidal dome. The hemispheric dome completely covers the pyramidal, which gives a very unusual resonant effect.
The dome on the east side is covered with plates made of lead. It is assumed that the entire dome was not made of this metal, as financial difficulties arose during the construction process. In this regard, the western part of the dome of the baptistery in Pisa was covered with cheaper tiles.
Department of Baptistery
A unique building is the Baptistery Department in Pisa. Niccolo Pisano created it from about 1255 to 1260. The pulpit is exaltation for the speaker, in this case for the clergy who say the prayer. This building is a real work of art that dates back to the early Renaissance.
Created by Pisano, the Department of Baptistery (Pisa) and is now striking in its beauty. It is made of marble and stands on seven columns (pillars), which are covered with beautiful carvings. The top of the department has six faces, decorated with marble carvings on various subjects from the Holy Scriptures. The armrest (music stand), located on top of the department, is crowned with a life-sized skillfully carved eagle.
Interior Baptistery
The baptismal interior is striking in its size; this is achieved, including due to the relatively ascetic decoration of the baptistery as a whole. In the center of the room is a luxurious baptismal font. It was created by the master Guido Bigarelli around 1246. At its center is a statue of John the Baptist, created from bronze in the 20th century.
The Department of Baptistery in Pisa and the font, against the background of a relatively modest interior, especially emphasize the grandeur of the entire room. The font is ideally carved from white, green and light brown marble.
In addition, the baptistery stands out for its unique frescoes, among which are the works of Benozzo Gozzoli. Mostly frescoes are made on themes from the Old Testament.
Interesting Facts
In conclusion, several interesting facts can be noted.
- The place where the baptistery is located is called "Square of Miracles." This name is quite true, because there is also a beautiful Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as well as the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa. It is known throughout the world for its bias, however, since the baptistery is built on the same sandy soil, it also has a slope of about 0.6 degrees, which is completely invisible without special equipment.
- An interesting fact is that because of the double dome, the internal - in the form of a pyramid and the external - hemispherical, the building has unique acoustic characteristics. The space between these domes works like a very powerful resonator, and the sound propagates through the room with multiple echoes.
- In this baptistery in 1564, the Italian astronomer, physicist, philosopher, mechanic and mathematician Galileo Galilei was baptized.
Arriving in Pisa, you should definitely go to the “Square of Miracles” and enjoy the beauties of Italian masters created several centuries ago. This tour will amaze you and will remain in your memories for many years.