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Pisa Baptistery Of St. John

Italy's Largest Baptistery

The Pisa Baptistery of St. John is located in front of the Pisa Cathedral and was built in 1152. It is the largest baptistery in Italy, at 55 meters high. The facade is decorated with arcades and Gothic spires, while the octagonal baptismal basin and the carved stone pulpit in the hall are important artistic treasures of the Baptistery.

Located in front of Pisa Cathedral, the Pisa Baptistery of St. John (Battistero di San Giovanni) was built in 1152 and is the Largest Baptistery in Italy.

This cylindrical baptistery is 55 meters high and has a circumference of 107 meters. The baptistery’s Facade is Structured in Several Tiers, with two lower tiers of decorative arcades, and tiers above are surrounded by Gothic spires with life-like religious figures carved in niches. The tiles on the double-dome roof are all red on the west side, while dull lead-gray on the east side.

double-dome roof

The Baptistery of St. John has a Simple and Solemn Interior, with black-and-white wall and floor textures, is said to be influenced by Arabian architectures. The lobby has eight columns and four square pillars that enclose the interior space into two areas. The Double-Dome Structure create a resonating chamber with excellent acoustics.

Manywhere Tips:
Every half hour, the baptistery staff will stand in the lobby and sing a song to showcase the perfect acoustic design of the baptistery, so don’t miss it when you pay a visit inside.

The baptismal basin and the pulpit in the Baptistery Hall are both important works of art, the Octagonal Baptismal Basin is decorated with ornaments on the outside, with a bronze figure of St. John the Baptist in the center. The Hexagonal Stone Pulpit was created by Nicola Pisano in the 1250s, the pulpit depicts religious scenes such as the Nativity, the coming of the three kings, the Passion, and the Last Judgment. The pulpit set a good model for later works, including the Pulpit for Pisa Cathedral by his son Giovanni Pisano in 1302.