Highlights
Highlights
Walk slowly around the Baptistery and let yourself be charmed by the three monumental portals sculpted by Antelami: every figure, every fold of the drapery tells sacred stories with surprising realism.
Look at the 75 panels of the zoophorus with griffins, dragons, centaurs and fantastical animals that seem to come alive in the pink marble.
Then step inside and lift your gaze: the dome envelops you with six bands of medieval frescoes that take you from Abraham all the way to Paradise on a breathtaking spiritual journey.
Benedetto Antelami and the octagonal masterpiece
In 1196 the Comune of Parma entrusted Benedetto Antelami, already the author of the Deposition in the Duomo, with the design of a new monumental baptistery to replace the inadequate early Christian one.
Antelami served as architect, sculptor and director of works, creating a unified piece that fuses architecture and sculptural decoration inseparably. The octagonal structure in pink Verona marble stands 35 metres tall and 13.5 metres wide.
The three portals and the zoophorus of fantastical creatures
The three monumental portals are absolute masterpieces of Romanesque sculpture.
The Portal of the Redeemer (west) shows Christ blessing in the lunette; the Portal of the Virgin (north) presents the Adoration of the Magi; the Portal of the Baptist (south) depicts Saint John baptising Christ.
The jambs and archivolts are covered with bas-reliefs of prophets, sibyls, virtues and biblical scenes.
The zoophorus running all around the building features 75 panels with fantastical creatures, monsters, real and symbolic animals masterfully sculpted.
The dome frescoes and the baptismal font
The interior is dominated by the dome, entirely frescoed in the 13th century by Byzantine and local masters.
The six concentric bands depict: in the lowest band the cycle of Abraham, then Saint John the Baptist, Christ in glory, the Apostles, the Heavenly Jerusalem and finally Paradise with the apocalyptic vision.
At the centre of the octagon stands the octagonal baptismal font in red Verona stone with an inner quatrefoil basin, a masterpiece of medieval hydraulic engineering.
The Romanesque-Gothic threshold sculpted by Antelami in pink marble
The Baptistery of San Giovanni Battista is one of the most extraordinary medieval monuments in Italy, the absolute masterpiece of Benedetto Antelami, who designed and carved it between 1196 and 1216 (completed in 1270). Built in splendid Verona pink marble, it rises majestically in Piazza Duomo like an octagonal giant 35 metres tall that dominates the sacred space. The eight-sided structure symbolises rebirth and eternal life (the eighth day after the week of creation). The three monumental portals are decorated with lunettes, archivolts and jambs covered in sculptures: the portal of the Virgin (north), of the Redeemer (west) and of the Baptist (south) display Antelami's supreme ability to carve human figures of remarkable realism. Inside, the dome is entirely frescoed (13th century) with six concentric bands depicting biblical stories from Abraham up to Paradise. The exterior zooforus with 75 reliefs of fantastical creatures and the sculptural cycle of the Months (12 months plus 2 seasons) make the Baptistery a book of stone that tells of the relationship between humanity, time and the divine.
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An eight-sided masterpiece in pink marble
In 1196 the Commune of Parma entrusted Benedetto Antelami, already author of the Deposition in the Duomo, with the design of a new monumental baptistery to replace the inadequate Early Christian one. Antelami served as architect, sculptor and works director, creating a unitary work that fuses architecture and sculptural decoration inseparably. The octagonal structure in Verona pink marble is 35 metres tall and 13.5 metres wide. Each side measures around 5.5 metres and features a lower order of blind arcades and an upper order of pierced loggias that lighten the mass. Construction proceeded swiftly until 1216 but was completed only in 1270 with the upper crowning.
The three portals and the zooforus
The three monumental portals are absolute masterpieces of Romanesque sculpture. The portal of the Redeemer (west) shows Christ blessing in the lunette; the portal of the Virgin (north) presents the Adoration of the Magi; the portal of the Baptist (south) depicts St John baptising Christ. The jambs and archivolts are covered with bas-reliefs of prophets, sibyls, virtues and biblical scenes. The zooforus running around the entire building features 75 reliefs with fantastical creatures, monsters, real and symbolic animals carved with mastery. The sculptural cycle of the Months and Seasons (12 reliefs for the months plus 2 for the seasons) represents the agricultural labour of the year, one of the most complete medieval cycles in Italy.
The frescoed dome and the baptismal font
The interior is dominated by the dome entirely frescoed in the 13th century by Byzantine and local masters. The six concentric bands represent: in the lowest band the cycle of Abraham, then St John the Baptist, Christ in glory, the Apostles, the heavenly Jerusalem and finally Paradise with the apocalyptic vision. At the centre of the octagon stands the octagonal baptismal font in Verona red stone with an inner quatrefoil basin, a masterpiece of medieval hydraulic engineering. The wall niches house statues and altars. The Baptistery marks the transition from Romanesque to Gothic architecture, anticipating the French cathedrals of the 13th century.