baptisteries

Originally built in the 5th century over a Temple of Isis, this octagonal brick structure was patterned after the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It was modified in the 11th century.

The Baptistère Saint-Jean in Poitiers dates from around 360, making it the oldest church in France and one of the oldest in the world. Enlarged in the 6th century and decorated with frescoes in the 12th century, it is now a museum.

Also known as the Lateran Baptistery, this octagonal structure in Rome was built by Constantine in 315 and is the oldest baptistery in the world.

This baptistery was built at the end of the 5th century, when the Arian Visigoths ruled Italy. The dome mosaic shows the baptism of Christ with a personification of the River Jordan.

The Orthodox Baptistery in Ravenna dates from the 5th century and has even more beautiful mosaics than its Arian counterpart.

Begun in 1153 in a Romanesque style and completed in the 1300s in the Gothic style, the Battistero di San Giovanni in Pisa is the largest baptistery in Italy. Among its notable furnishings are a large central font and a carved portal.

Beneath Milan's Duomo lie the ruins of older cathedrals and a 4th-century baptistery, where St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, baptized St. Augustine.

Reconstructed in the mid-11th century, the cathedral baptistery is one of Florence's oldest buildings and greatest art treasures. It is covered inside and out with splendid medieval and Renaissance decoration.

With a soft pink exterior, richly painted interior, and fascinating Romanesque sculptures inside and out, the medieval Parma Baptistery is one of the most interesting buildings in northern Italy.

The baptistery of Siena Cathedral is a large space covered in magnificent frescoes. In the center is a font sculpted by various artists including Raphael.