for Inparma.it

The Battistero

The Baptistery is considered a transition work between the Romanesque and Gothic styles and is the vision of one man, Benedetto Antelami. Built on an octagonal plan and constructed of pink Verona marble, it contains an impressive selection of 13th and 14th century frescoes and paintings. Outside this octagonal building, built between 1196 and 1270, are three splayed portals; the north and west portals are by Antelami while his students probably finished the south portal, the least decorated of the three. The inside is divided into 16 sides rising into 16 niches, with each fresco portraying a biblical scene and surrounded by sculptures representing the months, the seasons and the signs of the zodiac. Of special note are the statues contained in the niches, particularly Solomon and the queen of Sheba, and the Archangel Gabriel. In the centre of the Baptistery, the double baptismal immersion bath with an octagonal structure dates back to the end of the 13th century.