Battistero di San Giovanni, Florence, Italy - Octagon Buildings on Waymarking.com

The Florentines long believed their baptistery to be an ancient pagan temple converted to Christian use. This is not the case, but it does incorporate many spoils from Roman buildings and stands over a Roman house with a mosaic pavement. And the baptistery is indeed ancient - built in the 4th or 5th century, it is the oldest building in Florence.

The baptistery was significantly enlarged and embellished in the Middle Ages. Attention was first focused on the interior, where the floor and walls were completely lined with decorative marble in the 11th century. The walls were given ancient monolithic columns and geometrical designs in green and white marble, while the floor received a splendid zodiac rose in inlaid marble.

In the early 12th century, the original sandstone exterior was replaced with green and white marble cladding. In the mid- to late 12th century, the Florentines added a small third level, a pyramidal roof and a lantern to the baptistery. And around 1202, the original round apse was replaced with the present rectangular structure. The magnificent mosaics of the interior were added in the 13th century.

In the Late Gothic and Renaissance periods, the baptistery's famous bronze doors were added. All three were sponsored by the wealthy woolworkers' (Calimala) guild. The first east door (now south door) was created by Andrea Pisano in 1330-36, the north door was designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1401-24, and the present east door (the "Gates of Paradise") was produced by Ghiberti in 1425-52.

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