OLDEST - Baptistery in the World - Rome, Italy
N 41° 53.181 E 012° 30.245
33T E 292919 N 4640170
The Lateran Baptistery is the oldest baptistery in the world. Its interior was completely renovated in the seventeenth century but in the chapels you can still admire beautiful mosaics from the fifth to the seventh century.
Waymark Code: WMPQ2A
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 10/05/2015
Views: 5
The original baptistery, which was merely a room with a nymphaeum (a fountain with a natural spring) in the baths of the Domus Faustae, was soon replaced by a circular building. The current, octagonal building dates from 432 and was built by pope Sixtus III.
The octagonal-shaped baptistery has served as a model for baptisteries worldwide. The brick exterior looks rather austere and from the piazza the only visible decorative elements are the reliefs with the insignia of pope Alexander VII on the frieze below the roof, created in 1657 by Francesco Borromini. The narthex on the other side is beautifully decorated with an ancient carved entablature and porphyry columns in Corinthian order.
The building was renovated several times during its lifetime. The dome, which originally rested on an architrave is now supported by an arcade that rests on classical porphyry columns. The Baroque interior decoration is relatively recent and dates from the seventeenth century. That includes the ornate bronze cover on the font, but the font itself - a basalt bathtub - is from antiquity.
Type of documentation of superlative status: Website
Location of coordinates: Entrance
Web Site: [Web Link]
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