Baptistery of Neon

The Baptistry of Neon.

TheBaptistery of Neon(Italian:Battistero Neoniano) is aRomanreligious building inRavenna,northeasternItaly.The most ancient monument remaining in the city, it was partly erected on the site of aRoman bath.It is also called theOrthodox Baptisteryto distinguish it from theArian Baptisteryconstructed on behest ofOstrogothicKingTheodoricsome 50 years later.

The ceiling mosaic in the Baptistry of Neon

History

The octagonal brick structure was erected during the lateWestern Roman EmpirebyBishop Ursusat the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century, as part of his greatBasilica(destroyed in 1734). The baptistery was finished by Bishop Neon at the end of the 5th century, at which time themosaicdecorations were added.

Description

The original floor is now some 3 meters underground, so the proper structure and extent of the building can no longer be seen. The octagonal design of the building, employed in virtually all Early Christian baptisteries, symbolizes the seven days of the week plus the Day of the Resurrection and Eternal Life.

The ceiling mosaic depictsJohn the BaptistbaptizingJesus(depicted with beard) standing waist high in theJordan River.Zeus,as personification of the Jordan, is also present. A procession of thetwelve apostlesproceeds around the center mosaic in two directions, ending withSaint PetermeetingSaint Paul.

The Baptistry is one of the eight structures in Ravenna registered asUNESCOWorld Heritage Sites.According to theICOMOSevaluation of this patrimony, "this is the finest and most complete surviving example of the early Christianbaptistery"which" retains the fluidity in representation of the human figure derived from Greco-Roman art ".

See also

• Arian Baptistry
• Ostrogothic Ravenna
• History of Roman and Byzantine domes

Further reading

• Weitzmann, Kurt,ed.,Age of spirituality: late antique and early Christian art, third to seventh century,no. 588, 1979,Metropolitan Museum of Art,New York,ISBN9780870991790

External links

• The Mosaics of the Baptistry of Neon- Mosaic Art Source
• Battistero Neoniano- Sacred Destinations