Baptistery of San Giovanni (Parma)
| Battistero di Parma Baptistery of San Giovanni in Parma |
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|---|---|
 View from the cathedral square |
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| Data | |
| place | Parma |
| builder | Benedetto Antelami |
| Construction year | after 1196; inaugurated in 1216 |
| Coordinates | 44 ° 48 '11 " N , 10 ° 19' 49.4" E |
The Baptistery of San Giovanni (Italian: Battistero di San Giovanni ) is an octagonal sacred building in Parma in northern Italy. It is located in the immediate vicinity of the cathedral and is one of the most important medieval buildings in Italy at the transition from the Romanesque to the Gothic style.
overview
The baptistery was commissioned by the Parma City Council and was built by Benedetto Antelami between 1196 and 1216 . The facade is made of Verona marble of pink color. The round interior shows brightly colored and freshly restored paintings from the 13th and 14th centuries. Except for a few changes on the outside at the beginning of the 14th century, no structural changes or major modifications have been made to this day.
The paintings in the mighty dome are particularly impressive.
The interior
The symbolic paintings in the dome of the baptistery date from the 13th century and are attributed to painters from the Po Valley in northern Italy .
The vault is divided into six levels, all of which deal with a specific topic.
| level | Topic |
|---|---|
| First level (below) |
Scenes from the life of Abraham , the four elements (air, water, fire and earth) and the four seasons |
| second level | Scenes from the life of John the Baptist |
| Third level | Christ, Mary and John the Baptist surrounded by kings and prophets |
| Fourth level | The twelve apostles and the four evangelists |
| fifth level | The empyrean , and the night sky over Jerusalem |
| Sixth level (top) | The red sky as a symbol for love |
