The Battistero di San Giovanni (Italian: "Baptistry of St. John") is a religious building in

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

. It is in the square with the same name, near the final spans of the choir of the city's cathedral. It was built between 1316 and 1325 by Camaino di Crescentino, the father of

Tino di Camaino 300px, Tomb of Antonio d'Orso, in Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence.">Florence.html" ;"title="Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence">Santa Maria del Fiore, Florence. Tino di Camaino (c. 1280 – c. 1337) was an Italian sculptor. Born in Siena, the s ...

. The façade, in

Gothic style Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

, is unfinished in the upper part, such as the apse of the cathedral. In the interior, the rectangular hall, divided into a nave and two aisles by two columns, contains a hexagonal baptismal font in bronze, marble and

vitreous enamel Vitreous enamel, also called porcelain enamel, is a material made by fusing powdered glass to a substrate by firing, usually between . The powder melts, flows, and then hardens to a smooth, durable vitreous coating. The word comes from the Lati ...

, realized in 1417-1431 by the main sculptors of the time:

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), better known as Donatello ( ), was a Florentine sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Florence, he studied classical sculpture and used this to develop a complete Renaissance st ...

(panel of "Herod's Banquet" and statues of the "Faith" and "Hope"),

Lorenzo Ghiberti Lorenzo Ghiberti (, , ; 1378 – 1 December 1455), born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian Renaissance sculptor from Florence, a key figure in the Early Renaissance, best known as the creator of two sets of bronze doors of the Florence Baptistery ...

, Giovanni di Turino, Goro di Neroccio and

Jacopo della Quercia Jacopo della Quercia (, ; 20 October 1438), also known as Jacopo di Pietro d'Agnolo di Guarnieri, was an Italian sculptor of the Renaissance, a contemporary of Brunelleschi, Ghiberti and Donatello. He is considered a precursor of Michelange ...

(statue of John the Baptist and other figures). The panels represent the Life of John the Baptist, and include: * "Annunciation to Zacharias" by Jacopo della Quercia (1428-1429) * "Birth of John the Baptist" by Giovanni di Turino (1427) * "Baptist Preaching" by Giovanni di Turino (1427) * "Baptism of Christ" by Ghiberti (1427) * "Arrest of John the Baptist" by Ghiberti and Giuliano di Ser Andrea * "

The Feast of Herod The Feast of Herod refers to the episode in the Gospels following the Beheading of St. John the Baptist, when Salome presents his head to her parents. The account in the Book of Mark describes Herod holding a banquet on his birthday for his high o ...

" by

(1427) These panels are flanked on the corners by six figures, two by Donatello ("Faith" and "Hope") in 1429; three by Giovanni di Turino ("Justice", "Charity" and "Providence", 1431); and the "Fortitude" is by Goro di Ser Neroccio (1431). The marble shrine on the font was designed by Jacopo della Quercia between 1427 and 1429. The five "Prophets" in the niches and the marble statuette of "John the Baptist" at the top are equally by his hand. Two of the bronze angels are by Donatello, three by Giovanni di Turino (the sixth is by an unknown artist). The frescoes are by Vecchietta and his school (1447-1450, ''Articles of Faith'', ''Prophets'' and ''Sibyls''), Benvenuto di Giovanni, the school of Jacopo della Quercia e, perhaps, one by Piero Orioli. Vecchietta also painted two scenes on the wall of the apse, representing the ''Flagellation'' and the ''Road to Calvary''. Michele di Matteo da Bologna painted in 1477 the frescoes on the vault of the apse.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Battistero Di San Giovanni (Siena) Buildings and structures completed in 1325 14th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Italy San Giovanni Siena Buildings and structures in Siena Tourist attractions in Tuscany Baptisteries in Italy