(Redirected from Pisa Baptistery)
The Baptistry of the Cathedral of Pisa.
The 'Baptistry of St. John' (
Italian: ''Battistero di San Giovanni'') is a religious building in
Pisa,
Italy. It was begun in
1153, in replacement of an older baptistry, and completed in
1363. It is located in the
Campo dei Miracoli, near the
Pisa and the famous
leaning Tower.
The structure is 54.86 m high, with a circumference of 107.24 m, and is the largest baptistry in Italy. The Baptistry is an example of the transition from the
Romanesque style to the
Gothic style: the lower
registers are in the Romanesque style, with rounded arches, while the upper registers are in the Gothic style, with pointed arches. The Baptistry is constructed of
marble, plentiful and often used in
Italian architecture.
Constructed on the same unstable sand as the Tower, the Baptistry (as well as the Cathedral) leans 0.6 degrees toward the cathedral. Within, a marble
pulpit can be found, carved by
Nicola Pisano in 1260. The interior is spacious and acoustically perfect.
Further reading
★
Rory Carroll, "Pisa Baptistery is giant musical instrument, computers show,"
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