Battistero di San Giovanni (The Pisa Baptistery of St. John)

The Pisa Baptistery (above) began construction in 1152 to replace an older baptistery and was completed in 1363. It was the second building in the Piazza dei Miracoli to be completed after the cathedral, with the Campo Santo and Campanile to be completed shortly thereafter. The entire building was made with marble, making it consistent with the other structures as well as Italian architecture in general (it was the local material). Due to the length of construction, the building provides a great contrast of Romanesque and Gothic architecture. Notice the lower half of the baptistery has no ornamentation and contains identifiable blind arcades that were typical in Romanesque buildings. As one glances further up on the building, the arches and plainness seem to fade into a decorative row with tracery, rectangular and triangular forms.

Moving to the inside of the baptistery, the building has a strictly Romanesque form with prevalent columns, pilaster and arcades, as well as a vaulted ceiling (seen in the picture to the left). Even the pulpit, designed by Nicola Pisano in 1259, is very Romanesque in its simple base, with the top being sculpted in a more Renaissance style that features scenes from the Bible including the nativity, the adoration of the Magi, the crucifixion, the last judgement, and Jesus’ presentation at the temple. Due to its centrally planned shape, many people have admired the baptistery as it is considered to be a large musical instrument due to the way sound echoes through the building to accommodate choirs.

The Pisa baptistery pulpit, with "The Crucifixion" facing out.