Musée The Arian Baptistery

The Battistero degli Ariani was presumably built at the behest of Theodoric (493-526) to serve the ancient Arian cathedral, now the Church of the Holy Spirit, which stands nearby. Although the construction date of the baptistery is uncertain, the complex was depicted in the mosaic of the palatine church (today Sant’Apollinare Nuovo) dated around 520. What we see today is only the central part of the ancient building, which appeared richer and more articulated; originally, an annular corridor covered by a vault was interrupted on the eastern side, at the apsidiole. The baptistery has an octagonal floor plan enlivened by four apses, numbers charged with symbolic meanings. The appearance of the exterior walls, made of exposed brick, conceals in the dome a luminous mosaic of glass and gold tiles depicting the baptism of Christ in the Jordan by St John the Baptist and the procession of the Apostles. In the central medallion, Christ is in the centre, Saint John is on the right and on the left the River Jordan is personified with his two distinguishing attributes: the marsh reed and two red crab claws on his head. The double course of the Apostles in the outer band converges towards a throne with a gem-studded cross and a purple cloth. The decoration with marble, stucco or mosaics was supposed to continue on the walls, but no trace of it remains. Since 1996, the baptistery has been on the Italian UNESCO World Heritage List.