BATTISTERO SAN GIOVANNI

Ideal to start the unavoidable visit of the Place des Miracles, the imposing baptistery of Pisa, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, is located on the west side of the cathedral. It is the largest baptistery in Italy, with a circumference of 107.25 metres, and a height of nearly 55 metres. Its construction began in 1152 under the impetus of a talented architect named Diotisalvi, 90 years after the cathedral's construction. The work was not completed until more than two centuries later, in 1363. Its solid shape with a perfectly circular plan and its refined marble decoration, combining Romanesque-Pisan and Gothic styles for the upper floors, are impressive. The devil's claw is present there to remind us of the passage from light to darkness.

Covered in red tiles, the dome is curious, and resembles that of the church of the Templars of Pisa. At the time of its construction, the baptistery was not equipped with a roof. Rainwater thus filled the baptismal font. The overflow flowed on the floor, which was designed to be sloped for this purpose. However, for the safety of the newborns who were baptized (there were even drownings...), the architects decided to build a conical dome to correct the situation. The bronze statue, which crowns the dome, represents Saint John the Baptist and is attributed to Turino di Sano (1382-1427).

The surprisingly sober interior has twelve columns and, above all, the beautiful pulpit of Nicola Pisano (1220-1284), an important religious work of art symbolizing the early days of Italian Gothic. Octagonal in shape, it was built in 1260 and surprises by its location. Detached from the walls, it seeks to occupy the space. It must be read from the bottom to the top following the direction of the three lions that rotate together. An evocation of youth, ending in death at the top, dominated by the eagle, which testifies to the close link between religion and the political world. It is also possible to see the altar, sculpted by Guglielmo in the 12th century.

On the second floor, inspired by the Florence Baptistery, the Gothic decoration, consisting of an elegant archway surmounted by gables and pinnacles, decorated with sculptures, is attributed to Nicola and Giovanni Pisano, and dates from the 13th century.

A guardian makes the remarkable acoustics of the building, probably related to the marble that repels sound waves instead of absorbing them, appreciated approximately every quarter of an hour in summer and every half hour in winter. Not to be missed!