The Baptistery of St. John and the Gates of Paradise

The Baptistery of St. John (Battistero di San Giovanni) is an octagonal Romanesque building located in the Piazza del Duomo in Florence, Italy. This baptistery is renowned worldwide for its exquisite bronze doors, the most famous of which is the east door, known as the “Gates of Paradise” (Porta del Paradiso).😀 The baptistery is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, with an exterior covered in marble. Inside, it features a mosaic floor and a magnificent mosaic ceiling, clearly belonging to the Byzantine style.😻 ✍️ The baptistery has entrances on the south, north, and east sides, each adorned with bronze doors. The other five sides are closed. In 1401, to select an artist to create the bronze panels for the east door (the main entrance) of the baptistery, the Florentine government held a competition. The contestants were required to submit a bronze relief work themed on the “Sacrifice of Isaac.” This competition attracted many artists, including the young Lorenzo Ghiberti and Filippo Brunelleschi. Ghiberti eventually won, and he was commissioned to create the bronze panels for the east door. He spent about 27 years completing the series. The entire door consists of ten reliefs, each depicting a story from the Old Testament. These reliefs are famous for their exquisite details and vivid expressiveness, considered the pinnacle of early Renaissance metalworking. It is said that when Michelangelo saw these panels, he was so impressed that he called them the “Gates of Paradise.” 🎬 From top to bottom, the reliefs are as follows: - Left 1: Adam and Eve, Right 1: Cain and Abel; - Left 2: Noah, Right 2: Abraham; - Left 3: Isaac, Esau, and Jacob, Right 3: Joseph; - Left 4: Moses, Right 4: Joshua; - Left 5: David, Right 5: Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. However, all the panels currently displayed on the door are replicas, while the originals are exhibited in the Florence Cathedral Museum. The competition entries are housed in the Bargello Museum. Interestingly, about 17 years later, in 1418, when the Florentine authorities sought a designer for the dome of the Florence Cathedral, Ghiberti and Brunelleschi once again became competitors. This time, fate favored Brunelleschi, who left another immortal architectural legacy for Florence. 🚗 If you are staying in the city center, especially near the Santa Maria Novella train station, it is about a 10-minute walk. Alternatively, buses C1/C2/C3 and D all pass by this location. You can get off at the Piazza del Duomo stop. #CulturalSiteShare #OverseasTravel #Architecture #ItalyTravel #FlorenceTravel