Description of the attraction
The Arian Baptistery was built in Ravenna in the 5-6th centuries by order of the Emperor Theodoric, a supporter of Arianism. In order to distinguish this baptistery from the Orthodox one, they gave it such a name - Arian. In 1996, it was included in the list of UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Sites.
Immediately after the completion of construction at the beginning of the 6th century, the space under the dome of the baptistery was decorated with mosaics. In 561, when Arianism was banned, the baptistery was turned into the chapel of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, and an Orthodox monastery was built nearby. And from the 18th century until 1914, it was privately owned. By the middle of the 20th century, the baptistery was surrounded on all sides by later annexes, which, however, were destroyed during the Second World War.
In architecture, the Arian Baptistery is similar to the Orthodox Baptistery: its masonry is made of the same adobe bricks, and under the roof you can see a cornice with a jagged ornament. Of course, the main value of the building is its mosaics depicting scenes of the baptism of Christ. In these mosaics, you can see the features of primitivism, which appeared under the influence of the barbarian culture of the Goths that dominated Ravenna at that time. It is interesting that Christ is depicted here completely naked. Around him are 12 apostles walking with crowns to the throne. And among the apostles, the mosaicists painted palm trees.
