Neonian Baptistery
The Neonian or Orthodox Baptistery is one of eight UNESCO monuments in Ravenna. Admired by many personalities of the past because of its splendid mosaics, including Carl Gustav Jung, the baptistery was built around 475 A.D. in the heart of the Catholic Ravenna.
At that time the city was in fact divided between two doctrines, the Arian and the Orthodox one, and each had its own cathedral and baptistery. That is why there is still a church next to the Neonian Baptistery, the present Ravenna Cathedral, built by Bishop Orso. It was the same Orso who also started to work on the baptistery, later completed by his successor Neone, from whom the building takes its name.
The Neonian Baptistery, as well as the Cathedral, are today located slightly off-centre from today's city centre. This is due to the fact that the centre of the city was located in this area at the time.
The exterior of the baptistery
In contrast to the richly decorated interior, the exterior structure of the baptistery is rather simple; this divergence symbolises a very important concept for the Christian religion, namely that it is preferable to cultivate one's soul rather than its outer shell, the body.
The
octagonal plan of the building is also a reference to orthodox doctrine: the number eight recalls infinity, and with it also resurrection.
Another peculiarity of the building's exterior is its height. At the time of its construction, the baptistery was about 3 metres higher than today's street level. This phenomenon is called
subsidence and it is typical in the Ravenna area, common to many other ancient buildings in the city such as the
Arian Baptistery. Subsidence consists in a slow sinking caused by the sandy and unstable ground on which the city stands.
What to see in the Neonian Baptistery
What is surprising on entering the building is undoubtedly the wonderful
mosaic of the dome. As in the Arian Baptistery, the scene portrayed is that of the
baptism of Christ, captured while receiving the sacrament immersed in the waters of the River Jordan. Around the figure of Jesus are gathered in procession the 12 apostles, among whom are the representations of St Peter and St Paul.
Shifting our attention outwards we then see a series of thrones interspersed with altars. These are symbolic elements, one representing the fate of the faithful welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven, and the other an allusion to the eternal city.
