These photos immortalize one of the monuments which symbolizing the Christianity and its relationship with Rome, something that represents a beginning for the Church in the whole Italy. Not only that because the monument is also remarkable for several masterpieces. Let's discover it...

This is the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Latetano, recognized as the first building of the kind built in the town. The origin of the baptistery comes from Constantine and his politics, that Constantine who at the beginning of the IV century a.D., in his policy of christianization of the Roman Empire, promoted the building of religious buildings such as basilicas. But mainly here, in this area located outside the city centre of Rome, Constantine did something new for that time: he commissioned a great church and, close to it, a baptistery. The first one in the world. The characteristic octagonal shape definitely gives stability to the structure, but there are also theological reasons about the octagon. According to some, in fact, the eight sides represent the...eight days of divine creation! Were not seven? Certainly, but, as  was written even by St. Ambrose, you can consider the coming and death of Christ on the Earth as the octave act, the creative work of God. But keep in mind that the main importance of this baptistery is that it was directly would by Constantine, the roman emperor who helped a lot the Christianity, giving it the possibility to be an official political and religious force in the roman society. It is sure that the original baptistery by Constantine was restored, embellished and even rebuilt (according to some new theories), by Popes like Sisto III and Ilari (IV - V century a.D.).

Apart from this, enter in the baptistery means to go through centuries of the history of art, popes and restorations. The most important restoration tool place in the course of the XVI and XVII centuries, when people like Borromini or the artists of the Renaissance age changed the plant decorative. Beautiful, for example, the cycle of frescoes concerning the episodes of the Constantine's life, which dominate the interior walls. Or a stunning baptismal font porphyry made from the time of Urban VIII (we are in the early XVII century). Even better and partly preserved are the mosaics, made at the beginning of the V century a.D., that contribute to make extraordinary this place! Try to admire the mosaic with spirals of vines and branches that give us a message of life and abundance. And this mosaic was completed something like 1500 years ago. 

We can understand, therefore, as the Baptistery of San Giovanni is important for many factors. First of all, it represents a beginning and a template, something that will be replicated from there up to the years to come. The first example of monumental baptistery, this is basically. In addition, the building is a direct witness of the desire of Constantine to give an important impetus and space to Christianity, he decided to promote (trying, however, a balance between the new God and the old Roman Gods). Finally, as mentioned earlier in the description, the baptistery is a treasure trove of artistic treasures. The frescoes and mosaics that range from V – VI century d.C. up to the Renaissance age. A last surprise is what the archeologists recently found below the floor of the Baptistery of St John in Lateran. They discovered archeological remains from the III century a.D., probably belonged to a private proprierty of the royal family of that time. Maybe Constantine simply reused the awesome baths of this imperial palace, maybe transforming an ordinary basin in the first and original baptistery. A thousand years of beauty in a unique, beautiful building: the Baptistery of San Giovanni in Rome.