Florence Baptistery
Unknown medieval Florentine workshop · Florence, Italy · 1128
The octagonal Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of Florence's oldest monumental buildings and a key source for the city's later architectural language. Its exterior is ordered by geometric panels of white and green marble, classical columns and a pyramidal roof, while the interior rises toward a glittering mosaic dome. Three sets of bronze doors, including the celebrated east doors, turn each entrance into a major sculptural threshold. The building stands directly opposite the cathedral façade, creating an unusually concentrated civic and sacred space. The recorded year is the commonly cited consecration of the Romanesque structure; fabric and decoration continued to evolve over several centuries.