Baptistry

A baptistry is a building specifically intended to practice the Baptême, at the Christians. Comprising a baptismal Tank (it sometimes disappeared), he is leant with a church or generally with a Cathédrale. These buildings are often, as the baptismal font which they sheltered, of forms round or polygonal.

The width taken by the sacramental ceremony and the splendor of the building reflect the importance of the Sacrement for the Christian of the end of the Middle Ages and the rebirth.

Structure

The octagonal plan of the Baptistry of Lateran, the first construction expressly dedicated to this function, is rather largely followed, with alternatives (plan at twelve sides or round, as with Pisa). It appears seven during the days of the week (and the Creation of the world) more the day of Resurrection and the Eternal Life. (the number eight also symbolizes the passage of a degree of reality with another). The dodecagonal plan symbolizes him to them twelve Apôtres, the circular plan the perfection and the Holy Trinity. In a Narthex or an anteroom, the catechumens receive the Christian instruction and make them Profession of faith before the baptism.

Interior space is organized around the Baptismal font, in which the baptism is done by triple immersion. Three steps go down at the bottom from the basin, out of stone generally (although tardily, some were out of metal). Above, a Colombe is suspended, representing the Holy Spirit, out of gold or money.

The Fresco S or the mosaic S mural frequently represent scenes of the life of Saint Jean-Baptiste.

The baptismal font was frequently fed by a natural source (as with the baptistry of Lateran), or in other places where the christianization of a pagan source was of natural interest. Thus also, Gregoire de Tours or the bishop of Turin Maximus (death towards 466) converted such miraculous sources into baptistries.

The basin is usually round or octagonal; it is sometimes in the shape of cross, like that of the Sainte-Marie church, in the Negev desert .

Use

The baptistries were built at one time when the Church baptized a great number of adult catechumens, and where the baptism by immersion was the rule. Before Constantin does not give an official statute to Christianity, one does not find trace of it elsewhere. 4th century until the beginning of the 6th century, the baptismal font was laid out under the porch of the church, or in the church itself. After the 9th century, when the baptism of the newborns became the rule, few baptistries are built.

The baptistries were frequently of big size, if large that some Concile S or Synode S were held in a baptistry. This big size was due to several causes:

  • in the primitive Church, it is usually the bishop in person which baptizes the catechumens of sound Diocèse (reason for which the baptistries are usually attached to a cathedral and not to a parish church);
  • this rite could be held only three times per annum.

When it was not useful, the doors of the baptistry were sealed seal of the bishop, in order to control the orthodoxy of all the baptisms of the diocese.

Some baptistries have two basins, or certain churches have two baptistries, for each sex. A chimney is often present to heat the neophytes after the immersion.

Although the Concile of Auxerre (578) prohibits that one buries in the baptistries, they are often used as fall. Thus, the Antipape Florence Jean XXIII is buried in the baptistry of Florence, just like many archbishops of Canterbury.

Some baptistries

The most famous baptistries:

See too

Internal bonds

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