Battistero Lateranense
You’re at the Lateran Baptistery—Italian Battistero Lateranense, also known as San Giovanni in Fonte. It was founded by Pope Sixtus III in 440, and even though a legend tied it to Constantine the Great’s baptism, many historians think that if Constantine was baptized at all, it would have been in the Eastern part of the empire and perhaps by an Arian bishop. What makes this place feel so distinctive is the domed octagonal design built around a large octagonal basin for full immersions. Eight porphyry columns form an octagon around the font, topped with Corinthian capitals—and the ceiling carries a visual story of the Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312 AD). Later on, the baptistery shaped Roman and Italian baptismal architecture, and it even became an iconic motif in illuminated manuscripts—described as the “fountain of Life.” In the Baroque era, Pope Urban VIII oversaw restoration, with interior work connected to Bernini around 1633 and …
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