San Giovanni Baptistery in Florence and Sana Constanza Mausoleum in Rome - Essay Example

San Giovanni Baptistery in Florence and Sana Constanza Mausoleum in Rome The History of the Buildings Baptistery of San Giovanni is one of the oldest buildings in Florence, Italy. It was built in 4th-5th century AD. Inside and outside of the building it is covered with marvelous decorations of both medieval and Renaissance period. Here you can also find the famous “Gates of Paradise” made of bronze by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Around the same time – in the 4th century AD Santa Constanza was built. This is an imperial mausoleum that was later turned into church, which is situated in Rome. There are beautiful examples of the early Christian art in the church. The history of the church is quite interesting. The Mausoleum is named Constantia – the daughter of Constantine the Great, though it was actually built for Constantia’s sister Helena, who was a wife of the emperor Julian the Apostate. It was built around 360-370s. After Helena’s death, he body was moved to the imperial state for burial, and Constantia’s body was brought to the new mausoleum. In the 13th century the mausoleum became a church. In March of 1256 the building was consecrated in honor of Constantia by Pope Alessandro IV. Though the Mausoleum was built in the 4th century, nevertheless at the beginning of the 17th century a big restoration of it took place, as a result of which some mosaics in the dome were destroyed. There are also reports that on the site of Santa Constanza there was a funerary hall built, which you can only see the ruins of presently. The funerary hall was devoted to the virgin martyr St.Agnes. There is also a baptistery built where Constantia was baptized by Pope Sylvester. Construction of the baptistery and funerary hall took place in 326 – 330. (Mackie G. A new look at the patronage of Santa Costanza, Rome) Location of the Buildings The San Giovanni Baptistery is situated in the very heart of the historic Florence, near the Duomo. The east door of the baptistery is directly opposite to the west entrance of the cathedral. As all the ancient Christian baptisteries it has the shape of the octagon. Santa Constanza mausoleum is situated in Lazio in Rome. It has the round shape. Exterior of the Buildings The building of the San Giovanni Baptistery incorporates many details from the Roman building and for a long time is was believed to be a pagan temple of that time that was turned into Christian baptistery. But it turned out not to be true. Built in the 4-5th centuries it was made bigger considerably and decorated in the Middle Ages. In the 11th century the floor and the walls of the baptistery were covered with decorative marble. On the walls there were columns and designs in white and green marble, and on the floor there was constructed a beautiful zodiac rose. The original exterior of the San Giovanni Baptistery was changed into green and white marble shell in the 12th century. Approximately at that time the people of Florence added a little third level, the roof in the pyramidal shape and a lantern. Around the beginning of the 13th century the round apse that was originally on the baptistery was replaced by the rectangular structure that we can see nowadays. Also in the 13th century the splendid mosaic was added to the interior. The well-known bronze doors of the baptistery were added in the Late Gothic and Renaissance periods. The first east door (which is now a south door) was designed by Andrea Pisano in 1330-36, the north door was produced by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1401-24, and the present east door (the "Gates of Paradise") was created by Ghiberti in 1425-52. The first door was produced by Adreo Pisano, Gothic sculptor, in 1330-36. Originally it was the east door, and later it got moved to the south. John the Baptist and the eight virtues are depicted here. The north doors were designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti in 1401 – 24. He was 21 years old when he was commissioned to create the east doors for this building. Later on the theme of the doors was changed from the Old Testament to the New Testament, and the sculpture was requested to create his door in such a way that it would match the doors of Pisano in the overall layout. Ghiberti’s scenes were also made in the quatrefoil frames, but you can still see the Renaissance style in his work. Eight panels illustrate the major saints and twenty panels describe the life of Jesus Christ. The panels should be read from the bottom up and horizontally left to right across both wings. The sculptures on the entablature were created by Giovan Francesco Rustici, and they depict John the Baptist preaching. (Sacred Destinations) The east doors, called “Gates of Paradise” were created in 1425-52 by Lorenzo Ghiberti. He died three years after the completion of the doors. They are claimed to be the masterpiece of the San Giovanni Baptistery. It is said that the name “Gates of Paradise” were given by Michelangelo, because of their extreme beauty they could adorn the Paradise. But the true reason is that every year the converts came through that door to be anointed in the Baptistery, and in such a way they earned the paradise. (Radke G. The Gates of Paradise) The door that is presently at the Baptistery is the copy of the original one, since 1990 the original door is situated inside the Museo DellOpera Del Duomo. The bronze panels are created in the Renaissance style, which is characterized by the emphasis on the perspective, realism and landscape surroundings. The scenes at the background are carved in the bronze, and the action at the foreground is made in sculptures that are almost free-standing. The east door’s topic is the Old Testament. There are ten main themes which are surrounded by the border of the busts of prophets. The Gates of Paradise are bordered by two porphyry columns, which were presented to Florence by the people of Pisa thankful for the Florence’s armed help in 1117. The sculptures above the door were supplemented by Andrea Sansovino and Innocenzo Spinazzi in 1502. As for the Santa Constanza mausoleum, it is a round building built of brick. Originally the atrium at the entrance of the construction was forceps-shaped, which can be noticed in the piazza. The central area is encircled by 12 pairs of Roman columns. The columns form an ambulatory around the outside of the building. Formerly, the walls of the mausoleum were covered in marble. The Emperor Julian commissioned a sarcophagus to be built for his wife Helena. The sarcophagus was moved to the Vatican Museum at the end of the 18th century , and there is a replica of it situated at the east side of Santa Constanza in a large niche. Interior of the Buildings Both buildings under consideration have mosaic decorations inside. The San Giovanni Baptistery is fully decorated inside. On the walls we can see beautiful geometric designs made from marble, and the floor is covered with beautiful designs made of marble. On the floor there is an outstanding zodiac rose made in Oriental style. There are a few monuments inside. One of the most outstanding is the sepulcher of Antipope John XXIII, which was created by Michelozzo and Donatello at the beginning of the 15th century. Because the pope has been quite generous to Florence, the city citizens supported him in the Western Schism. The monument faces the viewer. Under the sepulcher there are reliefs of the three theological virtues – Love, Faith and Hope. One of the most outstanding features of the San Giovanni Baptistery is its mosaic ceiling. The vault is made up of eight parts and is covered with golden mosaics which describe the scenes from the Bible in the very fine details. The mosaic dates back to the 13th century. The mosaic is divided into registers – eight triangular sections and five concentric rings. The three triangular sections depict the scene of Christ and the Last Judgment. At the right side we can see the Devil who is gobbling up those who were damned, and at the left side there are redeemed depicted who will live in eternal life with the saints. The other themes are depicted on the concentric rings. One can see such themes there: hierarchies of angels, stories from Genesis, stories of Joseph, stories of Mary and Jesus, stories of John the Baptist. (Sacred Destinations) As far as Santa Constanza mausoleum, the main feature of it is the barrel vaulting of the ambulatory. It is covered with original mosaic of the 4th century. The dome mosaics demonstrate the mix of Christian and pagan symbolism. Many historians state that Santa Constanza exhibits the transition from pagan to Christian culture in the most outstanding way. The ambulatory mosaics were designed in pairs, which lead to the niche, where Helena’s sarcophagus is situated. The first pair is a geometric design, then there is circular motif which has figures and animals present. After that there are popular scenes of grape harvesting, following by roundels with busts, figures and leaf designs. The pair next to sarcophagus itself has peacocks, amphorae and branches. The interesting thing about these mosaics is that they can be interpreted both in pagan and Christian way. Mosaics can also be found in the east, south and north niches. Unfortunately, it was not possible to restore them completely, but even from the border that is richly decorated, one can make a conclusion about how wonderful the original has been. The exact date of the mosaics cannot be stated, scholars belief it was created somewhere between the 5th and the 7th centuries AD. At the north mosaic Jesus Christ is depicted handling the keys to the kingdom of Heaven to St. Peter. At the north niche, there is Christ who stands on the hill of paradise wearing golden robes, who hands Peter the scroll with the writing “Dominvs pacem dat”, which means “The Lord gives peace through his rule”. (Mackie G. A new look at the patronage of Santa Costanza, Rome) Unfortunately as of now, the dome mosaics of Santa Constanza are destroyed. They were describing the scenes from the New Testament, and these paintings are assumed to be made in the 16th and 17th centuries. One can only see faded images of the paintings at the dome nowadays. Conclusion Both buildings under consideration, San Giovanni Baptistery in Florence and Santa Constanza mausoleum in Rome, were built approximately in the same time – in the 4th century AD. Both of them are Christian Catholic churches. The most outstanding features of the buildings are their beautiful mosaics, though in San Giovanni Baptistery there is Medieval mosaic present, and in Santa Canstanza Mausoleum there is Byzantine mosaic. San Giovanni is dedicated to St. John the Baptist and Santa Constanza to St. Constansia, who is not actually a saint. The shapes of the buildings are different: San Giovanni is the octagon, and Santa Constanza has a round shape. Though there are similarities between these two churches, the buildings are different, but it can be stated with assurance that both of them are great masterpieces of the architecture of their times and magnificent Christian monuments. Works Cited Macadam A., Grady E. Blue Guide Central Italy with Rome and Florence. Somerset: Blue Guides Limited. Print. 2008. 275-76. Mackie G. A new look at the patronage of Santa Costanza, Rome. Byzantion 67. Print.1997. p.383-406. Radke G. The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghibertis Renaissance Masterpiece. High Museum of Art Series. Web. N.d. 25 November 2012 Sacred Destinations. Web. N.d. 24 November 2012 Webb M. The Churches and Catacombs of Early Christian Rome: A Comprehensive Guide. Sussex Academic Press. Print.2001 White J. Art and Architecture in Italy 1250-1400. Yale University Press. Print. 1993. p.471-80. Read More