# Florence Baptistery > The Baptistery of San Giovanni is an octagonal white and green marble church facing Florence Cathedral and one of the oldest buildings in the city. Outside are three sets of bronze doors, including Ghiberti's famous Gates of Paradise; inside, a golden 13th-century mosaic dome. Entry is on the combined cathedral ticket; allow 20 to 30 minutes. Web page: https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-baptistery - City: [Florence](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence), Italy - YesGo score: 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) - Time on site: 30 min - With kids: Fine with kids - Entry: Paid, combined cathedral, museum and Baptistery pass - Opening hours: Daily by day - Highlights: Gates of Paradise, mosaic dome - Doors: Free to see from outside - Time needed: 20–30 minutes - Location: Piazza del Duomo, facing the cathedral front - Coordinates: 43.77306, 11.25500 - Facts checked: 11.11.2026 ## Key facts - **1059** — the church was consecrated; finished by 1128 (source: English Wikipedia) - **13th c.** — the dome mosaics were laid (source: English Wikipedia) - **1330–1336** — Andrea Pisano cast the south doors (source: English Wikipedia) - **1425–1452** — Lorenzo Ghiberti made the east doors, the Gates of Paradise (source: English Wikipedia) - **Dante** — the poet was baptised here (source: English Wikipedia) ## History of the Baptistery The **Baptistery of San Giovanni** is a free-standing church for baptisms, dedicated to **St John the Baptist**, the patron saint of Florence. It was consecrated in **1059** and completed in its present form by **1128**. For centuries Florentines believed it was a converted Roman temple of Mars, so ancient and noble did it look. In fact it is a masterpiece of **Florentine Romanesque**, and its crisp striped marble set the pattern for the cathedral and many later churches. For centuries every child in the city was baptised here, **Dante Alighieri** among them; in the Divine Comedy he calls it, fondly, "my beautiful San Giovanni". The building mattered so much that its upkeep was handed to the richest guild in town, the cloth merchants, who spared no expense on the best artists. It stands on Piazza del Duomo directly opposite the front of [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral), next to [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile). Together they form the best-known group of buildings in Florence, and the Baptistery is the eldest of the three. ## The bronze doors and the Gates of Paradise The Baptistery's three pairs of bronze doors are a lesson in art history from Gothic to Renaissance. The **south doors** were cast by **Andrea Pisano** in **1330–1336**: 28 panels in Gothic quatrefoil frames tell the life of John the Baptist. In **1401** the guild held a competition for a second, **north** set. The young **Lorenzo Ghiberti** and **Filippo Brunelleschi** were among the entrants. Ghiberti won and spent more than twenty years on the job. Brunelleschi, so the story goes, was so put out that he gave up sculpture for architecture, and later built the cathedral dome across the square. That contest is often called the starting gun of the Florentine Renaissance. The most famous are the **east doors**, made by Ghiberti in **1425–1452**. Ten large gilded panels of Old Testament stories read like paintings with real depth: figures at the front almost step out of the frame while buildings and hills fade into the distance. **Michelangelo** is said to have called them fit to be the gates of paradise, and the name stuck: the **Gates of Paradise**. > **The originals are in the museum** The doors on the building today are exact copies. After restoration the original panels of all three sets were moved to the Opera del Duomo Museum, two minutes away, where you can study them up close and without the crush. The museum is on the same combined ticket. ## What to see at the Baptistery - **Gates of Paradise** — Ghiberti's east doors facing the cathedral. - **North doors** — Ghiberti's first big commission. - **South doors** by Andrea Pisano — Gothic quatrefoils. - **Mosaic dome** — the Last Judgement and Bible stories. - **The giant Christ** — the central figure of the dome. - **Marble floor** — patterns and a zodiac wheel. ## Inside: the golden dome Inside, the Baptistery feels bigger than it looks. The walls are clad in marble with columns, and overhead rises an eight-sided dome covered entirely in **13th-century mosaics** on a gold ground, the work of several generations of craftsmen who probably knew the mosaics of Venice. At the centre is a huge figure of **Christ**; around him, in bands one above the other, run the Creation, the story of Joseph and the lives of Christ and John the Baptist. Stand in the middle, tip your head back and follow the bands round: your eyes soon adjust to the glow of the gold and the small, often charming details start to appear. The floor is inlaid marble with geometric patterns and a zodiac wheel. There's little seating, so a visit doesn't take long. The mosaics are restored in stages and part of the vault may be under scaffolding, so check the cathedral's official site before you go. ## How to get to the Baptistery 1. The Baptistery is on **Piazza del Duomo**, opposite the cathedral front. 2. From **Santa Maria Novella** station, 10 minutes on foot along Via de' Panzani. 3. From [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria), 5 minutes. 4. The entrance is on the north-doors side. ## Tickets and tips There is usually no separate Baptistery ticket: entry comes with the **combined cathedral pass**, together with the Opera del Duomo Museum and, on the fuller versions, the dome and bell tower climbs. The pass is valid for several days, so you can slot the Baptistery in whenever you have a gap. The doors can be seen from outside for free at any time. To look at the Gates of Paradise without a crowd, come **early in the morning** or **in the evening**; by day there's always a tight knot of tourists at the east doors. Queues inside are usually shorter than for the cathedral, which makes the Baptistery a good way to fill time before your dome climb slot. ## Before you go Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Buy the combined cathedral pass - [ ] Study the Gates of Paradise from outside - [ ] Find Christ at the centre of the mosaic dome - [ ] See the original doors in the Opera del Duomo Museum - [ ] Photograph the Baptistery with the bell tower ## Florence's churches: compare and choose Churches and basilicas in Florence rated by YesGo. - [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid - [Santa Croce](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-croce) — YesGo score 50/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · Paid - [Florence Baptistery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-baptistery) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Combined cathedral pass - [Santa Maria Novella](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santa-maria-novella) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [Basilica of San Lorenzo](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-lorenzo) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Paid - [Orsanmichele](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/orsanmichele) — YesGo score 45/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Free - [Santo Spirito](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/santo-spirito) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 40 min · Free - [Medici Chapels](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/medici-chapels) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Paid - [San Miniato al Monte](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/san-miniato) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · Free - [Brancacci Chapel](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/brancacci-chapel) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Paid, timed entry - [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Combined cathedral pass ## Piazza del Duomo in a morning The Baptistery, the cathedral and Giotto's Campanile, then on to Piazza della Signoria. 1. [Florence Baptistery](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-baptistery) — YesGo score 48/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 30 min · Combined cathedral pass 2. [Florence Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/florence-cathedral) — YesGo score 60/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · Free; dome paid 3. [Giotto's Campanile](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/giottos-campanile) — YesGo score 41/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Combined cathedral pass 4. [Piazza della Signoria](https://yesgo.io/italy/florence/piazza-della-signoria) — YesGo score 53/100 (Yes, go) · 40 min · Free ## Don't mix it up The Florence Baptistery and the Pisa Baptistery are different buildings: Pisa's is round and stands beside the Leaning Tower. Florence's is octagonal and faces the cathedral with Brunelleschi's dome. ## Tips - The doors are free to see outside. - The original Gates are in the museum. - Entry is on the cathedral pass. - Mornings are quieter at the doors. ## Questions ### What are the Gates of Paradise in Florence? The Baptistery's east bronze doors by Lorenzo Ghiberti (1425–1452), with ten gilded Old Testament panels. ### How much is the Florence Baptistery? There's usually no separate ticket: entry is on the combined cathedral pass, along with the Opera del Duomo Museum. ### Are the Baptistery doors original? No, the doors on the building are copies; the original panels are in the Opera del Duomo Museum. ### What is inside the Baptistery? A marble hall under a dome covered in 13th-century gold mosaics with a huge figure of Christ. ### How long do you need at the Baptistery? 20 to 30 minutes inside and another 10 for the doors outside. ## How we checked History, doors and mosaics from English Wikipedia. Prices and hours weren't confirmed with an official source — hence the 'checking' badge. ## Sources - English Wikipedia: Florence Baptistery and Gates of Paradise (Ghiberti) - Official cathedral site, duomo.firenze.it --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. Quote the web page link above, not this file.