Saved in this browser, on this device. Shared across the nine languages.
Loading your Florence…
From the regional World / Stories
The Baptistery's mosaic ceiling
Gold-ground mosaics turn the Baptistery's octagonal ceiling into a medieval cycle of judgement, scripture and saints' lives, unfolding in layered narrative bands.
Why go
The ceiling is the building's most concentrated visual narrative. Above the altar, a large Christ of the Last Judgement is surrounded by angels, the saved and the damned. Elsewhere, the bands move through Genesis, Joseph, Mary and Christ, and John the Baptist. The Byzantine-influenced gold ground makes the figures legible as separate scenes rather than a single painted illusion.
What to look for
A large Last Judgement with Christ at the centre above the altar.
Narrative bands for Genesis, Joseph, Mary and Christ, and John the Baptist.
Gold-ground mosaics begun in 1225 and completed over the following century.
Photo gallery 2
Original World content and translations, shown as supplied. Practical information may need updating.
Florence / Tours & Travel
My day 00
Collect a few stops, adjust the time and put them in an order that works for you.
Saved in this browser, on this device. Shared across the nine languages.
Florence, in sync.
My plans changed
Tell this moment what changed above. I will offer a new draft of My day, keeping what fits in order.
