Baptistery of Neon

The Baptistery of Neon (Italian: Battistero Neoniano) is a

Ostrogothic King Theodoric some 50 years later.

The ceiling mosaic in the Baptistry of Neon

History

The octagonal brick structure was erected during the late Western Roman Empire by Bishop Ursus at the end of the 4th or beginning of the 5th century, as part of his great Basilica (destroyed in 1734). The baptistery was finished by Bishop Neon at the end of the 5th century, at which time the mosaic decorations were added.

Description

The original floor is now some 3 meters underground, so the proper structure and extent of the building can no longer be seen. The octagonal design of the building, employed in virtually all Early Christian baptisteries, symbolizes the seven days of the week plus the Day of the Resurrection and Eternal Life.

The ceiling mosaic depicts

Saint Paul

.

The Baptistry is one of the eight structures in Ravenna registered as

ICOMOS evaluation of this patrimony, "this is the finest and most complete surviving example of the early Christian baptistery

" which "retains the fluidity in representation of the human figure derived from Greco-Roman art".