Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Goa's Daugim Cross
The two 36-inch refracting lenses in the Lick Observatory telescope are among the largest ever built.
James Lick’s Grave
The Lagoda
Human figures at Miculla Petroglyphs
Miculla Petroglyphs
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Pigeons were included in a series of 1891 illustrations entitled “Household Pets.”
What Makes a Pest a Pest?
Burros Alfa and Beto, seen here with Luis Soriano in 2008, have been helping the teacher deliver books for more than 20 years.
How One Man and His ‘Biblioburro’ Spreads Literacy in Rural Colombia
Price Tower
What Happened to Price Tower, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Only Skyscraper?
Jeremy Bentham’s Auto-Icon in its new location in 2020
The Jeremy Bentham Auto-Icon: Why This Legendary Philosopher Put His Own Body on Display

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Italy Ravenna Arian Baptistry

Arian Baptistry

A medieval, mosaic-lined baptistry built by a heretical Christian sect.

Ravenna, Italy

Added By
Joel Cusumano
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
The mosaics.   Joel Cusumano / Atlas Obscura User
Mosaics.   Arian Baptistry/CC BY-SA 4.0
The procession of the apostles.   José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro/cc by-sa 4.0
Baptistry exterior.   Joel Cusumano / Atlas Obscura User
The baptistry (right) and the Church of the Holy Spirit (center).   Joel Cusumano / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

The Arian Baptistry is a rare relic of the short period in the late fifth and early sixth centuries when Gothic kings ruled Italy from Ravenna.

Built by King Theodoric the Great as his royal baptistry, the octagonal structure depicts, in gold mosaic, the baptism of Christ surrounded by the apostles and an enthroned cross. To the left of Jesus sits a bearded figure with a crab on his head, a pagan-influenced representation of the River Jordan.

The Goths practiced Arianism, a form of nontrinitarian Christianity originating in Egypt that believed Christ was created by God the Father; there he was inferior and not, as the Nicene Creed states, "of one substance" with the Father.

However, you'd be hard-pressed to see exactly why the baptistry belonged to this heretical sect of Christianity. It resembles and was likely modeled on the orthodox Baptistry of Neon a few blocks away. The distinguishing clue is its unusual depiction of Jesus as young and beardless, an indication of the emphasis of the inferior status of the Christ the Son to God the Father.

After the Eastern Roman Empire retook Italy in the 540s, the baptistry was reconsecrated as orthodox, and a monastery was built to attach it. The colorful frescoes and decorations that would have lined the walls have long since been destroyed. The Allied bombardment of Ravenna in World War II destroyed the structures surrounding the baptistry and exposed its original exterior for the first time in centuries.

Related Tags

Monasteries Christianity Mosaics Medieval
Atlas Obscura Adventures

Flavors of Italy: Roman Carbonara, Florentine Steak & Venetian Cocktails

Savor local cuisine across Rome, Florence & Venice.

Book Now

Community Contributors

Added By

Joel Cusumano

Edited By

vlkys

  • vlkys

Published

July 10, 2019

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.sacred-destinations.com/italy/ravenna-arian-baptistery
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arian_Baptistery
Arian Baptistry
20 Via degli Ariani
Ravenna, 48121
Italy
44.418703, 12.202448
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Dante's Tomb

Ravenna, Italy

miles away

Flooded Crypt of San Francesco

Ravenna, Italy

miles away

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

Ravenna, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ravenna

Ravenna

Italy

Places 9
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Dante's Tomb

Ravenna, Italy

miles away

Flooded Crypt of San Francesco

Ravenna, Italy

miles away

Mausoleum of Galla Placidia

Ravenna, Italy

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Ravenna

Ravenna

Italy

Places 9
Stories 1

Related Places

  • Greifswald, Germany

    Eldena Abbey

    These crumbling monastery ruins inspired a master of German Romanticism.

  • Esgos, Spain

    Monasterio de San Pedro de Rocas

    An abandoned 6th-century monastery features a medieval map of the known world.

  • Ardchattan Priory

    Ardchattan, Scotland

    Ardchattan Priory

    A private home envelops the ruins of this 13th-century priory.

  • Cottanello, Italy

    Eremo di San Cataldo (Hermitage of Saint Cataldus)

    When occupying Nazi troops detonated a mine below, medieval frescoes were revealed in this small cliff-side hermitage.

  • Nottinghamshire, England

    Stew Pond at Newstead Abbey

    In this medieval fish bowl, the carp weren't pets.

  • The ruins of Craswall Priory.

    Craswall, England

    Craswall Priory

    Britain’s highest medieval monastery is a remote ruin nestled at the head of a valley 1,240 feet above the sea.

  • The amazingly well-preserved undercroft.

    Nottinghamshire, England

    Rufford Abbey

    The undercroft is a spectacular example of medieval Cistercian architecture.

  • The abbey today.

    Barrow-in-Furness, England

    Furness Abbey

    What was once England's second-richest abbey is now a haunting ruin.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.