Battistero Neoniano (o degli Ortodossi)

While the Basilica of San Vitale is the grand star of Ravenna, the Neonian Baptistery is its quiet, ancient soul. Dating back to the 5th century, it is the oldest monument in the city. Do not let its small size deceive you; stepping inside feels like entering a perfectly preserved jewelry box. It offers a rare, intimate look at early Christian art that is arguably more cohesive than the larger basilicas.

Ravenna’s oldest monument (c.400CE) and decorated under Bishop Neon. Inside, marbles and stucco arcades frame prophets and decorative motifs, with a marble and porphyry font (16th-c. but faithful to the octagonal plan). Above, mosaics celebrate baptism and orthodox theology: Christ immersed in the Jordan, the Spirit descending, apostles circling in procession toward a symbolic throne of the Second Coming. The imagery contrasts with the later Arian Baptistery, where Christ is shown younger and the throne omitted. Every surface is a visual creed in mosaic, beautifully preserved.

This intringuing Baptistery of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ takes its name from Bishop Neonius, who adorned it with superb mosaics featuring golden accents. It is also called the Baptistery of the Orthodox to distinguish it from the Baptistery of the Arians. Octagonal in shape with four apses, it is the oldest early Christian monument in the city, as its construction is believed to have begun at the end of the 4th century. Visitors flock there to decipher the mosaic in its dome depicting the baptism of Christ. It was commissioned in the mid-5th century by Bishop Neonius. In the central medallion, Christ, remarkably personified, splashes in the waters of the Jordan River, while John the Baptist, covered in his goatskin, baptizes him. This is to be expected. What is less expected is the exceptional use of transparency. The twelve apostles surround this scene with their austere presence. The famous psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, bewildered, is said to have described his visit to the baptistery as a "hallucination"!

Beautiful church with lots of mosaic art. Worthy the visit to see and learn about the history of this place.

An extremely beautiful structure located in the centre of Ravenna. The interior contains a large and beautiful mosaic, depicting the scene of baptism. Better to book tickets in advance.

The Neonian (Orthodox) Baptistery is a little jewel box—small outside, WOW inside! Step in and look up: the dome mosaic of Christ’s baptism, ringed by the twelve apostles, absolutely glows. The octagonal space, marble baptismal font, and shimmering blues and golds make it feel intimate and timeless. Tiny place, huge beauty.

This beautiful Baptistry is impressive enough due to its age alone: it was probably started in the late 400s and it's still standing today, lined with lovely mosaics so typical of Ravenna's Byzantine sites. We visited the baptistry with the multi-site Ravenna mosaics combination ticket. We were here in winter, when there were few visitors. In high tourist season you are apparently limited to a five-minute visit at the time specified on your ticket, because the room is very small and cannot possibly accommodate crowds of visitors otherwise. But on a cold winter's day we were able to take our time, and spent about a quarter of an hour here.

This place is beautiful, all the mosaics on the ceiling are spectacular!! It can get very crowded as it is not that big. We were allowed to take pictures and we could also stayed as long as we wanted. It was included on the ticket you buy to access the main sites in the town.