Baptistery of San Giovanni

The Baptistery of San Giovanni, located in Florence, Italy, is an 11th-century octagonal building renowned for its green and white marble exterior and intricate mosaics. It is most famous for its three sets of bronze doors, created in the 14th and 15th centuries, which feature sculptures depicting scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist, the city's patron saint, as well as themes of salvation and baptism.1

The original wooden east doors were replaced by bronze ones designed by Andrea Pisano between 1330 and 1336. Later, Lorenzo Ghiberti won a competition against Filippo Brunelleschi to create new doors. Ghiberti's doors, made between 1403 and 1424, showcase a transition to the Renaissance style with their use of perspective and dynamic figures. Ghiberti's final set of doors, completed between 1425 and 1452, are gilded and known as the Gates of Paradise, a name given by Michelangelo due to their exceptional beauty. These doors are considered masterpieces of Early Renaissance sculpture.12