baptistry

(noun)

A designated space that may stand within a church as a separate room or even as a separate building associated with a church, where a baptismal font is located, and consequently, where the sacrament of Christian baptism (via aspersion or affusion) is performed. Typically during the Renaissance, baptisteries were separate buildings as people would be baptized before entering a church or Cathedral. 

Related Terms

  • lost wax
  • allegory

Examples of baptistry in the following topics:

  • Sculpture

    • Renaissance sculpture is often thought to begin with the famous competition for the doors made for the Florence Baptistry in 1403.
  • Renaissance Sculpture in Florence

    • Ghiberti's gates depicted scenes from the Old Testament at the eastern entrance of the Baptistry.
  • Architecture under the Merovingians

    • The Baptistry of St.
Subjects
  • Accounting
  • Algebra
  • Art History
  • Biology
  • Business
  • Calculus
  • Chemistry
  • Communications
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Microbiology
  • Physics
  • Physiology
  • Political Science
  • Psychology
  • Sociology
  • Statistics
  • U.S. History
  • World History
  • Writing

Except where noted, content and user contributions on this site are licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 with attribution required.