Baptistery
Address and contacts
Piazza Prampolini - 42121 Reggio nell'Emilia
+39 0522 402210 / 432654 (Ufficio Beni Culturali Curia)
udbce-re@libero.it
Girareggio
Opening times
Upon previous arrangement only or on the occasion of planned events
How to get there
The Baptistery is located in the town centre, next to the Cathedral. See the map above.
Historical notes
The Baptistry is a singular 12th-century building characterized by a Latin cross plan, with the baptismal font in the centre. At the end of the 15th century Bishop Arlotti transformed it according to the Renaissance style: the façade where you can see the lunette, above the portal, with the carved Baptism of Christ, as link with the Bishop's Palace. Inside the building you can find the important fresco of the Baptism of Christ, by Francesco Caprioli in 1497/98, probably with the collaboration of Cesare Cesariano from Milan, for the architectural work and the baptismal font made of red marble of Verona with marble tile (1494). Outside the building, on the left hand column of the entrance, you can still see the old linear measures of the "braccio" (arm) and "pertica" (pole) used in trade. Recent restoration work has revealed much of the medieval structures which were unknown before 1984.