Battistero Neoniano (Battistero degli Ortodossi)
Battistero Neoniano (Battistero degli Ortodossi)
Battistero Neoniano (Battistero degli Ortodossi)
4.5
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
About
The most ancient of Ravenna monuments, at least with regard to when building began, it dates to the end of the 4th or the beginning of the 5th century.
Duration: < 1 hour
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
1,511 reviews
Excellent
1,026
Very good
419
Average
55
Poor
9
Terrible
2
Azalee99
Vienna, Austria163 contributions
Dec 2019
absolutely marvellous and very rich in things to look at. if you only do a "quick peek", why even bother to go in the first place? this needs a bit of preparation so you understand what is what, and then just time to let it sink in. trying to translate the latin inscriptions is for geeks, i admit- but this is some of the most stunning art you will ever see anywhere (and believe me, i have been around). savor it.
Written 2 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JJJC_Family
Virginia794 contributions
Nov 2021
Ravenna is perhaps the world capitol of mosaics, what it is known for. This building is one of the great baptistries I have seen with, of course, great mosaics. It’s not as magnificent as the tip-top Florence baptistry, with so many gold mosaics that it seems to shine, but it’s more colorful and almost has a playfulness to it that makes it, how shall I say it, fun to look at. You hurt your neck continually craning to follow the mosaic pictures wrapping around the upper part of the walls and up to the top of the dome. It can make you dizzy, too. There is a set time for you to come and I believe they had a set amount of time to spend inside, like 10-30 minutes, whatever it was. We blew right past that. You don’t want to leave, a craving made even more intense by the knowledge that you will likely never return, as Ravenna is a bit away from other places you want to see in Italy, unless you have been to Italy many times and you have the luxury of filling in the gaps with second and third tier cities. In other words, for the typical tourist you have to make a special effort to go there and what do you give up to go there? But if you do, you will be rewarded with treasures like this baptistry. It’s a day you won’t forget.
Written 1 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Francisco Jose Fernandez Sanchez
Las Rozas, Spain600 contributions
Dec 2022
The second guided tour we did to the world heritage sites of Ravenna was to this extraordinary little Orthodox church, also surrounded by other monuments around it
Said to be the best and most complete surviving example of an early Christian baptistery
There are two outbuildings, each belonging to one of the two Christian communities that coexisted in Ravenna at the time. Orthodox understood in the sense of the time, which referred to Christians of correct doctrine as opposed to the Arian heresy.
There is an important contrast between the exterior and the interior of the building, the mosaics are spectacular
The dome occupied by a mosaic representing John the Baptist baptizing a bearded Jesus standing waist-deep in water is spectacular.
Said to be the best and most complete surviving example of an early Christian baptistery
There are two outbuildings, each belonging to one of the two Christian communities that coexisted in Ravenna at the time. Orthodox understood in the sense of the time, which referred to Christians of correct doctrine as opposed to the Arian heresy.
There is an important contrast between the exterior and the interior of the building, the mosaics are spectacular
The dome occupied by a mosaic representing John the Baptist baptizing a bearded Jesus standing waist-deep in water is spectacular.
Written 11 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
greenpanther30
Camberley, UK1,297 contributions
May 2022 • Couples
Wonderful small baptistery. Timed entry and you only get 5 mins to enjoy it. The queuing system is interesting and locals tend to push in front! However it's worth the pain as the artistry is simply stunning. We loved it... All included in the ticket price to see 5 sights. Enjoy
Written 14 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macedonboy
Glasgow, UK1,85,729 contributions
May 2023
This building is the Baptistery of Neon, named for Bishop Neon when the building was constructed in the 5th century. The original church to which the baptistery was joined was destroyed, although the extant baptistery now sits on the grounds of the Cathedral of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The baptistery has an octagonal plan, alternately rectilinear and apsidal sides, pierced at the top by a round arched window and underground doors. The interior is quite compact and the walls are richly adorned with mosaics. The dominant mosaic is on the ceiling depicting the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist. The scene is in the centre of the ceiling showing Jesus standing waist high in the Jordan River with. Zeus as personification of the river. Arranged in an outer circle is a procession of the twelve apostles.
The ceiling dome sits on semi domes, supported by a pendentive with the walls and corners just as beautifully decorated with mosaics. Most of these are of saints, surrounded by foliage on a deep blue background.
This building is an amazing way to enjoy early Chritian art in a compact space.
The baptistery has an octagonal plan, alternately rectilinear and apsidal sides, pierced at the top by a round arched window and underground doors. The interior is quite compact and the walls are richly adorned with mosaics. The dominant mosaic is on the ceiling depicting the baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist. The scene is in the centre of the ceiling showing Jesus standing waist high in the Jordan River with. Zeus as personification of the river. Arranged in an outer circle is a procession of the twelve apostles.
The ceiling dome sits on semi domes, supported by a pendentive with the walls and corners just as beautifully decorated with mosaics. Most of these are of saints, surrounded by foliage on a deep blue background.
This building is an amazing way to enjoy early Chritian art in a compact space.
Written 17 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vadim
Murmansk, Russia34,571 contributions
May 2023 • Solo
Compared to the baptisteries of Florence and Pisa, the octagonal Baptistery of Neon does not make an impression externally. An ordinary brick building. Today we do not see it in the same form as during construction, because over the past centuries, the building has drained by as much as 3 meters. Of all the 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ravenna, the Neon Baptistery was built the earliest. And among all the surviving early Christian Baptisteries in Europe and the Middle East, it is the best preserved. Despite the turbulent history of Italy in general and Ravenna in particular, surprisingly, it reached almost untouched. This is especially evident in the central mosaic of the dome, where the scene of the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist is laid out. Jesus' chest feels like wet, polished water, but there are no droplets yet.. It's amazing, because 16 centuries have passed! The perimeter depicts a procession of the twelve apostles passing in two directions with the final meeting of St. Peter with St. Paul. The walls are decorated too. The original stucco depicting the prophets was mistakenly regarded as late during the restoration of the early 20th century. It was deleted. After the exact dating, nothing could be done, so we see the reconstruction. No one is lowered into the baptismal bath, tourists throw coins there. Coins were thrown, of course, not as much as in the Trevi fountain. The bath itself is of the XVI century, with the exception of the pulpit- a place for a priest. It is original- V century.
Written 12 May 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
PavlaPavla
Chrudim, Czech Republic7,543 contributions
Jul 2022
Battistero Neoniano is part of a combined ticket to five Ravenna monuments. The entry is timed and you can only be in for 5 minutes. Fortunately, there was no one there at the time of my visit, except our group, so we were able to stay inside longer.
As in many other places in Ravenna, you will see beautiful mosaics here. You can also throw a coin for luck into the small pool here. Definitely worth a visit.
As in many other places in Ravenna, you will see beautiful mosaics here. You can also throw a coin for luck into the small pool here. Definitely worth a visit.
Written 27 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
joopb
Leidschendam, The Netherlands819 contributions
Sept 2020 • Friends
Its a small one yet a great gem. Its wonderful and exquisit a real piece of art. Don't walk past is bit visit it
Written 17 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NYCDesign78
New York City, NY227 contributions
Sept 2019
This is not the most beautiful building, but the ceiling mosaic truly amazing. It was captivating and you could just look at it for hours. Gorgeous artistry and very well preserved.
Written 24 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark R
Nettleham, UK41 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
The whole city is a gem, this is just one of the jewels within..Very small, part of it's beauty, but be mindful of timing of the visit.
Written 2 June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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