Arian Baptistery

About

The Arian Baptistry in Ravenna, Italy is a Christian baptismal building that was erected by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric the Great between the end of the 5th century and the beginning of the 6th century A.D., at the same time as the Basilica of Sant' Apollinare Nuovo. Theodoric the Great was an Arian Christian who spent his formative years as a hostage in Constantinople, where he received a comprehensive education that included imperial customs. As an adult Theodoric's political cunning and martial feats gained him the respect of other Goths. After years of movement within the Roman Empire, a treaty agreement with Emperor Zeno resulted in the Goths being given Ravenna to rule in the emperor's name. Arian Christianity required separate places of worship from Chalcedonian Christianity. Theodoric did not uproot the Chalcedonian Christians who lived in Ravenna. Instead, separate places of worship were commissioned, resulting in the construction of an Arian cathedral and baptistery. The octagonal baptistery was constructed with brick, and the interior would have been adorned by many mosaics, but today, only the dome's mosaic remains, depicting a scene of Jesus' baptism. The baptistery shares several similarities with the Orthodox Baptistery of Neon, in both structure and mosaic composition. After Arianism was condemned the baptistery was converted into a Chalcedonian structure. Today, the Arian Baptistery is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Theodoric (known to the Goths as Theuderic, which was Hellenized to Theoderichos) was born into Arian Christianity, as it was the religion practiced by eastern Ostrogoths and western Visigoths in the Balkans. He came to Constantinople as a foreign hostage of the Roman Empire and spent his formative years receiving an education that included imperial customs and court functions, with the intention of establishing a political alliance through cooperation once he returned to his country. As an Arian Christian, Theodoric was required to worship outside of the city walls, where he joined other Arian Christians of the imperial court in worship. As an adult, Theodoric proved to be a shrewd politician and military leader, all while maintaining relations with Constantinople, which earned him prestige among other Goths. The relationship was tenuous at times, as the Goths endured years of insecure movement within the empire as they tried to establish a place to settle through martial actions for themselves. In the year 487, the Goths erected an encampment around Constantinople that cut off the water supply. A treaty was agreed upon by both Theodoric and Emperor Zeno's courts that gave Ravenna to the Goths and had Theodoric rule the west in the emperor's name. Theodoric was an Arian Christian. Arian Christians believed that because Jesus was the son of God he was secondary to God, as God has always existed but Jesus had not. It was deemed heretical by the Council of Nicaea in 325 CE. As Arian Christians, it was necessary to build places of worship separate from Chalcedonian Christians. Theodoric did not uproot the Orthodox Chalcedonian Christians who lived in Ravenna. Instead, he commissioned separate places of worship for Arian Christians. The Arian cathedral was commissioned by King Theodoric in 493, and later the octagonal baptistery. The cathedral, now called the Church of Spirito Santo, was originally named Hagia Anastasis (Holy Resurrection). It was re-consecrated as the Chalcedonian cathedral of Saint Teodoro (soldier and martyr of Amasea in Pontus) in 526 AD. The primary Arian minister would have resided nearby; the residence would have included a bath, lodging for the clergy, and a villa. Little remains of the original church after its reconstruction in 1543; some historians speculate tha

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