Pistoia - Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte

A Roman oppidum here was founded in the 2nd century BC. In 406 "Pistorium" was destroyed by the Visigoths. After reconstruction, the city came under Byzantine rule. In the 8th century it experienced a brief heyday under the Lombards.

In the 12th century Pistoia was an independent comune with a lively economy and rapid urban expansion. The second city wall was built at this time. This quadrupled the walled city area compared to the first wall from the 7th to 8th centuries. However, the city's development was then hampered by internal fighting between the Ghibellines and Guelphs and the rivalry between the neighboring cities of Florence and Lucca. In the 14th century, Pistoia finally succumbed to Florentine power. With the founding of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, Pistoia finally became part of the Medicean sphere of power. Cosimo I de' Medici had the third city wall built, which still exists today.

The construction of the octagonal "Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte" started in 1303. It is discussed whether there was a planning contribution from Nicola Pisano (Pisa Baptistry, + 1278), but there is no proof. The building was completed in 1361 by Cellino di Nese, who had actually worked in Pisa before.

The baptistery is 40 meters high. The exterior is entirely covered with white and green marble.

Once there was a Lombard church, named "Santa Maria in Corte". It got demolished and replaced by the baptistery, leaving an addition to the name of the "Battistero di San Giovanni in Corte".