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Abstract
The Arian Baptistry of Ravenna belongs to a group of early Christian baptistries which are octagonal in plan. It also belongs to a subgroup of octagonal baptistries with an outer ambulatory. A study of this subgroup indicates that the plan of the Arian Baptistry represents an original architectural solution to the requirements of baptism. Investigation of the dome mosaic reveals no statements of Arian doctrine but demonstrates that the mosaic addressed the Arian community uniquely and was shaped by the political dynamics within that community.
A ninth century text written in Ravenna relates that the Arian Baptistry served the Arian community during the period of Ostrogothic domination (476-540). Most scholars have attributed it to Theoderic, who ruled Italy from 493 to 526, but reexamination of the documentary evidence raises questions about the patron and date of foundation which this study attempts to answer. Analysis of the mosaic program, the architecture and the city's topography all point to episcopal patronage and a date between 490 and 500.