BAPTISM WITH THE HO'LY SPIR'IT. A figurative expression fur an accession of spiritual power as the direct operation of the Holy [spirit.
BAP'TISTEKY (Gk. IJaTTiiTTTipi.oy, ha pt i.stfrion,
bathing-place). A place where Ijaptisni is ad-
ministered. A term used to designate a separate
building, or the anne.x or part of the church used
for that pvirpose, or even the baptismal font. As
inniRMsion was the method in use until the clo.se
of the Jliddle .ges, a large basin or tank and a
separate building were required during all these
centuries. In the Apostolic Ago, it is true, con-
verts were usually baptized in the nearest run-
ning water, and this remained permissible for a
long time — as in Charlenuigne's wholesale bap-
tism of the Saxons and in most early missionary
work. But as early as the Second Century,
Christian ritual required a separate building
attached to an episcopal church for the celebra-
tion of the ceremony, for it was connected with
the abjuration of error and the hearing of mass.
Baptisteries were of a well-defined form: their
prototypes are the fripidarium in some of the
smaller and private Roman baths, as at Pompeii
and Stabile, which were circular rooms with a
piscina or baptisteriiim in the centre; this cen-
tral tank, also called piscina by Christian
writers, was usually octagonal in form in the
baptisteries and entered by a descent of several
steps (usually three) from the floor level. The
earliest baptisteries preserved are in the Roman
Catacombs (q.v. ), supplied by natural springs,
and these were used during the persecutions; the
best known is that of the Catacoinli of Pontianus
(Third Century). In the Fourth Century, begin-
ning with Constantine, many large baptisteries
were erected. As they were not allowed except in
episcopal towns (and even there only one was al-
lowed, in connection with the cathedral church),
as, besides, the rite of baptism was administered
ordinarily only at certain seasons — Easter, Pen-
tecost, and Epiphany — the baptisteries had to be
so large that several thousand persons might be
baptized on each occasion. These baptisteries
were concentric in form; that is, an octagon,
either inscribed in a square or free-standing, or,
more rarely, a rotunda, a blunt cross, or a hexa-
gon. They were [daced close to the church and
connected with it, sometimes in front of the
atrium, either on its central axis (Parenzo),
or to one side (Torcello). The main hall, with
the piscina or fons in its centre, was usually pre-
ceded by a closed portico (Aquileia, Lateran),
where the ceremony of the Confession of Faith
took place, and contained an altar, often placed
in a special apse, for services to follow the bap-
tism. The baptistery was, therefore, a church.
It was commonly dedicated to Saint .John the Bap-
tist. The baptismal basin itself was surrounded
by a line of columns, sometimes connected by an
architrave, between which hangings were drawn
which concealed from the crowd the actual scene
of baptism. Above this central section usually
rose a dome of masonry or wood — circular or
polygonal. Around it was often an encircling
aisle — sometimes two aisles — to accommodate the
crowd. Early writers describe the magnificent
decorations and furnishings of the baptisteries.
That of Saint .lohn Lateran is said to l)e by Con-
stantine, and is certainly not much later.' It is
an octagon, with an interior 09 feet wide, divided
by eight columns into a centre and an ambu-
latory which is unique in l)eing surmounted by a
gallery. But in more unchanged condition is the
contemporary (c.420) baptistery of the Cathe-
dral of Ravenna, an octagon inscribed in a
square, whose walls and dome are completely
covered with a wonderful decoration of mosaics,
stuccoes, and marble slabs, which is one of the
most perfect specimens of Early Christian art.
Somewhat later the Arian heretics built a bap-
tistery for themselves (c.oOO) in Ravenna, on a
similar plan. Several ruined baptisteries have
been found connected with the interesting
churches of the ruined cities of Syria, all of them
of the Fourth, Fifth. and Sixth centuries. Thatat
Kalat-Semau is unique, not only in its four porti-
coes and four chambers symmetricallj' grouped
ai'ound it. but in being set beside a small bap-
tismal church, of basilical form. Of circular
baptisteries, the most important is that at
Nocera (Fifth Century) in Southern Italy, meas-
uring 70 feet inner diameter, with a peculiar
brick dome supported on fifteen pair of coupled
columns and surrounded by a vaulted aisle. The
Church of Saint Costanza,. in Rome, similar
to this and b}- many still regarded as a bap-
tistery, was really the mausoleum of Constan-
tina, the daughter of Constantine. The piscina
at Nocera is unusually well preserved; it is 20
.feet wide and o feet deep, with two descending
steps, a parajjet with marble slabs, and eight
surrounding columns for the hangings. Other
interesting early examples are at Aquileia. Der-
seta and Mondjelera in Syria, Albenga, Grave-
dona, and Sant' Aquilino, at Milan. Italy and
the Orient alone have such early examples. The
period of decline from the Seventh to the Tenth
centuries shows few of any importance. France
has two examples at Frejus and Poitiers. In the Eleventh Century the revival of architecture in Europe led to the building of superb baptisteries in ItalJ^ but not elsewhere. Every free Italian commune had in its main square the group of three great religious structures — cathedral, tower, baptistery. The three most impressive of these groups are at Parma, Pisa, and Florence: others are at Pistoja, Novara, Cremona, Verona, Lucca, Volterra, and Siena. Baptisteries of this period — Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth centuries — are especially numerous in northern Italy; besides the above, there are others at Almenso, Ca.sale Monferrato, Bologna (San Stefano), Ascoli, Serravalle, Asti, and many more, while the south is represented only by Ruvo and Cari. Of all these baptisteries, that of Florence is the most noted for its internal decoration in mosaic and for its fine dome, its marble figured pavement, and its wonderful bronze doors by Andrea Pisano and Ghiberto. That of Pi.sa contains Niecolo Pisano's famous pulpit. The Parma baptistery is entirely filled with contemporary frescoes and sculptures. All three are exquisitely finished on the exterior with diifcreut colored .marble incnistations, architectural details, and sculptures. In some cases the dome that surmounts the baptistery is allowed to show its outline on the exterior (Florence) ; in other cases a straight wall is continued from the base of the dome to a height that entirely conceals it ( Parma ) . The largest of these mediseval baptisteries far surpass the earlier examples in size, and could hold large congregations. Besides such separate structures, there were cases where a part of the church itself was
