Baptistery ( lat. Baptisterium , from other Greek. Βαπτίζω - “to baptize ”, baptismal , baptismal ) - an extension to the church or a separate building designed for baptism . As a rule, the layout of the baptistery was multifaceted or rounded, and the upper part was crowned with a dome [1] .
Inside the baptistery there is a baptismal font , usually large enough for an adult, or even several people to plunge into it. Baptisteries were known no earlier than the 4th century and were initially quite large. Often they served to prepare those who were prepared to receive baptism, and sometimes to assemble the Christian community.
Since about the beginning of the 9th century, baptistery is much less common, due to the Christianization of the bulk of the population, which led to the fact that most people were baptized even in infancy. The font size decreased - instead of a pool, it acquired the appearance of a large bowl, which could be either portable (as a rule, in this case it was made of metal) or stationary. In the second case, it was installed in a chapel or in a temple - near the western wall, closer to the entrance (as was customary in the West) or in a special vestibule (more common in the East). In the 20th century , due to the growing number of adults who want to be baptized, baptistery and baptismal churches again began to take on importance.
Content
Notes
- ↑ A. S. Partin. Baptistery // Architectural terms. Illustrated Dictionary. - M .: "Stroyizdat", 1994. - S. 29. - 208 p. - ISBN 5-274-02072-0 .
See also
- Arian Baptistery
- Baptistery of the Orthodox
Literature
- Baptistery // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
Links
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to the Baptistery