BAPTISTERY OF SAINT JOHN OF POITIERS

There was already a population in the Iron Age, specifically a Gaulish oppidum called Limonum. In the 1st century BC. C. was involved in the conflict between Julius Caesar and Vercingetorix and his defeat favored Roman rule, which in the 1st century AD. C. They erected an amphitheater, thermal baths and several aqueducts on the Fleury River. In the second century AD. C. it was the capital of the Roman province, but in the century next he went to Bordeaux; Poitiers was surrounded with a wall and in the 4th century the preaching of Sant-Hilaire (Saint Hilary) and the construction of the baptistery of Saint John the Baptist took place. Since that century it has been the episcopal seat.

In the 5th century it was the residence of the Gothic kings until their defeat in the battle of Vouille where Alaric II was defeated by the Frankish Clovis, who converted to Catholicism, and the Visigoths were expelled from Gaul, except for the region of Gaul Narbonensis or Septimania. . Saint Radegund, wife of Clotaire I, retired and founded the abbey of Sainte-Croix, preserving the relic of a fragment of the True Cross, a gift from the Eastern Emperor Justin. The city maintained its curia of Roman origin until the second half of the 7th century.

In the 8th century, Charles Martel defeats the invading Muslims at the Battle of Poitiers, which marks the end of Muslim expansion into Western Europe. Abbot Mellebaude, in the 9th century, built the Hypogeum of the Dunes, with a funerary purpose.

Poitiers, located on the Camino de Santiago, the great European pilgrimage route, was the capital of the county of Poitou and the duchy of Aquitaine. In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine built a new wall for the population. During the Middle Ages, the Grand Priory of the Hospitallers was located here (who replaced the Templars after their disappearance at the beginning of the 14th century). In 1356 the Battle of Poitiers took place within the Hundred Years’ War, which pitted the French and English against one another. The English Black Prince defeated the French king John II. In 1431 the University of Poitiers was founded.
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It was built between the 4th and 5th centuries, forming part of the episcopal complex characteristic of early medieval cities with the cathedral and the bishop’s residence. It was renovated in the 11th century. The building was built around 360, on the remains of a Roman house demolished in 276. The baptismal pool had an octagonal plan. It would be damaged during the Visigoth occupation and restored after the victory of Clovis or Clovis over Alaric II in the battle of Vouillé (507). Primitive baptism was performed by immersion and the baptismal font t was from the 6th century. In the Romanesque period, the original sacristies from the 6th century were demolished, as well as the lateral apsidioles, pieces of the transept and the square narthex, which became polygonal.

In the building, the walls predominate over the openings. A narthex gives access to the cella, which has two apses. It has undergone several reforms in its long existence. The plant starts from a narthex for catechumens who had not yet been baptized. The cella has two apsidioles at the ends, with the octagonal baptismal pool in the center and a large polygonal apse. The exterior has an apse, the large polygonal apse and the narthex. The wall predominates over the windows. First there would be the entrance narthex, then the cella with the apsidioles at the ends and the octagonal baptismal font and, in the background, the large polygonal apse.

The interior of the baptismal room is decorated with fresco paintings in Romanesque (12th century) and Gothic (14th century) styles. The theme includes various scenes from the Old Testament and the New Testament, the ascension of Christ and peacocks, as well as horsemen with their capes fluttering in the wind, a portrait of Constantine.

In 1791 the building was expropriated during the French Revolution and sold as part of national assets. When it was going to be demolished, it was purchased by public subscription in 1834 and its restoration began. In the mid-20th century it was restored again and the ancient baptismal pool was discovered. Today it is a Glyptic Museum and preserves numerous stone sarcophagi from the 5th to 7th centuries, as well as remains of other ancient buildings.

Francisco Javier Fernández Gamero for URBS REGIA

F. Eygen (1964): “Le baptistére Saint-Jean de Poitiers”, en Gallia, pp. 137-171.

La Alta Edad Media. Xavier Barral i Altet, Taschen

Baptistére Saint-Jean de Poitiers

FOCUS Le baptistère Saint-Jean POITIERS – Site Internet

Baptisterio de San Juan en Poitiers, la construcción cristiana más antigua de Francia