Some baptisteries, such as the one in Mariana, Corsica, even had an elegant baldachin, or canopy, above the pool. The name baptistery was also applied to the pool itself, which could be square, round, hexagonal, oblong, cruciform, or octagonal. As shown by their width and depth, early baptisteries were evidently designed for adult baptism. They were generally large enough to allow at least two people to fit in them. In Lyon, east central France, for example, the pool measured ten feet [3.25 m] in width. Many pools had steps​—usually seven of them—​leading down into the water.

The water supply was of course a major concern for designers. Many baptisteries were built near a natural spring or in the ruins of thermal baths, such as the one in Nice, southern France. Water was often channeled in and out of the pools through pipes. In other cases rainwater was transported by hand from a nearby cistern.

The St. John Baptistery of Poitiers, in western France, built about 350 C.E., is a good illustration of what a fourth-century “Christian” baptistery looked like. Inside a rectangular room, surrounded by several annexes, was a large octagonal pool with three steps. The pool is four and a half feet [1.41 m] deep and seven feet [2.15 m] wide at its broadest point. It was connected to an aqueduct bringing water to the city from a nearby spring.

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The St. John Baptistery of Poitiers, France

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Reconstruction of the fifth-century baptistery of Mariana, on Corsica

[Credit Line]

© J.-B. Héron pour “Le Monde de la Bible”/​Restitution: J. Guyon and J.-F. Reynaud, after G. Moracchini-Mazel