EnVisionChurch : Article Slideshow

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font (Christian)
Date of Creation: Not before third century
Location: Timgad (Thamugadi) Algeria
Brief Description: The city of Timgad (Thamugadi) was founded in 100 C.E. by the Roman Emperor Trajan as a military colony for retired personnel. It was built in the Aures Mountains of North Africa, near the present-day Batna, Algeria. The city, laid out in a characteristically Roman grid pattern within a square and built of stone and masonry in the Corinthian style, quickly spilled into more haphazardly built suburbs. The city center included a large forum and open-air theater, a library, four public baths and a temple. The city suffered invasions by the Vandals and the Berbers, but was not rebuilt after the 7th c. It was excavated in 1881. From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy. The Christian Church is situated near the city library and the house of Januarius. The stone baptismal font in the Christian church is much smaller in diameter than the Donatist font and circular in shape. It, too, has three steps and was designed for immersion. Column remnants set at the corners of an imaginary square on the perimeter of the font’s upper rim suggest the font was covered by a stone canopy called a baldochin or ciborium.
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font (donatist)
Date of Creation: Not before fourth century
Location: Timgad (Thamugadi) Algeria
Brief Description: The city of Timgad (Thamugadi) was founded in 100 C.E. by the Roman Emperor Trajan as a military colony for retired personnel. It was built in the Aures Mountains of North Africa, near the present-day Batna, Algeria. The city, laid out in a characteristically Roman grid pattern within a square and built of stone and masonry in the Corinthian style, quickly spilled into more haphazardly built suburbs. The city center included a large forum and open-air theater, a library, four public baths and a temple. The city suffered invasions by the Vandals and the Berbers, but was not rebuilt after the 7th c. It was excavated in 1881. From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy. The Christian Church is situated near the city library and the house of Januarius. The stone baptismal font in the Christian church is much smaller in diameter than the Donatist font and circular in shape. It, too, has three steps and was designed for immersion. Column remnants set at the corners of an imaginary square on the perimeter of the font’s upper rim suggest the font was covered by a stone canopy called a baldochin or ciborium.
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Location: Salona (Solin) Croatia
Brief Description: Salona (Croatian: Solin) is the site of an ancient Illyrian city that developed from Greek and Roman settlements in the Roman province of Dalmatia located near present-day Split, Croatia (Italian: Spalato). In antiquity, it was a large harbor-town and stronghold on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. The amphitheater, in the northwest corner of the city, dates from the 2nd C. Titus, the pupil of St. Paul, preached in Salona. Perhaps because of the city’s importance during the imperial reign of Diocletian, Christian citizens of Salona became some of the Church’s first martyrs. Salona became an important center of Christianity between the 4th and 6th centuries. Around 640, the city fell to Avar and Slav invaders and was destroyed. Although no monument of ancient Salona has survived intact, excavations have uncovered a wealth of remains from classical and Christian cultures. Studying the remnants of Christian architecture inside the city walls and at outlying cemeteries (e.g., Marusinac and Manastirine) has shed light on the development of the basilica form and the importance of the cult of the martyrs on the evolution of religious buildings. For example, twin basilicas (basilicae geminate) were built: one for celebration of the official liturgy, the other in response to popular devotion to a local martyr’s burial place. Also, a sort of structure called “roofless basilicas” (basilica discoperta), an atrium surrounded by a covered walk, were built to accommodate open-air rituals connected with the dead. Among these archeological finds is a large episcopal complex (group of separate but linked structures that housed separate but related functions in the life of the faith community) that includes remnants of a three-aisled basilica (basilica urbana; begun before 405 and completed by 426), and just north of it, an octagonal baptistery, a consignatorium (room where the newly baptized received the anointing and imposition of hands of Confirmation) and a catechumenon (hall where religious instruction was given). Ringing the central well of the baptistery are imported marble columns.
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Title of Piece: Baptistery
Date of Creation: 5th century
Location: Ravenna, Italy
Brief Description: Ravenna lies on Italy’s east coast, bordering the Adriatic Sea. It is approximately 110 kilometers northeast of Florence. Because the city once served as capital of the Western Roman Empire, it is home to a breath-taking array of buildings, richly built and decorated, that have to a large extent escaped destruction and degradation. The Orthodox or Neon Baptistery (as distinguished from the city’s Arian Baptistery) is Ravenna’s most ancient monument, erected by Bishop Ursus around the year 400 partially on the site of Roman baths. Originally, the octagonal baptistery was part of Bishop Ursus’ great basilica (destroyed 1734). The baptistery was completed and its program of mosaic decoration added at the end of the 5th C. by Bishop Neon. In the center of the interior is a very large octagonal font, designed for baptism by immersion. The octagon shape is significant, referring to the seven days of the week (earthly time) and the eighth day of Resurrection: the endless day of Eternal Life. The entire program of decoration has been carefully designed to reinforce and expand upon the significance of the single ritual that would take place inside the building: the Sacrament of Baptism. In the spandrels between the arches that frame the eight niches that ring the circumference of the baptistery, mosaics tendrils curl around full-length figures of prophets. In the register above, a succession of stucco arches frame eight large windows glazed with alabaster and sixteen stucco aediculas, each portraying one of the minor prophets. The dome is decorated in three concentric rings: the lowest depicting, alternately, a jeweled crown enthroned and a book of scripture open on an altar; the next portraying a procession of apostles that meets with Peter and Paul; and, in the central medallion directly above the octagonal baptismal font, the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River with the Holy Spirit descending in the form of a dove and a personification of the river god holding Jesus’ garments.
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 5th century
Location: Alahan, Isauria in Turkey
Brief Description: In his archaeological survey of the Göksu River Valley, Dr. Hugh Elton, past Director of the British Archaeological Institute in Ankara, describes the ecclesial complex at Alahan as “one of the most spectacular sites in Turkey.” Situated on a ledge in the Taurus Mountains and once identified as a monastery, the site includes an original cave “church,” two basilicas, a baptistery, living quarters, and a small cemetery. Scholars today believe it to be more a pilgrimage center than a monastery. (See http://212.174.26.236/goksu/sites/alahan.htm)
Photographer Info: H. Richard Rutherford, CSC, Portland, Oregon

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 5th - 6th century
Location: Bulla Reggia, Tunesia
Brief Description: The excavated remains of Bulla Regia are located in what is now northwestern Tunisia near the city of Jendouba. Romans took control of the already-ancient city in 46 B.C.E. Bulla Regia is noted for its unusual semi-subterranean architecture, built in the second century C.E., during the reign of Hadrian which surrounded a two-story atrium with an above-ground level dwelling that would catch the winter sun, and a below-ground level shielded from the heat like a cave. A “sprinkling” system wet the pavement of the beautiful atrium mosaic floor, brightening their colors and cooling the air through evaporation. Among the archeological remains are remnants of a Byzantine church (5th/6th C. ?) that incorporated its baptistery in the narthex of the church. This is arrangement is a departure from that typical of North African churches. Usually, a separate baptistery was constructed near the church. The Bulla Regia font is cruciform in shape, but modified in that the arms have been sealed off. Jensen speculates that this may have been to conserve water or simply to allow the minister of the sacrament to perform duties while staying dry. In any case, all four arms have steps that descend to the depth of the basin, which is just under 2 meters from the bottom to the top of the stone dividing the center from the cross-arms. Columns flanking the font would have supported a canopy or ciborium. (See http://people.vanderbilt.edu/~james.p.burns/chroma/baptism/bullaregia.html .)
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 5th - 6th century
Location: Elaiussa Sebaste
Brief Description: Elaiussa Sebaste is located on the Mersin-Silifke highway within the boundaries of the village Kumkuyu. The city was founded in the Late Hellenistic Age (2nd-1st century BC) and enjoyed natural fortifications. It was inhabited until the late 9th century AD. Excavations have revealed a theater, an agora, a vast thermal bath complex, a necropolis and a Byzantine basilica (5th-6th centuries AD). (See http://www.sitesandphotos.com/catalog/parent-17455.html)
Photographer Info: H. Richard Rutherford, CSC, Portland, Oregon

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 4th - 5th century
Location: Saint Vitalis, Sbeïtla
Brief Description: Located in the Kasserine governorate of Tunisia, North Africa, Sbeïtla is rich with remnants of cultures dating to Punic times. Though little is known of the settlement's history, archeological evidence shows that a Byzantine military outpost was built on the site of a Roman town. Close to the remains of a Capitoline Temple are remnants of two early Christian ecclesial buildings (4th/5th C.). Nearby is the site of the Byzantine church of Saint Vitalis, built in the 5th or early 6th C (Jensen). Although the basilica is largely gone, its baptismal font, with magnificent mosaic decorations, has survived. The baptistery was a separate space adjoined to the main church, located directly behind the apse. The font is an unusual labial shape with two sets of four steps at either end. Four extant circular stone bases set in the corner points of a square on the wide rim suggest that a canopy or ciborium supported by columns once covered the basin of the font. The rich mosaic decoration includes a geometric pattern, a flower and vine design, crosses and, on the floor of the font basin, a Latin cross whose top arm curls into the Greek letter rho with alpha and omega inscribed under the horizontal arms of the cross. An inscription, written large, underlined letters on the ledge of the font, is a reference to the votive offering of the one(s) who probably donated money for the baptistery. It reads: Vitalis / Et Carde / La Votu / MSN. (See Robin Margaret Jensen, “Baptismal Rites and Architecture” in Late Ancient Christianity, ed. Virginia Burrus, Fortress Press, 2005.)
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy

Title of Piece: Baptistery
Date of Creation: 9th century
Location: Aquileia, Italy
Brief Description: Aquileia (Slovene: Oglej) was founded as a colony on the Natissa River (modern Natisone) by the Romans in 180/181 B.C.E. on land situated south of the Julian Alps and 8 kilometers north of the lagoons bordering the Gulf of Venice. It played important roles in the history of the Roman Empire, the development of the fledgling Christian Church, and the Holy Roman Empire. As sad testimony to its significance, Aquileia was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 313 C.E., very soon after Constantine proclaimed the edict of Milan, Theodore, Bishop of Aquileia, began construction of a large, complex church designed with four halls. Subsequent buildings were erected on this very early Christian site, preserving layers of ecclesiastical history. The large mosaic floor of the present-day Basilica of the Virgin and the Saints Hermagorus & Fortunatus (1031, Bishop Poppo) is a remnant of Bishop Theodore’s 4th C. building. A portico links the basilica the Baptistery, which dates to the ninth century. (Bishop Theodore’s baptistery was in a different location.) It contains a three-step, hexagonal font that is elevated from the baptistery floor by a broad stone platform. The hole in the center of the font allowed the water to drain. Stone columns, which probably supported a canopy, surround the font. (See G. Brumat Dellasorte, 2005. Aquileia and San Canzian, pp. 96, Figs. 150. Storti Edizione, Venezei)
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 9th century
Location: Aquileia, Italy
Brief Description: Aquileia (Slovene: Oglej) was founded as a colony on the Natissa River (modern Natisone) by the Romans in 180/181 B.C.E. on land situated south of the Julian Alps and 8 kilometers north of the lagoons bordering the Gulf of Venice. It played important roles in the history of the Roman Empire, the development of the fledgling Christian Church, and the Holy Roman Empire. As sad testimony to its significance, Aquileia was destroyed and rebuilt several times. In 313 C.E., very soon after Constantine proclaimed the edict of Milan, Theodore, Bishop of Aquileia, began construction of a large, complex church designed with four halls. Subsequent buildings were erected on this very early Christian site, preserving layers of ecclesiastical history. The large mosaic floor of the present-day Basilica of the Virgin and the Saints Hermagorus & Fortunatus (1031, Bishop Poppo) is a remnant of Bishop Theodore’s 4th C. building. A portico links the basilica the Baptistery, which dates to the ninth century. (Bishop Theodore’s baptistery was in a different location.) It contains a three-step, hexagonal font that is elevated from the baptistery floor by a broad stone platform. The hole in the center of the font allowed the water to drain. Stone columns, which probably supported a canopy, surround the font. (See G. Brumat Dellasorte, 2005. Aquileia and San Canzian, pp. 96, Figs. 150. Storti Edizione, Venezei)
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 1107-1118
Location: Notre Dame aux Fonts, Liège, Belgium
Brief Description: This image shows the basin of a bronze baptismal font, 64cm high, and details the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, the central scene (of five) depicted around its circumference. The basin is supported by bronze oxen arranged around a tiered circular stone pedestal. (Originally there were 12 oxen, 10 survive. They evoke 1Kings 7.25 that describes 12 oxen supporting the ‘molten sea’ in Solomon’s Temple.) Sometime between 1107 and 1118, archdeacon Hellion donated this baptismal font to his church, Notre-Dame-aux-Fonts (the baptistery of Liège), which stood adjacent to the cathedral, Notre-Dame-et-Saint-Lambert. Both buildings were destroyed after the French Revolution of 1789. The font was rescued and kept hidden until after the Concordat in 1804. At that time, what remained of the font was placed in the collegiate church of St. Barthélemy. (Two oxen and the basin’s lid portraying prophets and apostles were lost.) This masterpiece of lost wax casting is usually attributed to the Netherlandish goldsmith Renier de Huy (active 1107-1144) The five scenes ringing the font are: 1) John the Baptist preaching to merchants and soldiers, 2) John the Baptist giving the baptism of repentance while he urges his disciples to look for the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, 3) the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist with God the Father (hand descending from the clouds) proclaiming Jesus the beloved Son and the Holy Spirit (dove) resting on him, 4) Peter baptizing Cornelius the Roman centurion, 5) John the Evangelist baptizing the Greek philosopher Crato at Ephesus. The font is still used to celebrate baptisms.
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: Begun in 1187
Location: Varese, Italy
Brief Description: Varese is in the Piedmont region of Lombardy, Italy, about 55 kilometers northwest of Milan. Its original baptistery, built in the 8th or 9th C. and dedicated to St. John the Baptist (San Giovanni), had a polygonal floor plan. Several reconstructions (the first between the 11th and 13th C; the last in 1880) built over the old baptistery resulted in the present day rectangular structure with a cross vault and presbytery, surmounted by a gallery. This structure stands adjacent to the Basilica of San Vittore. The baptistery’s octagonal font was begun in 1187 by an unknown sculptor who, though lacking the skill of the master, appears to have based his work on that of Guiglielmo da Modena (according to Arthur Kingsley Porter). The font’s exterior panels bear low-relief carvings that depict the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan accompanied by Bishop Ambrose and the twelve apostles. Thomas, Simon, Philip and Matthew are labeled; Peter is shown holding keys, Paul holds a book and sword and Bartholomew a knife. The work was never finished. The font is surmounted by a basin which dates to the 14th c. (See Lombard Architecture, Arthur Kingsley Porter vol. 1 of 4 [Yale University Press, 1917], pp. 286; 432-432.)
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy

Title of Piece: Reconstituted Baptismal Font Basin
Date of Creation: 13th century
Location: Baptistery of Pistoia, Italy
Brief Description: Pistoia is situated about 25 kilometers northwest of Florence, Italy. The Pistoia baptistery, situated opposite the west end of the Cathedral, was built by Cellino di Nesi between 1337-1359, based on a design by Andrea Pisano. It is faced with wide, alternating bands of dark green and white marble. Its baptismal font is reconstituted from one built in 1226 by Lanfranco da Como. The basin of the font, with its carved intarsia marble panels and decorative water spout, are Lanfranco’s work. The exterior of the font is clad in marble panels from the duomo choir.
Photographer Info: From the Rev. Paul Cioffi, SJ Collection at The Georgetown Center for Liturgy

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2001
Location: St. Josaphat, Chicago, Illinois
Brief Description: After the sanctuary was brought forward, the apse was redesigned as baptistery. The original marble font was relocated and was expanded with a lower pool.
Artist Info: Mark Joseph Costello was the Liturgical Design Consultant; Daprato Rogalo, Inc. were responsible for interior decorative plaster, marble work and painting;
Architect Info: McBride Kelley Baurer, Architects/Planners
Photographer Info: Mark Joseph Costello, Chicago, Illinois

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2002
Location: St. Elizabeth's University Parish in Lubbock, Texas
Brief Description: The baptismal font features a tile and glass lower basin with a wrought iron protective railing. The upper bowl is made of glass and rests on a tiled pedestal.
Architect Info: Ben Heimsath, AIA of Heimsath Architects, Austin, Texas.
Photographer Info: Ben Heimsath, Austin, Texas

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2003
Location: College of Holy Cross
Brief Description: Between the Mary Chapel and McCooey Chapel is a lovely gathering and baptismal space highlighted by a font with constantly (and silently!) flowing water. Students easily make the connection to their own baptism as they bless themselves with water from this font on their way into and out of the adjacent chapels. The lower font for immersion baptism is only in place during the Easter Season.
Artist Info: John Buscemi, liturgical consultant; Rick Findora of Morning Glory Studio of Lodi, Wisconsin; CBT Architects, Boston, Massachusetts
Photographer Info: Paul Covino, College of Holy Cross, Boston, Massachusetts

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2004
Location: Risen Christ Church in Boise, Idaho
Brief Description: This baptismal font emphasizes the resurrection. The cast away garments of death which rest on the font refer to the Risen Christ and the empty tomb. The paschal candle stand incorporates the image of Mary Magdalene announcing the news of the resurrection to all those who enter the church. At the same time she leads everyone when they leave
Artist Info: Mark Joseph Costello, Liturgical Design Consultant; John Taye, Francis Fox and Chris Schoefield, Artists
Photographer Info: Mark Joseph Costello, Chicago, Illinois

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: Dedicated on June 13, 2004
Location: Mary, Mother of God Parish in Oakvile, Ontario, Canada
Architect Info: Roberto Chiotti, Larkin Architects Limited, Toronto, Canada
Photographer Info: Larkin Architects Limited, Toronto, Canada

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: Dedicated on November 4, 2005
Location: Our Lady of the Assumption, Atlanta, Georgia
Brief Description: The baptistery which bridges the narthex and the nave is octagonal in form. This eight-sided design refers to the Day of the Resurrection, the eight day. The cruciform font is located in the center of the baptistery. Its location and size is meant to illustrate the importance of baptism in the life of a Christian.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2006
Location: St. John in Paducah, Kentucky
Brief Description: The restoration of this small rural church included the installation of an immersion font at the entrance to the nave.
Artist Info: Mark Joseph Costello, liturgical design consultant; J. Richard Coltharp, architect
Photographer Info: Mark Joseph Costello, Chicago, IL

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2007
Location: Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina
Architect Info: Ben Heimsath, AIA of Heimsath Architects, Austin, Texas
Photographer Info: Ben Heimsath, Austin, Texas

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2007
Location: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Salina, Kansas
Architect Info: Don Marrs of DMA Architects in Salina, Kansas
Photographer Info: Rev. Frank Coady, canonical pastor of St Elizabeth Ann Seton

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2007
Location: St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, Arlington, Virginia
Brief Description: This font borrows from three of the ancient font shapes: the octagon, the cross, the tomb. The octagon signifies the eighth day, which according to the Early Church Fathers is the day of the Resurrection. A cross is cut out in the octagon. It’s meaning rather speaks for itself. One of the cross bars is filled with water. It represents a tomb as in baptism we are buried with Christ in order to rise with Him. Steps lead into the water and on the other side steps lead out of the water. The mosaics which decorate the four corners represent the four evangelists.
Artist Info: Giang Tran, AIA of Geier Brown Renfrow Architects, LLC in Alexandria, Virginia was the design architect. Julie Richey of Julie Richey Mosaics in Irving, Texas created the mosaics.
Photographer Info: Alan Ross of Hochlander Davis Photography, LLC in Washington, D.C.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: 2007
Location: St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church, Arlington, Virginia
Brief Description: This font borrows from three of the ancient font shapes: the octagon, the cross, the tomb. The octagon signifies the eighth day, which according to the Early Church Fathers is the day of the Resurrection. A cross is cut out in the octagon. It’s meaning rather speaks for itself. One of the cross bars is filled with water. It represents a tomb as in baptism we are buried with Christ in order to rise with Him. Steps lead into the water and on the other side steps lead out of the water. The mosaics which decorate the four corners represent the four evangelists.
Artist Info: Giang Tran, AIA of Geier Brown Renfrow Architects, LLC in Alexandria, Virginia was the design architect. Julie Richey of Julie Richey Mosaics in Irving, Texas created the mosaics.
Photographer Info: Alan Ross of Hochlander Davis Photography, LLC in Washington, D.C.

Title of Piece: Baptismal Font
Date of Creation: Dedicated on August 26, 2007
Location: Immanuel Lutheran Church, Valparaiso, Indiana
Brief Description: The lower font used for adult immersion is shaped after a Greek cross. The center section of this cross is a pool with three steps going down and three steps going back up leading toward the altar. Cast iron grates, designed by architect Uel Ramey, cover the pool portion when not in use. The grates also allow for a casket to be placed on the font for a funeral. The upper bowl of the font was designed by liturgical consultant John Buscemi. The paschal candle stand was designed and built by Chicago sculptor Richard Hunt.
Photographer Info: Timothy Prahlow

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