The Gates of Paradise: do you know their story?

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The three bronze doors of the Baptistery of Saint John are three masterpieces, with wonderful relief sculptures, realized over one hundred years. They tell the story of St John the Baptist and Christ starting with the east doors, which are set in the Old Testament, and moving through history toward the north doors that depict the life of Christ.

The south doors by Andrea Pisano, 1330, are the most ancient ones.  They feature two main columns divided into seven distinct rows featuring twenty-eight unique quatrefoil panels, or ‘quadrilobi’ in Italian, made using traditional Florentine sculptural techniques.

north doorThe north doors: realized by Lorenzo Ghiberti, with the support of various lesser-known artists, after his entry was chosen above that of Jacopo della Quercia and Filippo Brunelleschi to win the Arte di Calimala (the clothing importers guild that was responsible for building the Baptistery) design competition in 1401.  Featuring twenty-eight panels, the structure is similar to that of the south doors.

The east doors: after he won the competition for the north doors, Ghiberti was asked to complete the east ones (the one facing the Dome façade). Named by Michelangelo the “Gates of Paradise” for their beauty, the east doors are often cited as the best work by a Florentine sculptor and one of the main artworks of the Renaissance.

These doors are very different from the others due to the fact they are composed of ten squared panels covered with gold and took twenty-seven years to make (from 1425 to 1452) with the assistance of various famous artists of the time: Luca della Robbia, Donatello, Michelozzo and Benozzo Gozzoli.

Travel tips:
when you finish admiring the doors take a rest at the Scudieri cafeteria. It is located in the same square, at the corner with via de’ Cerretani, and it’s one of the few remaining historical cafes in Florence (for the other cafes read this article).
You will have to pay an additional fee to sit down at the cafe. And while this is standard for Florence, it is better to know in advance so you don’t get caught out!