The Baptistery of St John the Baptist

The western gate - known as the Gate of Judgment - is the main gate of the Baptistery, although it is overshadowed by nearby buildings.

The lunette shows Christ, glorious judge on the throne with a tunic and cloak, showing very evident wounds of the crucifixion. Six angels with the Instruments of the Passion surround him.

In
the upper arch the twelve Apostles can be observed, with names
written on the edges of the arch itself, all depicted sitting on
thrones or shrubs. At the top two angels play the trumpet of the
Final Judgment, pointing with their index finger to a shrub with a
grainy, bright red fruit: this is a sign of fertility referring to
the figure of Christ, the fruit that fulfills the promises of the
Prophets.

The scene of the Resurrection of the Dead is carved, instead, on the lintel: it shows the bodies coming out of the tombs to the sound of two trumpet players.

The six Works of Mercy are carved on the left jamb, on which the Final Judgment will take place: starting in sequence from below a distinguished gentleman assists a pilgrim, a sick, a hungry, a thirsty, an inmate and a naked person. Attention is also paid in particular to the togated lord who carries out the Works of Mercy, he is God the Father, presented as an example to be imitated by the Christian.

The Parable of the Vineyard taken from the Gospel of Matthew is carved, instead, on the right jamb where the master calls the workers to work at different hours of the day, which here are transformed into the various ages of life. A twisting trunk of vine creates seven spaces, each of which corresponds to an age: infancy (early morning), childhood (third hour), adolescence (sixth hour), youth (ninth hour), maturity and old age (tenth and eleventh hour) and as life progresses, grape bunches increase.

In the last scene the master is portrayed handing over the reward to all the workers. The two jambs thus become an invitation to work well in life, to eventually obtain a good judgment from the Divine Judge.

The southern gate – called the gate of Life - is the one with less ornaments; the lunette depicts the legend of Barlaam and Josafat, a Christian written work with Buddhist influences that experienced a particular dissemination in the Middle Ages.

The child taking refuge in the tree is Prince Josafat, converted by Barlaam, who is intent on fleeing chased by the dragon.

Despite
taking refuge in the tree, two large rodents threaten to drop Josafat
himself into the dragon's jaws. The young man will only be saved by
feeding on honey from the honeycomb, present among the leafy
branches. Honey in biblical literature is a symbol of the word that
nourishes, and here of the grace that allows the Christian to escape
evil and to work good in the flow of life, a theme recalled by the
passing of the chariot of day and night.

The northern gate – called the Gate of the Virgin - is undoubtedly the most adorned one, since it overlooks the main religious square of the city. The inscription that recalls the year of the foundation of the Baptistery and its creator is engraved on the lintel: BIS BINIS DEMPTIS ANNI DE MILLE DUCENTIS / INCEPIT DICTUS OPUS HOC SCULPTOR BENEDICTUS. In this way the inscription shows us the date when the works started, 1196, and the name of the man who led the construction site, the same author of the Deposition preserved in the Cathedral, which also bears the name of the Antelami family.

Three scenes of the life of John the Baptist (to which the Baptistery is dedicated) are carved at the top of the lintel in white calcarenite (sandstone). From the left the Baptism of Christ, with John covered in skins, flanked to the extreme left by the archangels Raphael, Gabriel and Michael with veils in their hands.

Herod's Banquet is then depicted, with Herod himself in the center of the table between Herodias and a counselor, to whom a servant hands a vase. On the right, Salome with a flower in her hand, while Satan, behind, suggests that she ask for John's head.

The third scene represents the Beheading of the Baptist, with the saint leaning out with his hands clasped from a tower, while the hired killer cuts off his head, incensed by Michael, to honor the blood shed by the forerunner of Christ.

Mary on the throne is in the center of the lunette, surrounded by a jutting frame. She wears a crown, and she is represented with a flower in her right hand and with Christ sitting on her left knee, in a blessing attitude. An Angel leads the Magi as they bring gifts. On the right, Joseph, seated, welcomes Gabriel's order to flee to Egypt in amazement. Twelve figures of Prophets are carved in the arch surrounding the lunette, where each holds a medallion with the bust of an Apostle, a frequent composition in the Middle Ages.

Two
Family Trees are carved on the two jambs. On the left one the Twelve
Patriarchs - the forefathers of the twelve tribes of Israel - can be
recognized. At the top is Moses, with the features and symbolism of
Christ, to symbolize that Moses freed the people of Israel from
slavery in the first Easter, as Christ would free humanity from the
slavery of sin in the second Easter.

The
genealogy of Mary is recognized on the right jamb, with twelve
figures starting from Jesse, father of David, which the royal lineage
of Israel stems from, up to the top of Mary, depicted with particular
relief almost in a throne set in a niche.

With this representation Antelami wanted to highlight the importance of Mary for the city of Parma, also witnessed by the dedication of the Cathedral.