Underneath the choir, and formed, as I have already
said, by the rapid slope of the ground from west to east,
is the Baptistery, or, as it is generally termed, the Church
of San Giovanni, which I was fortunate enough to visit
early one morning, for during the day, from half-past nine
or so onwards, it is closed for public worship.
I was, therefore, enabled to enjoy a leisurely inspection
of this exquisite under-church, which in plan is an oblong,
divided from east to west into two, and from north to
south into three bays, springing joindy from two mag-
nificent columns of white stone, with leaves of the a
crochet type in the deep bells of their capitals. The
responds, or half-piers in the walls at their centres and
angles are, like the walls themselves, in alternate layers of
white and black. On the eastern side are the three noble
doorways, seen in the view of the exterior, and in which
it will be observed the arches of the lateral ones are pointed,
while that of the central one is semicircular.
The manner in which the archivolt mouldings run
through the secondary imposts, if not quite so disagree-
ably marked as at Orvieto, is noticeable.
