Baptistère Saint-Jean

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Front of the baptistery

The Baptistère Saint-Jean (Baptistery of St. John) in Poitiers is reputed to be the oldest Christian building in France still standing.

The central part of the building was constructed around 360 in what subsequently became the episcopal quarter of the town of Poitiers, near the residence of Saint Hilary and the future cathedral. Many changes have been made to the original structure. A baptismal tank was added in the 6th century, as at that time baptism was conducted by total immersion, but in the 8th century this was filled in. A round apse, and a transept with square arms, were added in the 6th to 7th centuries. The arms of the transept were then transformed into two small semi-circular apses.

The baptistery has frescos dating from the 12th and 13th centuries.

The building was abandoned in 1791 during the revolution, and was confiscated from the church and sold as national property to a private citizen who used it as a warehouse. It was saved from demolition by a public subscription which allowed it to be repurchased in 1834. The baptistery underwent restoration in the middle of the 20th century.

Excavations during the course of the 20th century have recovered the baptismal tank and allowed the dating of the building to be made more precise. This improved dating has ruled out the theory that the baptistery first served as a pagan temple, under which pretext it was at one time given the name Temple Saint-Jean. Instead it appears the building was indeed constructed for the purpose of baptism, a sacrament which was previously administered in the River Clain, which runs about a hundred metres away.

The baptistery currently holds a small museum.