80b. Baptistery of San Giovanni, Riva San Vitale (TI)

Dedicated to San Giovanni Battista and probably built on the foundations of a Roman building (villa or thermal baths), it is an important example of early Christian architecture dating back to the 5th century.

It is the oldest religious building still entirely preserved in Switzerland, completely restored between 1953 and 1955 by architect Ferdinando Reggiori.

The square structure is completed on the eastern side by an apse. Inside, the floor plan is octagonal, with rectangular and semicircular niches. In the centre is the Romanesque baptismal font: a round monolith in serizzo stone that overlooks the older, octagonal font embedded in the ground.The floor is inlaid with marble and coloured stones, shaped and arranged in geometric patterns. The decorative paintings consist of Romanesque and late Romanesque frescoes depicting the life of Christ from the Nativity to the Crucifixion, with a space carved out of a niche dedicated to the Last Judgement. There are also traces, inside the apse, of a fresco dedicated to Beato Manfredo Settàla, who died in 1217 and is still venerated in the region today.

Inauguration: 04.09.2025
To find out more and see the interior in 3D: https://www.rivasanvitale.ch/Battistero-paleocristiano-9740be00