The Symbolism of Water in Early Christian Baptisteries

Abstract

The symbolism of water in the Early Christian baptisteries was not expressed in the architecture of the building but rather in its decoration. This article illustrates the references to water in the sculptures and inscriptions of the fourth and fifth-century phases of the Lateran baptistery in Rome. This decoration shows that the water was a symbol ofboth li fe and death: the death of the sinner and the life of God, to which baptism gave access.