In the center: Christ in glory returning to judge the world, one of the mosaics that adorn the dome of St. John's Baptistery (San Giovanni), one of the most ancient churches in Florence, Italy, on February 8, 2023. The mosaics have suffered from rainwater infiltration, and have also been damaged by earthquakes and the flood that devastated the city in 1966. The mosaic ceiling of the Florence Baptistery, a set of mosaics covering the internal dome and apses, is one of the most important cycles of medieval Italian mosaics, created between 1225 and around 1330 using designs by major Florentine painters. The octagonal-shaped baptistry is one of the most visible monuments of Florence. It sits opposite the Duomo in Florence’s historic center. Its exterior features an alternating geometric pattern of white Carrara and green Prato marble and three great bronze doors depicting biblical scenes. Inside, however, are spectacular mosaic scenes of The Last Judgment and John the Baptist dating from the 13th century and created using some 10 million pieces of stone and glass, measuring between five to 20 millimetres each, over 1,000 square meters of dome and wall. They were designed by three generations of artists, including Cimabue, believed to be the painter Giotto’s teacher. Horned Satan, depicted chewing on three sinners while nearby a naked victim roasts on a spit, is widely believed to have been a source of inspiration for the representation of Hell in Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. The six-year restoration project is the first in over a century. The restoration work will be done from an innovative scaffolding shaped like a giant mushroom that will stand for the next six years in the center of the church, and that will be open to visitors allowing them for the first and perhaps only time, to come come face to face with more than 1,000 square meters of precious mosaics covering the dome. The ‘mushroom’ is a central tower leading up to a 630-square-metre aluminium structure split over eight levels and hidden from the ground by a fabric ‘false ceiling’. From February 24, visitors to the platform, which sits over 30 metres up, will climb to stand face to face with Christ, cherubs, virgins, monks and monsters. Photo by Eric Vandeville/ABACAPRESS.COM