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Tomb of Antipope John XXIII

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Tomb of Antipope John XXIII

Tomb of Antipope John XXIII

This monument inside the Florence Baptistery marks the burial place of Baldassarre Cossa, who reigned as Pope John XXIII before being deposed during the Great Schism. Carved in marble and bronze by Donatello and Michelozzo in the 1420s, it is one of the earliest major commissions of the Florentine Renaissance and a rare papal tomb located outside Rome. Travellers visit less for grandeur and more for the sculptural detail and the historical oddity of the story behind it: a deposed pope buried with full honors in one of the city's most sacred buildings.

Getting there

The Baptistery sits in Piazza San Giovanni, right in front of the Duomo, in the historic centre. Most visitors reach it on foot from anywhere in central Florence; from Santa Maria Novella train station it's roughly a 10-minute walk.

How much time to allow

The tomb itself can be seen in a few minutes, but plan for 20–30 minutes inside the Baptistery to also take in the mosaic ceiling and other decoration.

When to go

The Baptistery is small and gets busy quickly, especially given its position beside the Duomo and Gates of Paradise, both magnets for tour groups. Arriving early in the day or later in the afternoon tends to mean thinner crowds; midday in high season is the most congested.

Combine with

Everything nearby is within a couple of minutes' walk. The Gates of Paradise and the Baptistery entrance are effectively at the same spot, Giotto's Campanile is about 0.1 km away for those climbing for views over the city, and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, also 0.1 km off, holds the original Baptistery doors and other cathedral artworks worth pairing with this visit.

Updated September 20, 2026 · Edited by the World by City editors

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Good to visit alongside

Florence Baptistery

Temples & religious sites

Florence Baptistery

Also known as the Baptistery of San Giovanni, this octagonal building is dedicated to Florence's patron saint, John the Baptist, and stands between Piazza del Duomo and Piazza San Giovanni, flanked by the Cathedral and the Archbishop's Palace. Visitors come for the relief-carved bronze doors and the mosaics covering the interior ceiling, and together with the Cathedral it has long been a center of the city's religious life.

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Gates of Paradise

Temples & religious sites

Gates of Paradise

The Gates of Paradise is a bronze door set at the eastern entrance of the Florence Baptistery, created by Lorenzo Ghiberti. It consists of ten square panels in relief depicting scenes from the Old Testament, celebrated for their masterful perspective and figural work as a landmark of early Renaissance sculpture.

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Giotto's Campanile

Views & landmarks

Giotto's Campanile

Giotto's Campanile stands alone beside Florence Cathedral (the Duomo), forming part of the cathedral complex. Known for its ornate marble facade, it offers views of the city and the Duomo's dome at eye level from its top platform after climbing the stairs, drawing many travelers who visit it alongside, or as an alternative to, climbing the dome itself.

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Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

Museums & galleries

Museo dell'Opera del Duomo

The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo houses the original sculptures and ornaments that once adorned Florence Cathedral, its Baptistery, and Giotto's Bell Tower. Over the centuries many of the exterior carvings were replaced with copies, and the originals were moved here for preservation.

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Piazza del Duomo

Temples & religious sites

Piazza del Duomo

Piazza del Duomo brings together Florence Cathedral (Santa Maria del Fiore), the Baptistery of San Giovanni, and Giotto's Campanile in a single square. All three buildings are emblematic of Florence's religious, political, and economic standing during the Renaissance, and the area forms the heart of the historic center, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982.

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Florence Cathedral

Museums & galleries

Florence Cathedral

Florence Cathedral, or Santa Maria del Fiore, is the city's archiepiscopal cathedral, begun in 1296 to a Gothic design by Arnolfo di Cambio and completed in 1436 with Filippo Brunelleschi's dome. The exterior is faced with white marble panels alternating with green and pink marble, and the facade is a 19th-century Gothic Revival design by Emilio De Fabris.

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