Oggiono, Battistero di S. Giovanni

One of the most important Lombard Romanesque monuments of its kind, as well as one of the best preserved, the building has an octagonal plan and is covered by an extraordinary dome. Inside the circular perimeter is the original baptismal font with the original tank for collecting water beneath it. Three arched windows illuminate the wide apse. Recent restorations have brought to light frescoes along the walls of the hall which date back to the XV and XVI centuries, along with fragments of ancient frescoes in the XIII century presbytery. The church with only one nave was founded in the XI century and completely rebuilt in the XVII century. It preserves precious examples of paintings from different periods: a fresco by Andrea Appiani and a ten panelled polyptych, a work that is considered among the most precious of the Brianza territory, by Marco D’Oggiono, an important artist of the Leonardo school. It remained untouched during the work carried out on the nearby baptistery.