View of the altar room

The picture shows a view of the altar room in the Baptistery. The trompe l’oeil paintings in the window niches depict an open door, and John the Baptist in Prison. On the choir arch a prophet and two Church fathers are depicted. The crown of the arch contains the date: MCCCCXXXV.

In the scene showing the Baptist in prison, the actual prison cell appears in the embrasure of the south window. On the choir arch, in rectangular compartments, St Jerome seated at the top, gazes across toward the choir wall, whereas St Augustine, just below him, faces the entry wall to the west. The narrow section of the wall to the right of the arch shows the Baptist’s beheading.