Baptism House Dome

Described by Father Lamens in his book “Tasreeh al-Abasar” as “exquisite and delicate,” it is “a dome shaped like a hemisphere resting on four elliptical arches, with three visible arches.” It features “fine architectural and decorative work, with the fourth arch not visible as it is supported by the church wall.”
The construction of this dome, according to engineer Camille Enlart, dates to the beginning of the 13th century, and its style is Romanesque, although some decorations show Italian influence.
The southern side of the Baptism House dome used to be adorned with a carved stone piece in the Corinthian style, which, according to Ernest Renan, formed a threshold and a frontal frieze of a Roman temple. Renan transferred it to the Louvre Museum in Paris.