Baptistery of Kelibia

Baptismal font of St. Felix of Demna.

VI century CE.

Bardo National Museum, Tunis, Tunisia.

Photo by: Dennis Jarvis- Wikipedia.

The baptistery of Kelibia, or baptistery of the priest Felix of Demna, is a paleochristian baptismal font richly decorated with mosaics. Discovered in Demna, in the Hammam Ghezèze delegation in Tunisia, it is the major piece of the paleochristian department of the National Museum of Bardo, located in the suburbs of Tunis.

Christian Courtois said it was "one of the most beautiful sets of Christian mosaics found in Africa, and even, in this case, in the whole of the Roman world".

The work is one of the centerpieces of the Bardo Museum since its discovery in the church of the priest Felix, seven kilometers from Kelibia, specifically in Demna. She was found in the ruins of a basilica near the sea. The simultaneous discovery of another baptistery, more grossly realized and in which was discovered a monetary treasure dated from the reign of Flavius ​​Honorius, allowed the excavators to date the initial abandonment of the building at the beginning of the fifth century, and its final state supposed at the time of the Byzantine reconquest. The transport of the baptistery to the museum posed great logistical problems because of its great fragility. The tub has been dated to the second half of the sixth century.

A copy of the baptistery was made for an exhibition in Germany. After a very long time in the rooms devoted to the administration of the Bardo Museum, it is now visible thanks to the great works of extension and renovation of the museum.

The baptistery was located to the south-west of the basilica, in a sort of autonomous kiosk of the basilica to which was connected its northern corner. The baptistery is a square of 3.30 meters on the side. The tub,2.10 meters in diameter, is about ten centimeters off the ground; it is raised on a mosaic pavement of square shape, decorated on the corners by four craters from which foliage or vines of vine escape.

The pavement has a threshold on which is inscribed: “Pax fides caritas” (Peace, faith, charity). There was probably the entrance to the building, leading to an orientation of the chrism present at the bottom of the baptismal basin and, in fact, the disposition of the various participants in the ceremonies.

The tub, in the shape of a Greek cross, has a quadrilobed basin, each arm of which has a degree for the descent. The whole rim is decorated with two lines of texts, represented in section, the bases of the columns: "In honor of the holy and blessed Bishop Cyprian, head of our Catholic Church with Saint Adelphius, priest of this church of the Unity, Aquinius and Juliana his wife as well as their children Villa and Deogratias have laid this mosaic intended for eternal water"; dedicants and dedicators are so named. A chrism punctuates each cell of the basin.

The polychrome interior is richly decorated: white and yellow feathered dove carrying olive branch, cup of milk and honey, crate, canopy sheltering the cross, dolphins supporting a chrism, image of Christ, fish, candles, trees and flowers including lys. Christian Courtois also notes bees, Noah's ark, a chalice and a ciborium. The trees are very stylized and can be identified as a fig tree, a palm tree, an olive tree; the last is either an apple tree or an orange tree according to Mohamed Yacoub.

A partial view showing the exceptional ornamental richness,

characterizing the remarkable mosaics that completely cover

the baptistery of Kelibia.

(Photo Credit: Dennis Jarvis)

The latter considers that "the technical execution of the work is rather mediocre", the overall effect given being linked to the contrasts of the colors.

Christian Courtois evoked the disposition of the characters: after crossing the threshold, the catechumen found on his left the bishop. The divine message was in his direction, and he could access both the knowledge of the Christian religion and the reward by the cup of milk and honey, a mixture offered to the newly baptized.

All the decor is symbolic: the aspirant to baptism was represented in the form of a dove. The dove with the olive branch announces the peace of the believer, the ark of Noah testifies to the unity and durability of the Church. A baldachin bears witness to the victory of Christianity. The cup announces communion and the candles symbolize faith and Christ. Fish symbolize souls and trees evoke the Garden of Paradise.

The ark of Noah, a symbol of the unity of the Church, can testify to the circumstances of the work's elaboration: the struggles between Donatists and Catholics, the persistent Donatism in Africa (modern-day Tunisia) until the Arab conquest. Donors testified, by the gift of the work, of their attachment to Catholic orthodoxy.

Courtois rejected the identification of Cyprian mentioned in the text to Saint Cyprian because he is according to him the priest of the place. Mohamed Yacoub for his part considers that it is indeed Saint Cyprian who is named, as preeminent prelate in Africa; Adelphius, the bishop of Thasvalte, is qualified as a priest perhaps to affirm the preponderance of the martyr bishop. The symbolic value is strong, testifying to the triumph of Christ and the cross as well as the Paradise promised to the faithful.

Aerial and detailed photos from the Baptismal font of St. Felix.

By: Raafat Reda Ahmed

Detailed photos from EL-Bakalta Baptismal font.

Sousse Archaeological Museum.

By: Raafat Reda Ahmed

Ps: Tunisia is a home for many baptismal fonts masterpieces, while some are in exoposed in Bardo National Museum and Sousse Archaeological Museum, some others are in situ (in their place of origins in the archaeological sites).

Baptismal font of St. Vitalis church, In sbeitla Archaeological site, Kasserine Governorate, Tunisia

Photo by: Agnieszka Wolska- Wikipedia.

Baptismal font from Djerba island, Tunisia.

Marbel.

Bardo National Museum.

Photo by: Raafat Reda Ahmed.

Sources:

- Christian Courtois, « Baptistère découvert à Kélibia », CRAI.

- Mohamed Yacoub, Splendeurs des mosaïques de Tunisie, éd. Agence nationale du patrimoine, Tunis, 1995.

- Mohamed Yacoub, Le Musée du Bardo : départements antiques, éd. Agence nationale du patrimoine, Tunis, 1993.
- Institut national du patrimoine.

- www.wikipedia.org