The South Door, the oldest of the three monumental gilded bronze doors of the Baptistery, originally occupied the south portal. A masterpiece of Gothic art, it was executed between 1330 and 1336 by Andrea Pisano.
Cast in bronze and partially gilded, it stands nearly five meters tall and about three meters wide, weighing several tons.

The double door comprises 28 quatrefoil panels set within a bronze frame, each panel depicting a single scene or figure. The upper 20 narrative panels portray episodes from the life of Saint John the Baptist—the last of the prophets and the first witness of Christ, patron saint of Florence and titular of the Baptistery. The sequence is read from top to bottom and from the left door to the right. It begins with the Baptist’s childhood and desert retreat, proceeds through his encounter with Christ and the Baptism, and concludes with his confrontation with Herod, martyrdom, and burial.

The two lower registers feature allegorical personifications of eight Christian virtues— the four Cardinal Virtues (Fortitude, Temperance, Justice, Prudence) and the three Theological Virtues (Hope, Faith, Charity), augmented by Humility.
The surrounding frame is adorned with rosettes and lion heads, while on the upper band, in raised Gothic letters in Latin, appear the artist’s name and the date 1330.