Baptismal Font

Petra Church

The cruciform baptismal font is in a room (baptistery) west of the atrium (previous page). The corner basin, photo right, either stored water for the font (doubtful: it is too small), or might have served as an auxiliary font for infant baptism (Markoe, p. 242). It also seems possible to me that the basin was used as a storage container for holy water, consecrated by and for baptism, that could then be distributed to the rest of the church for use in aspergation.