The virtual acoustics provide an important tool in the comprehension of the architectural evolution of a historical place, offering the possibility to consciously operate for its preservation. St. John’s Baptistery represents an outstanding example of medieval architecture, recognized as UNESCO World Heritage and popular for its huge reverberation. When compared to other similar central-symmetry buildings, the Baptistery proves to be an outlier, enough to raise the interest of scholars. A model of the building was calibrated considering in situ acoustic measurements, the material properties and the liturgical use. The numerical simulations of the current geometry and the early design hypotheses are used to understand the factors affecting the peculiar sound behaviour. The temporal analysis of a Gregorian chant – ad hoc recorded – seems to confirm the needing of large reverberation.

虚拟声学技术是理解历史场所的建筑演变的重要工具，可以有意识地对其进行保存。圣约翰洗礼池代表了中世纪建筑的杰出典范，被公认为联合国教科文组织世界遗产，并因其巨大的回响而广受欢迎。与其他类似的中央对称建筑物相比，洗礼池被证明是一个例外，足以引起学者们的兴趣。考虑到原位，对建筑物的模型进行了校准声学测量，材料特性和礼仪用途。当前几何形状的数值模拟和早期设计假设用于理解影响特殊声音行为的因素。对格列高利圣歌的临时分析（即席录制）似乎证实了需要进行大混响。