Protestant Baptism in a Private Chapel (c. 1570)

Baptism is a Christian initiation ritual wherby the baptized person is accepted into the church and the community of believers. In the sixteenth century, the necessity of baptism for salvation was discussed within the Christian community and was disputed depending on the denomination, but except for individual Reformation groups (such as the Anabaptists), all denominations adhered to infant baptism and baptism as a rite of admission into the community. The picture shows a Protestant baptism in the presence of important parishioners and a broad public.