It is the oldest of the churches in the historic city center. Built in 1495, on the banks of the Gjoni river, the church was renovated and enlarged for the first time around 1564 and subsequently, for urban planning reasons, in 1619 when the apse - first located in an easterly direction, as required by the architectural tradition sacred Byzantine, - was facing west.
It is accessed via a staircase which, before the construction of the Oratory of the Philippine Fathers (1716), directly connected the churchyard with the adjacent Piazza Grande (Piazza Vittorio Emanuele). The building has a single nave with barrel vaults, in which you can admire a fresco (Cristodoro, 1759) depicting St. George in glory. The nave is closed by the apse on whose basin the Christ Pantocrator is depicted. On the sides of the main door, two large canvases depict the Crucifixion, an anonymous work of neoclassical style, and the St. Philip Neri in prayer (Patania). Two epigraphs from 1669, placed under the two paintings, testify to the generosity of the Schirò and Guidera families, who were probably the patrons. On the right wall a mosaic (Cuccia G., 1983) depicts St. John the Precursor. Above the door of the same wall, there is a painting depicting San Giorgio in prison (Novelli G. P., 17th century). At the beginning of the left wall, the niche containing the simulacrum of S. Giorgio (Bagnasco G.) was created in the act of piercing the dragon in defense of S. Margherita whose simulacrum is proposed in the traditional female costume with the belt (brezi ) and the headdress (keza). Following is the fresco depicting St. Anthony the Abbot, attributed to the Novellis, father and son. Recently the church has been embellished with icons by contemporary authors (Armacolas S., Cacese A., Barone P., Sirchia P. M.).
The celebrations in honor of the patron saint are organized by the Committee of San Giorgio Megalomartire which goes our recognition.
Salvatore Vasotti
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