Chiesa di San Giorgio

Reggio Emilia's Church of San Giorgio was enlarged by the Jesuits after their arrival in 1610. A relief of Saint George slaying the dragon marks the façade; inside, a single-nave Baroque interior contains a silvered altar, paintings of the saint's life and finely worked scagliola decoration. The church is now served by the Greek-Catholic Ukrainian community.

Why it matters

The site is documented from 1146, but the present building reflects the Jesuit period. The order enlarged the church for its congregation and built the distinctive bell tower between 1675 and 1678. The church's present community gives continuity to a site whose religious history has crossed traditions.

What to notice

The façade relief shows Saint George on horseback attacking the dragon. The Latin-cross interior includes a silvered wooden altar brought from San Prospero, with apse canvases depicting episodes from the saint's life. In the Cappella Pernicelli, a black-ground marble-inlay paliotto is attributed to the Corbelli school, and Alessandro Tiarini's 1640 altarpiece shows Saints Ignatius and Francis Xavier venerating the Madonna della Ghiara. Alfonso Torreggiani designed the dome, decorated by Pietro Armani between 1737 and 1743.

Context and history

The Jesuits arrived in 1610 and enlarged the church. The bell tower followed in 1675–78. The order's college and schools stood opposite in Palazzo di San Giorgio, built between 1701 and 1720 to designs by Giuseppe Torri. Following the Jesuits' suppression in 1773, the college buildings passed to civic uses; since 1859 they have housed the institution that became the Biblioteca Comunale Antonio Panizzi. Paintings from the church's side chapels are preserved at the Palazzo dei Musei.