Who was San George?

George, even before he was a martyr and became one of the most popular and revered Christian saints, was an officer in Emperor Diocletian's troops. According to historians, he is said to have originated from Cappadocia, a region in central Turkey, and his birth can be dated to 280: born into a noble family, educated in Christianity, he soon took up the profession of arms as was the custom in those days. When Diocletian initiated a brutal persecution against Christians, George self-disclosed by confessing his faith. This act did not go unpunished: after countless tortures, George was beheaded at the age of just over 20 on April 23, 303.

And it is precisely on April 23 that the feast of St. George is celebrated in Ferrara-although, it was not always so. In fact, in the early twentieth century the patron saint was celebrated the next day, April 24, and it was an event that went on for several days. The entire city center was decked out to the nines: the Listone, the facade of the Cathedral and the Bell Tower were filled with lavish decorations and evening illuminations.

San Giorgio and Ferrara

It is said that in the corner where the Po forked into two branches and where over time a large township had formed-the first nucleus of the city, which later developed on the other bank into what we still call castrum-on that very strip of land Pope Vitalian granted in 647 the construction of a church consecrated to St. George. By the 10th century the Basilica of St. George had already been configured as an extra-urban cathedral: in addition to the church, there were in fact the rectory buildings, the bishop's palace, the cemetery, and the market field. However, the faithful had to cross the river to attend liturgical services, and it soon became very inconvenient. So it was decided to move the cathedral to the left bank of the river: thus was born the city's current cathedral, built in 1135.

The Este city can also boast two precious relics: part of a skull and a bone of an arm that were St. George's. The arm relic, donated by Matilda of Canossa to the Basilica of St. George, was later transferred to the new cathedral. The other relic, the skull bone, is kept in the Cathedral Museum instead.

Symbols and Legends

St. George is considered the patron saint of knights, a champion of faith, valor and kindness, symbolizing the hero who triumphs over all evil in defense of the weak and oppressed. According to medieval hagiographical biographies, St. George is the knight who succeeded in defeating the dragon that infested the Libyan city of Salem, thus saving the king's daughter who had been drawn by lot as a sacrificial victim. And indeed, the image of a knight slaying a dragon to defend a maiden is the most famous iconography of St. George. The legend over time has taken on various meanings, and among them is the defense of religion (symbolized by the princess) from the torment of the demon. St. George and his epic legend of the indomitable knight were taken as an example by the Crusaders, to whom we owe the spread of the myth.

A small curiosity: the legend of St. George was so famous in Ferrara that even for the 1444 wedding of Leonello d'Este to Maria of Aragon the play "St. George and the Dragon" was staged and the city square was transformed into an oak forest.

Where to admire San Giorgio 

Ferrara is so connected to St. George that there are monuments and paintings that celebrate him all year round, not just on April 23. And so going around the city you can find:

• A bronze equestrian statue representing St. George: it is one of the bronze sculptures of the altar of the Crucifix in Ferrara Cathedral, cast by Niccolò Baroncelli of Florence;
• A marble lunette in the Romanesque style: a place of honor is reserved for St. George, just above the main entrance door to the cathedral: if you look up you can see a relief lunette carved by the master of Romanesque art Nicholaus;
• An entire panel of tempera on canvas: this is the one painted by Cosmè Tura, founder of the Ferrara school. His St. George and the Dragon is now preserved in the Museo dell'Opera del Duom.