HOLY SITES
Basilica di San Giorgio
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Basilica of San Giorgio Fuori le Mura
The Basilica of St. George Outside the Walls is easily reached by walking along the Po di Volano or by following the green route of the city walls. It is a place of great historical importance, which you cannot miss during your stay in Ferrara.
Historical Notes
The history of the Basilica is intertwined with that of the birth of Ferrara. Between the 7th and 8th centuries, the local bishopric was moved from the ancient Roman settlement of Voghenza – southeast of the present city – to Borgo San Giorgio, located on the right bank of the Po di Volano, which then became the first urban settlement. The Basilica was the Cathedral of Ferrara until 1135, when the bishop's seat was moved to the other bank of the Po, around the Byzantine castrum, to the present Cathedral of Ferrara also dedicated to St. George the Martyr.
But this building was not always as we see it. In 1473, Biagio Rossetti's intervention modified and enlarged the spaces of the first basilica to adapt it to the conventual needs of the Olivetan monks, to whom Nicolò III d'Este had entrusted the space. Next to the basilica stands the bell tower, erected in 1485, and next to its base you will find the tomb of Cosmè Tura, a famous Renaissance artist. The structure was further modified in 1581 by Alberto Schiatti's and then again by Andrea Ferreri in the 1700s, who designed the current facade.
You must visit this precious place which holds part of Ferrara's oldest history with its wonderful Renaissance frescoes and many other splendid details. Inside the church you can admire the funeral monument to the Bishop of Ferrara Lorenzo Roverella, a 15th-century work by Ambrogio da Milano and Antonio Rossellino, as well as the Tomb of Bishop St. Maurelius – patron saint of the city – located in the chapel dedicated to him at the end of the left aisle.
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THE ROVERELLA POLYPTYCH. Cosmè Tura created the Roverella Polyptych for the church between 1470 and 1474. One of the most significant works of the Ferrara Renaissance, it was commissioned by Bartolomeo Tura, brother of the artist as well as abbot of the monastery and cardinal. Only an 18th-century description remains of the polyptych, now partially dispersed and dismembered in numerous museums. If you visit the National Picture Gallery in Ferrara you can see two of the remaining roundels, depicting the Last Judgment and the Martyrdom of St. Maurelius, respectively.
EVENTS AT SAN GIORGIO. Inside the basilica and parish spaces, exhibitions and concerts are often held.