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Cathedral of San Giorgio Martire
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Cathedral of San Giorgio Martire
It is often the case that the Cathedral of a city reflects its character and history, and this is also the case for the Cathedral of Ferrara, named after St. George, Martyr.
Ferrara’s Cathedral is an imposing and majestic building. The façade faces the famous Volto del Cavallo (Horse's Vault) and the Palazzo del Municipio (Town Hall), while the northern side with its marvellous portico faces Piazza Trento e Trieste.
Cathedral of San Giorgio Martire - Historical notes
The Cathedral of St. George, Martyr was built in 1135, during the expansion of the city on the left bank of the Po River. The bishop's seat, which was previously located in the present Basilica of San Giorgio Fuori le Mura, was moved here. The construction of the church was supported by Guglielmo II Adelardi and Federico Giocoli, by concession of the anti-pope Anacleto II.
The lower tier of the facade will give you a sense of the initial design in the Romanesque style, which over the years evolved into a refined and elaborate Gothic style. The bell tower, which stands tall above the arcade, dominating the Trento and Trieste Square, was designed by the famous architect Leon Battista Alberti between 1451 and 1493 but remained incomplete, lacking the originally-planned spire roof.
Cathedral of San Giorgio Martire - The interior
Ferrara Cathedral became accessible again at the end of October 2022, after several years of closure due to the completion of fundamental static consolidation work on the eight main pillars.
Upon entering the Cathedral today, you will enter the heart of a real construction site, where the thematic exhibition "Il Cantiere della Cattedrale" (The Cathedral Building Site) has been set up. A fascinating and exciting experience that will allow you to discover all the secrets of the underway restoration campaign, also thanks to the multimedia content of the MUSEON app that you can download using the QR code located at the entrance.
Entering the Cathedral, on your right, there is the splendid marble altar dedicated to the Madonna delle Grazie, by Agapito Poggi, and adorned with statues by Andrea Ferreri. The object of worship is the fresco of the Madonna suckling the Child, a 14th-century work. If you wish to gather in prayer, you can do so here.
Decorating the apse, you can admire the representation of the Last Judgement by Bastianino. A work cited by Girolamo Baruffaldi, biographer of the Ferrara artists, as a "terrific work", thus alluding to the apocalyptic theme and its magnificence, clearly derived from Michelangelo's model in the Sistine Chapel.
You may not know about…
THE CATHEDRAL OUTSIDE... THE CATHEDRAL. On the other side of Piazza Trento e Trieste from the cathedral, inside the former church of San Romano, is the Cathedral Museum. A museum of rare beauty and importance, it houses the works that were once housed inside the Cathedral itself. Cosmè Tura, Jacopo della Quercia, Garofalo and Camillo Filippi are just some of the names you will find as you walk through the exhibition.
THE OLD ORGAN. The Cathedral's current organ dates back to 1967 but the history of its predecessor is somewhat more interesting. Made in 1465, the contract for the construction of the organ dictated that it should be “noble, beautiful, adorned, ornate and perfect as much in beauty as in harmony of voice, as far as one can and could not desire better”. If you decide to go and see its splendid doors decorated by Cosmè Tura, now housed in the Cathedral Museum, you will understand that the contract was truly fulfilled!