San Giorgio Church

Greek Catholic Ukrainian Church

The Church of St George is one of the most iconic religious buildings in the historic centre of Reggio Emilia.
First mentioned in a document dating from 1146, the church boasts a long history of transformations that have enriched its architecture and artistic value.

The marble façade, of great elegance, is embellished with a relief depicting St George slaying the dragon, a symbol of the victory of good over evil.

Restoration work has restored the Baroque portal to its former splendour; it is decorated with volutes, angels and an imposing high relief of the saint on horseback.
Towering above it stands the slender bell tower, built between 1675 and 1678, which, together with the dome, is one of the most recognisable features of the city skyline.
In 1456, the modestly sized church was restored by the Ruggeri family.

The turning point came in 1610, when the building was entrusted to the Jesuit Fathers, who established their permanent headquarters there after a temporary period in the church of San Giacomo.
The presence of the Order profoundly transformed the religious and cultural life of Reggio Emilia.
The small Church of San Giorgio soon became a focal point for the community, to the extent that the building was gradually enlarged to accommodate the large numbers of worshippers attending services.

The interior, with its Latin cross plan and single nave, reflects the austerity typical of Jesuit architecture during the Counter-Reformation.
All the elements are designed to draw attention to the high altar, the central focus of the liturgy and preaching.
The side chapels, arranged in two rows, are adorned with decorative stucco work and polychrome scagliola altar frontals dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, considered among the finest of their time.

Among the most valuable works are:

• the silver-plated wooden high altar, originally from the church of San Prospero;
• the paintings in the apse depicting episodes from the life of St George;
• the choir loft and the carved wooden organ case, a true masterpiece of craftsmanship situated above the main entrance.

The paintings originally housed in the side chapels are now preserved at the Palazzo dei Musei.

Of particular note is the Pernicelli Chapel, restored in 2009: it houses a magnificent black-backed altar frontal decorated with inlaid marble depicting plant and animal motifs, featuring inlays of the finest marble, attributed to the Corbelli school, Florentine artists active in the second half of the 17th century.
The chapel is adorned with an altarpiece by Alessandro Tiarini (1640), depicting Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier in adoration of the Blessed Virgin of Ghiara, a tribute to Jesuit spirituality and the Marian devotion deeply rooted in the city.