Parish Church of San Giorgio

Address and contacts

Piazza Castello, 3 - 42045 Luzzara
Phone 0039 0522 976103

How to get there

See the indication to reach Luzzara

Historical notes

The church, which has one nave and two aisles and five side-chapels, also contains a number of architectural features from the Renaissance period. There are also a number of excellent canvas paintings, including a 16th-century depiction of the Madonna with Infant Jesus with St. George and St. Jerome by Bernardino Luini.The oratory of “Luciara” was first mentioned in a charter by Charlemagne dated 781, whereby it was assigned to the Bishop of Reggio Emilia. In 868, the Empress Agelberg donated the oratory to the monastery of San Sisto in Piacenza.
When Luzzara came to be part of the dominion of Matilda, Countess of Canossa, in 1106, the oratory became a parish church endowed with a baptismal font.
In 1521, the Bishop arranged for the church to be restored, and commissioned Bernardino Luini to paint the altar-piece in the apse depicting the Madonna with the Infant Jesus with St. George and St. Jerome.
In 1657, the church of St. George was partly demolished to make way for the architectural remodelling works carried out by Andrea Bassi on a design by Rostoni from Reggio Emilia.
Except for the original apse of the church, the original Romanesque church was completely demolished.
In 1674, the fourth apostolic notary Falis Falli, endowed the church with a baptismal font bearing his coat of arms, which is still in the church today. The chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary dates back to the same period and was originally annexed to the nearby Palazzo della Macina owned by the Gonzaga family.
As indicated on the memorial stone inside the church, the parish church was consecrated in September 1772, following further restoration and renovation works to repair the damage suffered as a result of wars, foreign invasions, and battles.
The bell tower was demolished in 1900 and subsequently rebuilt without any of its original features. The façade was also renovated at that time, while the paintwork inside and outside the church was renewed after 1930.
The Baroque interior has a Latin cross layout with one nave and two aisles with columns and three side chapels (of which two are partly in Renaissance style), a transept, an octagonal dome, and a deep apse. The Romanesque style apse, with low arches, pilaster strips, and embrased windows is particularly interesting.
The church contains altars framed with stucco ornaments and 15th- and 16th-century altarpieces. The main altar in inlaid marble with floral decorations is the work of the Florentine brothers Columelli.
The church contains several valuable paintings and ornaments, including the “Madonna with Infant Jesus with St. George and St. Jerome” (16th-century) by Bernardino Luini from the Lombard school, the “Pieta” (18th-century), the “Deposition” (16th-century), the “Annunciation” on the frontal, and “Jesus in the Gethsemane” (18th-century).
On the right of the presbytery is the chapel of the Gonzaga family dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary.
The church façade and side walls are in Baroque style and the apse is in Romanesque style.
A number of valuable vestments and chasubles in gold and silver fabric are conserved in the church.