Cathedral of Saint George: Attraction informations
Ferrara’s Cathedral, dedicated to Saint George Martyr, was inaugurated in 1135, as can be read inside the old inscription on its main gate.
The Cathedral of Saint George is the main one in its diocese and holds the bishop’s chair. The diocese in the past centuries has reached the status of archdiocese and his bishop controls a vast territory, from Ferrara to Comacchio.
The church is in a very central position, before the main façade of the Municipality and next to Piazza Trento e Trieste, where the marketplace used to be. The church connects through a covered vault with the Palazzo Arcivescovile, seat of the Papal power.
The interior and exterior of the Cathedral
The architect in charge of the Cathedral was
Nicolò, who arrived to Ferrara after finishing the construction of
Sacra di San Michele, nowadays still considered the mother church in the Valley of Susa. The façade of the Cathedral is the combination of two different styles, Romanesque in its lower and oldest part, Gothic in its superior side, added during the 8th century.
On top of its
main gate a composition of Saint George quickly catches our sight: in it, the saint is killing the dragon. An inscription recalls this incredible art piece by Nicolò. The
story of Jesus Christ’s life is inscribed in its architrave, while above we can admire a loggia enclosing a statue of Virgin Mary covered by a gable with the representation of the
Judgement Day.
The church has two lateral gates to provide different accesses to men, on the right, and women, on the left
The current appearance of the interior of the Cathedral of Saint George is due to a restoration in 1712 done by the architect
Mazzarelli, under the orders of Cardinal Dal Verme. Its former 5 naves were reduced to 3, and all its main decorations represent the
Madonna protecting the city of Ferrara.
A big atrium works as the prelude to the entrance. The statues that originally held the gate are long gone, in their place in the atrium we can see copies from the 19th century and the women’s galleries to access the church are still visible.
The cathedral holds several masterpieces. On the altar of its right transept, a painting of 1629 by
Guercino represents “The martyrdom of the Saint”, some terracotta representing Jesus Christ and the Apostles attributed to
Alfonso Lombardi and other six statues on the left hand of the transept.
The main altar was designed by
Celio Tirini in 1728 and was restored using materials brought from Ravenna. Its presbytery is embellished by a 16th-century choir with 150 backbenches.
Going outside the church it is impossible not to notice the
imposing presence of the tower bell, attributed to
Leon Battista Alberti, and finished in 1493.
The south side of the Cathedral of Ferrara tells us a lot about the evolution of the church and the city. A long loggia, built in 1473, crosses the whole side. Under this loggia, the chaotic stands of the market gathered together instead of spreading across the city.
Until the middle years of 1700 this side of the church showed an enormous gate that, decorated with the allegories of the months, allowing a direct access to the church. During restoration works the gate was destroyed and its remains can be seen in the
Dome Museum.
Always on the same side of the church, hidden by the loggia, the ancient sheets with the city statutes from the 12th century are displayed.
