The Church of San Giorgio al Corso is dedicated to the patron saint of Reggio Calabria, its main portal facing Corso Garibaldi along via Giudecca, in the city's old Jewish quarter.
What to see
Established as a parish on 12 October 1596 by Archbishop Annibale D'Afflitto, the church was completely destroyed by the earthquake of 1908 and rebuilt to a design by the architect Camillo Autore, being inaugurated in May 1935 in the presence of Prince Umberto of Savoy and the leading noble families of Reggio. The present building, with a Latin-cross plan and a single nave with four chapels on each side, has a classical façade dominated by a large portal topped by a stained-glass window showing Saint George slaying the dragon, flanked by bas-reliefs dedicated to the fallen of the First World War.
The cult of Saint George in Reggio dates back to the early 11th century and is linked to the tradition that, in 1086, after the Saracen Bonavert of Syracuse had landed his troops, destroying a city monastery and damaging the saint's images, Duke Roger Borsa defeated him in battle and conquered Syracuse, aided — according to legend — by Saint George himself; from then on the people of Reggio adopted him as the city's protector. In the square in front of the church still stands the statue of the Angelo Tutelare, depicting the Archangel Michael and originally placed to guard the city: it dates from 1637.
Visiting
The church is open for worship according to service times, worth checking before visiting.
Our editors' tip
Look at the bas-reliefs flanking the portal: in a few images they tell the story of Reggio's part in the Great War, a chapter often overlooked in the history of a church that is mostly told through medieval legends.
