San Giorgio, Siena
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San Giorgio is a
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
style,
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
church located on Via di Pantaneto #113 in the Terzo San Martino of the city of
Siena Siena ( , ; traditionally spelled Sienna in English; ) is a city in Tuscany, in central Italy, and the capital of the province of Siena. It is the twelfth most populated city in the region by number of inhabitants, with a population of 52,991 ...
, region of
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...
,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
.


History

A church at the site existed since the 11th century. Tradition holds that the church was then rebuilt with donations made by the German mercenaries fighting alongside the Sienese in the 1260
Battle of Montaperti The Battle of Montaperti was fought on 4 September 1260 between Republic of Florence, Florence and Republic of Siena, Siena in Tuscany as part of the conflict between the Guelphs and Ghibellines. The Florentines were routed. It was the blood ...
, where it is said the militia had called on
Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...
for help in defeating the Guelf Florentine army. Of the medieval edifice only the Romanesque-Gothic bell tower remains today. The current appearance dates to the intervention of architect Pietro Cremona, who finished its reconstruction in 1738. The façade is characterized by two giant columns and the coat of arms of Cardinal Anton Felice Zondadari, patron of the restoration. The transept houses the tombs of two member of the Zondadari family with a painting by F. Janssens. In the interior, on the counterfaçade, is the polychrome funerary monument (1656) to the painter
Francesco Vanni Francesco Vanni (1563 – 26 October 1610) was an Italian painter, draughtsman, printmaker, publisher and printer active in Rome and his native city of Siena.
, set up by his son Michelangelo Vanni. The elder Vanni completed the canvas with the ''Crucifixion with Father Matteo Guerra'', while an ''Encounter of the Lord with his Mother on the Calvary'' was painted by his son,
Raffaello Vanni Raffaello Vanni (1595 - 29 November 1673) was an Italian painter of the Baroque. Biography He was born at Siena. He first trained with his father, Francesco Vanni, who died in 1610. He was afterwards sent to Rome, and recommended to the care of ...
. The main altarpiece depicts ''St George and the Dragon'', by
Sebastiano Conca Sebastiano Conca (8 January 1680 – 1 September 1764) was an Italian painter. Biography He was born at Gaeta, then part of the Kingdom of Naples, and apprenticed in Naples under Francesco Solimena. In 1706, along with his brother Giovanni, wh ...
. The tall Romanesque-style brick belltower, located just east of the apse and not easily visible from the street in front of the facade, was erected after the battle of Montaperto, the thirty-six windows represent the different
Contrade A ''contrada'' (plural: ''contrade'') is generally a district within the Italian countryside. In the city of Siena, the term indicates the 17 urban wards, whose representatives race on horseback in the Palio di Siena, run twice every year in July ...
.Visitor's guide to Siena and San Gimignano
by Joseph Louis Bevir (1902), page 113.


Sources

{{Siena landmarks Giorgio Giorgio Roman Catholic churches completed in 1738 Baroque architecture in Siena Giorgio