The cult of St. George, the patron saint of Ferrara, has existed since the time of the founding of the first urban core on the island of the same name. The first planting of the building, of which there are no precise records, was carried out in 668 by canons from Voghenza. For many centuries the church functioned as a cathedral until, in 1135, the bishop’s seat passed to the present cathedral, while the Olivetan Benedictine fathers settled at St. George’s, who, finding the church in serious disrepair, began impressive restoration work. The current layout is the result of numerous interventions over the centuries, including some by Biagio Rossetti, others by Alberto Schiatti, and others belonging to the full Baroque period. On the pictorial level, the basilica is distinguished by the airy decoration of the naves and vaults; the most important works of the decorative apparatus belong to the 17th and 18th centuries.
