The Church of St. George the Martyr is guarded in the maze of courtyards in the historic center, in the eastern part of the perimeter of the city walls, a short distance from the Church of St. Mary Annunziata, on St. George Street. It was the parish seat until 1984. Built in the 17th century, it was dedicated to the worship of Saints Cosmas and Damian, to whom the people of Bitonto were very devoted. The church was built in 1682 at the expense of the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels. All that remains of its original forms is the facade, which still shows the original stylistic features, traceable to the time of its construction. Substantial alterations have been made to its interior, changing the plan, currently in the shape of a Latin cross; work carried out at the behest of the parish priest Domenico Damascelli, in the second half of the 19th century, to adapt the interior spaces of the church to the needs of welcoming the faithful. The coffered ceiling is the work of painters Nicola Colonna and Saverio Raimondi.
The central marble altar was built in 1917 at the expense of Giovanna Donadio. The ceiling is coffered with painted images of angels, the work of painters Nicola Colonna and Saverio Raimondi. The dome, located at the intersection of the transept and the nave, is also frescoed. The church is now the headquarters of the History and Art Research Center, and inside is the Museum of Peasant Civilization with a rich collection of traditional objects from the agricultural world.
