Church of San Giorgio
Church of San GiorgioVicolo S. Giorgio - Brescia BS
The Church of San Giorgio di Brescia stands in the homonymous piazzetta San Giorgio, along Via Gasparo da Salò, north of Piazza della Loggia and just beyond the Church of San Giuseppe. Built between the 11th and 12th centuries in the Romanesque style and remodelled in the Baroque period, it remained closed for most of the 20th century and was only reopened to the public in 2010 after careful restoration.
Today it retains valuable 13th-century frescoes and 17th-century decorations, while its original paintings are now kept in the Diocesan Museum.
THE CHURCH
Its origins date back to the Longobard period, but the Romanesque appearance we see today took shape between the 11th and 12th centuries. From the 16th century onwards, the church became the seat of the Confraternity of Santa Maria della Misericordia, founded by Alessandro Luzzago, which was committed to assisting prisoners.
Between the 17th and 18th centuries Baroque additions were made: chapels, frescoes, a monumental staircase (1639) and a new façade (1752). After the 19th century, the church was abandoned. Then, the 1980s marked a rebirth: restoration was undertaken, art works transferred to the Diocesan Museum, and the building was given a new lease of life.
The exterior features a very striking staircase. Inside, there are three naves with stone pillars; medieval frescoes; Baroque decorations, and a fascinating dome in the Caprioli chapel.
At the back, Romanesque stone apses and a chapel from 1299 survive. The underground chambers still contain the trapdoors used for the burial of those condemned to death, a sign of concrete and profound compassion.
