Church of San Giorgio
The Birth of a Church Between Devotion and Conflict
The first mention of the church dates back to 1396, when a chapel dedicated to Saint George was erected in honor of Melchiorre Moltedo, provost of San Giorgio in Genoa. The construction of the new church, however, was not without tension: its establishment sparked disputes and disagreements with the archpriesthood of Santa Croce, conflicts that lasted for years and were definitively settled only in 1414 through an archiepiscopal ruling. From its very origins, therefore, the church was embedded in a lively and complex context, reflecting the religious and social dynamics of the territory.
An Interior Rich in Art and Symbols
The interior of the church is laid out with three naves, each preserving works of great value. In the left nave stands out the celebrated wooden sculptural group of Saint George slaying the dragon, created by Pietro Galleano in the first half of the 18th century. A pupil and follower of Anton Maria Maragliano, Galleano here signs an important example of a processional cassa of the Ligurian “casacce”, an expression of the region’s strong confraternal tradition.
Masterpieces Between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance
The presbytery preserves authentic artistic treasures. On the right wall is a 14th-century triptych dedicated to Saint Lawrence, recently restored and attributed to Giovanni da Pisa, a painter active in Genoa between 1401 and 1423. On the left wall is another triptych, dating to the early 16th century, depicting Saint Louis enthroned with saints, by Giovanni Barbagelata da Rapallo. Completing the church’s pictorial heritage is also an Adoration of the Magi, considered a youthful work by Luca Cambiaso, one of the leading Genoese painters of the 16th century, born in Moneglia.
The Franciscan Cloister: Silence and Memory
On the left side of the church opens the Franciscan cloister, dating back to the 15th century and now restored. This intimate and evocative space represents a precious place of memory, where architecture dialogues with spirituality and history, offering a further key to understanding the central role the church has played over the centuries.
Sources
https://www.diocesichiavari.it/parrocchia/san-giorgio-in-moneglia/;
https://abbadiasangiorgio.com/labbadia/
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