Church of Saint George 'Maggiore'

Really a surprise and then to see the fresco by Aniello Falcone hidden, and at the time censored, behind another huge canvas

A large and beautiful church, it seemed neglected, especially in the part of the presbytery ...

I visited the Church with a guided tour, the fresco by Aniello Falcone hidden under the painting behind the altar and the entrance with the columns struck me a lot

It was the first parish of Naples, today it is arranged in the opposite direction to the primitive church, however it still retains the paleochristian apse (4th century) near the entrance. Remarkable are the works behind the current apse, including a fresco (from the second half of 1600) covered by a more recent canvas (1757) which can be seen with the availability of a church employee (I was able to admire it through a kind volunteer from Touring). At the altar there is a wooden crucifix from the 12th century. Inside there are other valuable paintings and marble works. This historic church is definitely worth a visit.

Definitely to be included among the attractions to see in Naples. Surprise! Entering the sacristan kindly welcomed us explaining all the peculiarities and secrets of this ancient church. Discover them all !! If you want and only if you want you can leave some coins in the offer boxes

it is to be counted among the very first Christian buildings built in the city, it seems even second only to the Basilica of Santa Restituta commissioned by the Emperor Constantine and a few tens of meters away. The church was built thanks to the fundamental impulse of Bishop Severo, in office from about 357 to 400, a fundamental figure in accompanying Naples from paganism to the new religion thanks to his great charisma, also recognized by the imperial authorities: initially called for this reason "the Severiana ”, was one of the 4 parishes of Naples throughout the Middle Ages together with the Constantinian San Giovanni Maggiore, Santa Maria Maggiore, and that of SS. Apostoli while from the ninth century it was dedicated to San Giorgio Maggiore, perhaps in accordance with the feeling of the people who in the complex early medieval centuries, in continuous war with the Lombards, will identify themselves precisely in the knight fighting the dragon. Severus will finally find burial right here, after being transferred from the catacombs of San Gennaro where he was initially buried. What has profoundly changed over the centuries is the church itself: there are at least 4 phases that characterize its more than millennial history. Said of the beginnings, it is necessary to arrive at 1640 when, following a fire, a first major structural modification intervention was necessary thanks to the omnipresent Cosimo Fanzago who reversed its orientation by 360 °, from north to south; the first revolt of Masaniello, the plague of '56, and again the serious earthquake of 1688, misunderstandings between those who directed the works and the owners of the adjacent buildings slowed down and prolonged the restorations for a long time; the innumerable vicissitudes, the continuous alterations suffered, however, have led to a very important archaeological discovery when, in conjunction with the interventions of the Restoration, the paleochristian apse of the ancient place of worship will be rediscovered which, only thanks to the intervention of Giovan Battista de Rossi (almost a tutelary deity for those who love Christian archeology) was saved from certain destruction. Besides the rather rare event of an early Christian discovery in the heart of the historic center of Naples, what makes this apse absolutely extraordinary is the fact that it is an "open apse": it is in fact opened by three arches resting on Roman columns, dating back to the 2nd century AD (according to some coming from a temple of Demeter on which the church would rest), and had to open onto a rear environment whose function is not clear due to the loss of him and part of the early Christian building. This does not allow us to clearly understand why Bishop Severus chose to build the open apse in a non-cemetery basilica (similar apses are found in cemetery churches because crossing the apse one entered the burial places: similar examples are found in Rome and one in Naples, the one that opens towards the catacombs of San Gennaro, from the basilica of San Gennaro Extramoenia): it is indeed appropriate to remember that, by law, the burials had to be carried out outside the walls and here we are in the heart of ancient Neapolis. The Baratta plant testifies to a situation immediately preceding the fire of 1640 without which, in all likelihood, we would have had more chance to admire something extraordinarily rare and, it seems, unprecedented. From the satellite it appears evident, almost superfluous, the immense damage to the artistic, historical and memory heritage of our city, in a place where it was decided to plant the seeds of the new religion which, here more than elsewhere, soon took on the characteristics of openness, welcome, culture and the ability to mix secular traditions, oriental novelties and always with an eye to the future. Let's keep this in mind when we pass by absently, taken by the frenzy of the place among scooters, stalls and whatever else today crowds that small large square where, we could say, almost everything began.