Church of San Giorgio

Holy Mass Summer Schedule:

From 2ⁿᵈ July: 9:00 am each Wednesday

Visiting Hours:

The oratory can be visited during religious services.
For extraordinary openings or after-hours visits, please contact the Parish of Manerba.

The Oratory of San Giorgio is located on Via San Giorgio, in the hamlet of Montinelle, in Manerba del Garda (BS). Easily reached by car or via a scenic walk, it is a perfect destination for those seeking a moment of recollection and beauty, far from the most popular routes.

The iconography of San Giorgio (Saint George) represents him as a valiant knight battling a dragon, as depicted in the internal frescoes.

Legend has it that a terrible dragon would emerge from the depths of a nearby lake and make its way towards the walls of the city, breathing a deadly pestiferous fire. Yet, the beast was tamed by the sword of the young warrior of Cappadocia, Giorgio. The dragon was then gifted to the king’s daughter, who took it inside the walls on a leash. The inhabitants were still afraid but the young knight assured them that he had come to defeat the dragon in the name of Christ, so that they would be converted. He thus became a protector of the Crusaders, soldiers, gunsmiths and in recent times, also of Scouts. It can thus be assumed that this chapel was built for devotion to or ex voto of knights returning from the crusades or as thanks for having escaped the dangers of war given that Manerba was often the site of great battles.
It is claimed that his tomb is located in Palestine, where the saint was beheaded at the beginning of the 4ᵗʰ century in this pilgrimage destination, especially in the period of the Crusades, to when his cult dates back.

The current structure is attributable to the end of the 14ᵗʰ century. At the time, it was isolated from the town of Montinelle by swampy and uninhabited lands that are now a park. Surrounded by a charming rural setting, today it is also marked by some scattered residential and tourist homes, along an oratory that preserves its spiritual and collected soul.

Built with a single room and an oriented apse, the Oratory of San Giorgio has a simple layout but rich history. The original structure, dating back to the medieval period, has been modified over the centuries, in particular in 1609 with the addition of a 17ᵗʰ-century pronaos with two front and two side arches.

The surrounding walls, in mixed masonry of stones and lake pebbles, testify to the ancient and artisanal construction, while the gabled roof with exposed wooden beams gives an authentic and warm feel. The entrance portal, rebuilt in 1582 and framed by shaped stone jambs, is one of the most representative elements of the façade.

Outside, the building is completed by a small bell-gable, located above the semicircular apse. Around, a garden with pebbled walls and terracotta paving welcome visitors.

The interior houses a treasure of sacred art with a series of 14ᵗʰ-century votive frescoes, recently restored, signed by an unknown hand but of great historical value. On the north wall stand out the scenes of Saint George, the Princess and the Dragon, a Madonna Enthroned and several Saints, whilst on the triumphal arch you can admire a delicate Annunciation. Having survived the centuries, these frescoes make the oratory an unmissable stop for lovers of medieval art and ancient spirituality.