The Greek Orthodox cathedral church of San Giorgio in Venezia, known as San Giorgio dei Greci, is one of the several institutions that reflects the Serenissima.’s great tolerance towards foreigners. After the Turks had conquered Byzantium in 1453, many Greeks fled to Venice seeking asylum.

In 1470 the city authorities granted them freedom of religious belief. Work started on this church designed by Sante Lombardo in 1539 and was completed in 1571 thanks to contributions from Orthodox Greeks in Venice: sailors, mercenaries and intellectuals alike.

San Giorgio dei Greci looks like a typical Venetian Renaissance church on the outside; inside it has a basilica layout with a single nave and dome.

The church contains many paintings by Greek artists from the 16th and 17th Centuries. Adjacent to the church is the Scuola di San Nicolò dei Greci by Longhena.

1500 - CASTELLO - rev. 0.1.8