“St. George and the Dragon,” the fresco hidden behind Alessio D’Elia’s swinging painting. (Photo: Giuseppe Guida, via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0)
At first glance, nothing appears to be amiss in the Church of Saint George Maggiore in Naples, Italy. Beside the main altar and flanked by a semicircle of white columns is a magnificent, 16th-century painting by Alessio D’Elia, depicting the life of San Severo. It’s an unassuming composition until, almost like a window, the canvas swings open to reveal a vibrant fresco on the wall behind it.
This fresco also hails from the Baroque period, but it was hidden for centuries until renovators discovered it while restoring the church in 2022. Painted by Aniello Falcone around 1645, the fresco dramatizes the battle between St. George and a dragon, its mouth agape with pointed teeth. The scene portrays St. George as a resilient warrior, perched atop a muscular, white horse and wielding a sharp spear with both hands. In the background is the king’s daughter, fleeing for fear of being sacrificed to the ferocious creature. Thanks to St. George’s valiance, however, she is saved from her fate.
Luckily, St. George and the Dragon remains exceptionally well-preserved, perhaps because it was tucked away for nearly 400 years. The fresco retains its rich colors and defined, illustrative contours, offering an unparalleled and seemingly faithful glimpse into 16th-century art. There’s a palpable magic not just in the fresco’s subject matter but in its presentation: concealed behind another painting that must be flung open to reveal its closely guarded secret. It’s a gesture so theatrical and surreal that it calls to mind a fairytale or a moment pulled from a dark academia or mystery novel.
The Church of Saint George Maggiore was originally built in the 4th century, though was first known as “la severina,” after the bishop San Severo of Naples. Throughout history, the church has undergone significant reconstruction, such as in 1640 when a fire tore through part of its structure. Around 1694, the church was rebuilt again following an earthquake. Maybe, during one of these rebuilding phases, it was decided to cover St. George and the Dragon with the San Severo painting. We may never know why, exactly, the fresco was initially hidden, but doesn’t this sense of mystery only increase its charm?
To learn more about the Church of Saint George Maggiore, check out the official Naples visitor guide.
In 2022, while renovating the Church of Saint George Maggiore in Naples, a secret fresco was discovered behind a 16th-century painting.
The facade of the Church of Saint George Maggiore in Naples. (Photo: Armando Mancini, via Wikimedia Commons, CC 2.0)
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Source: Mysterious paintings in 3 churches of Naples
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