Porta San Giorgio, Florence, Medieval city gate in Oltrarno district, Florence, Italy
Porta San Giorgio is a medieval gate in Florence's Oltrarno walls, standing between Via San Leonardo and Costa San Giorgio. Its outer face, toward Via San Leonardo, carries a bas-relief of Saint George and the Dragon, a 1953 cast of Andrea Pisano's late-14th-century original now in Palazzo Vecchio. The vault rests on 13th-century capitals.
Porta San Giorgio was built in 1324 as part of Florence's sixth and last circuit of walls, with the design traditionally attributed to Andrea Orcagna. During the 1529 siege of Florence, Michelangelo, then in charge of the city's fortifications, had the gate lowered to make it less vulnerable to cannon fire. In 1590 it was incorporated into the defensive system of the Forte di Santa Maria in San Giorgio, now Forte Belvedere. The present form results from 1937 works by architect Ezio Zalaffi, which demolished the 16th-century counter-gate and the inner arch.
Inside, a 14th-century fresco by Bicci di Lorenzo shows the Madonna with Child surrounded by saints. This artwork is visible to visitors walking through and reflects the religious decoration typical of that era.
The gate sits at the crossing of Via San Leonardo and Costa San Giorgio, leading toward the Fortress of Belvedere. This location makes it a natural starting point for exploring the hillside neighborhood on foot.
The bas-relief of Saint George and the dragon on the outer face is a 1953 copy; the late 14th-century original by Andrea Pisano is kept in Palazzo Vecchio. The saint's shield bears a red cross on a white field, once the heraldic symbol of Florence.
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