The
Metropolitan Church of Saint George is one of the most important and oldest
churches in the city and many great events from Greek history took place here.
It is believed to have been built in the early 16thcentury, during
the time of the first Venetian occupation of the city. After the invasion of
the Ottoman Turks, the church of Saint George was the site of the reception for the
victorious commander-in-chief, Francesco Morosini. During the second Turkish
occupation, the church was once again turned into a mosque, and after the
liberation of the city in 1822, Saint George became Orthodox. The church is
built in the basilica style, with a dome and murals that must have been created
during the second Venetian Occupation, around the beginning of the 18th century, in a western style. In fact,
the depiction of the Last Supper is a copy of the well-known composition by
Leonardo Da Vinci. In 1823 the murals were re-painted by Dimitrios Vyzantions,
the author of the famous “Babylon”.
Funeral
ceremonies of many famous figures from the Greek revolution have been held in
Aghios Georgios, such as Palaion Patron Germanos and Dimitrios Ypsilandis. It
was here, amidst great solemnity, that the funeral service of the murdered
Greek governor, Ioannis Kapodistrias was held. It was to the church of Aghios
Georgios that Otto, first King of
Greece, came on 25th January
1833, as soon as he arrived in Nafplio, which was then the capital of Greece.
Today, the throne where the young Otto sat during services can still be seen.
The narthex and bell-tower were added in 1834 by the regent who ruled until
Otto came of age, in order to commemorate the king’s arrival to the city. It
was at this time that the church became Nafplio’s Metropolitan church. South of
the church is a very important building that dates from
the time of the first Venetian occupation, as does the church itself. It is
two-storey and surrounds the church in an L shape. Around 1812 it must have
housed the Venetian Religious School, while during the 19th century the building had various uses,
such as printing press, or an orphanage. We know that in 1824 it housed the Ministry
of Education, whilst in 1830, the Hellenic School.
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