St George's Cathedral

St George's Cathedral

St George's Cathedral, overlooking Piran from the hill above the town centre and offering a view over three countries, is the largest church building in town. It was named after St George, the town's patron saint who is thought to have saved Piran when it was hit by a violent storm. In the 14th century, the church was built to its present size, whereas the Baroque renovation in the 17th century gave the building its present appearance. The interior of the church boasts an organ, two sculptures of St George, a richly ornamented suspended wood ceiling and wall paintings influenced by the Venetian school.

St George's Church Bell Tower

The bell tower was completed during a period of Venetian influence in Piran (17th century) and is a smaller scale copy of the San Marco Campanile in Venice. 146 steps lead to the top of the 47.2 metre high bell tower that houses four bells and is capped with a pyramidal spire, at the top of which sits a weathervane in the form of the Archangel Michael. Climb the tower and admire the breath-taking view of the town and its surroundings.

Parish Museum of St George

The ground floor of the sacristy hosts an exhibition of various religious objects and dishes belonging to the church. Under the nave, the remains of buildings from Ancient Rome, the Early Middle Ages, Romanesque and Gothic art were found.

Interesting facts about St George's Cathedral

The Church of St. George boasts the largest oil painting on canvas in Slovenia, depicting the Martyrdom of St. George, created by Giovanni Pagliarini in 1841. It also houses the oldest wooden model of a church in Slovenia, dating back to the second half of the 16th century. Furthermore, the church maintains the oldest baptismal register in the country, with records continuously kept from the first half of the 16th century to the present day. An intriguing and lesser-known fact is that the church also holds the oldest death register, dating back to 1506.

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