The cathedral stands in the city centre, not far from the Palazzo Comunale and the famous Castello Estense and is connected to the Archbishop's Palace by a covered passage.

Its main altar was consecrated on May 8 in 1177,[1] which indicates that the cathedral or at least its eastern parts had almost been completed, 42 years after the first stone, for the construction of a large medieval church quite a good time.

The former cathedral, also dedicated to Saint George, still stands on the right bank of the river outside the city walls, but almost totally remodelled in 16th to 18th centuries.

It is now known as St George's Basilica Outside the Walls (San Giorgio fuori le mura) The original Romanesque design is manifest in the lower part of the western façade.

Also on the southern side is the unfinished Renaissance bell tower, in white and pink marble, attributed to Leon Battista Alberti and built in 1451-1493.

The Cathedral Museum, housed in the former church of San Romano across the square, houses two works by Cosmè Tura (Annunciation and St. George and the Dragon), the Madonna della melagrana by Jacopo della Quercia and eight tapestries with stories of the two patron saints of Ferrara based on cartoons by Garofalo and Camillo Filippi.