San Giorgio Maggiore was probably occupied in the Roman period; after the foundation of Venice it was called Insula Memmia after the Memmo family who owned it.

[2] Morosini drained the island's marshes next to the church to get the ground for building, and founded the Monastery of San Giorgio Maggiore, and became its first abbot.

In the early 19th century, after the Republic fell, the monastery was almost suppressed and the island became a free port with a new harbour built in 1812.

San Giorgio Maggiore is now the headquarters of the Cini Foundation arts centre, known for its library, and is also home to the Teatro Verde open-air theatre.

[3] The island and the church were featured in a pivotal showdown in the anime and manga JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Vento Aureo.