San Giorgio Monastery

Among the first monks of the community which developed there was St. Gerard of Csanád (Hungarian: Szent Gellért) (980-1046), a bishop and martyr who helped establish Christianity in Hungary.

The monks had considerable autonomy and close links with Florence and Padua, and thus it became also a favoured location for foreign dignitaries to stay while in the city.

The monastery was so important that, in 1799, while Rome was occupied by the French Revolutionary Army, the Papal conclave which elected Pope Pius VII was convened there.

[4] The cardinals met in the chorum nocturnis (or Night choir), where the remarkable canvas St George slaying the Dragon by Vittore Carpaccio is still displayed.

The old and smaller monastic buildings to the left and rear of the basilica still serve as a small monastery of Benedictine monks, who continue to offer hospitality as part of their mission.