User:Giorgia Carone/Church of San Giorgio degli Armeni

The church of San Giorgio dei Martiri (Saint George of mar is a medieval church that stands on the street of the same name in the industrial area of ​​Bari. In ancient times it stood at the center of a road junction that led to Bitetto and the Lucignano farmhouse where today stands the Masseria Madia Diana (formerly called Due Towers). The road also ran alongside Lama Lamasinata.

History
It seems to have been erected by the Armenian Mosese, according to what we read in the Barese Diplomatic Code of 1005 and 1210 (cited as S. Giorgio dei Martiri, or degli Armeni).

According to the dating proposed by Melchiorre, the church dates back to the 11th century.

Not to be confused with the church of San Giorgio degli Armeni which was located in the Corte del Catapano, in the area where the Basilica of San Nicola stands. Some scholars, including Lavermicocca, believe that the church erected by Armenian Mosese is the latter and not the one outside Bari in the San Giorgio district.

Also Licinio and Porsia in the History of Bari. From the Origins to the Thousand keep the two churches distinct: the extra moenia one was called San Giorgio martire, while the intra moenia one is mentioned in the Bari diplomatic code as San Giorgio degli armeni or San Giorgio al porto. This denomination should remove any doubts about the location of the church in the Catapano court.

A plaque placed inside informs us of some alterations dating back to 1920, the work of Nicola Scattarelli, which have compromised its original appearance as described by Mongiello, with the addition of decorative stuccos.

Perhaps it is to be identified with a church mentioned in the Barese Diplomatic Code called S. Giorgio di Pappaciliazio (1290, 1314).

Since May 1977 the church has been protected by an architectural restriction and since 2014 the entrance has been walled up to protect it from further acts of vandalism.

Plan and comparison with similar churches in the same area
The church building has a central plan in the form of a contracted Greek cross covered by a dome and follows the classical orientation. Comparable in planimetry to the church of Torre San Croce in the Bitonto area and to other churches built according to a widespread typology in the Bari area, such as the Church of San Vito in Corato. Two niches on the sides of the apse unite it with the church dedicated to San Basilio, another example of a contracted Greek cross found in the countryside of Giovinazzo, where, however, the niches are much larger and elongated, to the point of giving the impression of being two apses side by side to the main one.