Saint George and the Dragon

The general character and execution of the relief, compact but flattened, suggest a date no later than the ninth century. Nevertheless this work remains unique; it is one of few from the pre-Romanesque period (and very few in southern Italy) in which an energetic and direct representation prevails over ornamental or abstractly religious tendencies. Here is a prelude to the contemplative conciseness of the Romanesque, particularly its sincere and humble gravity.