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Saint George
*** Shopping-Tip: Saint George
{{dablink|For other senses of this name, see
Saint George (disambiguation).}}
'''Saint George''' (c.
275/
280–
April 23,
303) was a
soldier of the
Roman Empire and later became a
Christian martyr.
{| border="1" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="0" align="right" width="300" style="margin-left:1.0em;"
! colspan="2" bgcolor="gold" style="font-size:120%"|'''''Saint George'''''
|-
! colspan="2" bgcolor="gold"|'''
Martyr'''
|-
|'''Born'''
|
Lydda,
Palestine (region) Palestine
|-
|'''Died'''
|ca. AD
303,
Nicomedia,
Bithynia
|-
|'''
Veneration Venerated in'''
|
Christianity
|-
|'''Major
shrine'''
|St. George's Church,
Lod
|-
|'''Feast'''
|
April 23
|-
|'''Attributes'''
|Lance, Dragon, Horseback Rider, Knighthood,
St George's Cross
|-
|'''
Patron saint Patronage'''
|
England,
Georgia (country) Georgia,
Lithuania,
Moscow,
Lod,
Army,
Catalonia, Amersfoort, Netherlands; Aragon; agricultural workers; archers; armourers; Beirut, Lebanon; Boy Scouts; butchers; Canada; Cappadocia; Catalonia; cavalry; chivalry; Constantinople; Crusaders; England (by Pope Benedict XIV); equestrians; farmers; Ferrara Italy; field hands; field workers; Genoa, Italy; Georgia; Germany; Gozo; Greece; Haldern, Germany; Heide, Germany; herpes; horsemen; horses; husbandmen; Istanbul; knights; lepers; leprosy; Lithuania; Malta; Modica, Sicily; Moscow; Order of the Garter; Palestine; Palestinian Christians; plague; Portugal; Ptuj, Slovenia; riders; saddle makers; saddlers; sheep; shepherds; skin diseases; skin rashes; soldiers; syphilis; Teutonic Knights;
Venice[http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg05.htm]
|}
Image:stgeorge8876.jpg thumb|200px|Saint George on horseback rides alongside a wounded dragon being led by a princess, late 19th century engraving.
Traditional origin
The traditional account of his life is considered to have originated in the
4th century. According to it, George was born to a Christian family during the late
3rd century. His father was from
Cappadocia and served as an officer of the
army. His mother was from
Lydda,
Palestine (region) Palestine. She returned to her native city as a
widow along with her young son, where she provided him with a respectable education.
The youth, it would seem, followed his father's example in joining the army soon after his
coming of age. He proved to be a charismatic soldier and consequently rose quickly through the
military ranks of the time. By his late twenties he had gained the titles of Tribunus (
Tribune) and later Comes (
Count), period which George had been positioned in
Nicomedia as a member of the personal guard attached to
Roman Emperor Diocletian (reign
284–
305).
In
303, Diocletian issued an edict authorising the systematic persecution of Christians across the Empire. His
caesar (title) caesar,
Galerius, was supposedly responsible for this decision and would continue the persecution during his own reign (
305–
311). It is believed that George was ordered to take part in the persecution but instead confessed to being a Christian himself and criticised the imperial decision. An enraged Diocletian proceeded in ordering the
torture of this apparent
traitor and his
execution (legal) execution. According to the tradition, after various tortures, George was executed by
decapitation in front of Nicomedia's
defensive wall on
April 23,
303. The witness of his suffering convinced Empress Alexandra and Athanasius, a pagan priest, to also become Christians, and so they also joined George in martyrdom as consequence. His body was then returned to Lydda for
burial, where Christians soon came to honour George as a martyr.
Veneration as a martyr
The validity of the above account is considered questionable at best. However, his veneration as a martyr appears to have started relatively early. A church in his honour was reportedly built in
Lydda during the reign of
Constantine I of the Roman Empire Constantine I (reigned
306–
337, sole emperor since
324). The church was destroyed in
1010 but was later rebuilt by the
The Crusades Crusaders. In
1191 and during the conflict known as the
Third Crusade (
1189–
1192), the church was again destroyed by the forces of
Saladin, Sultan of the
Ayyubid dynasty (reigned
1171–
1193). A new church was erected in
1872 and is still standing.
Image:georgeladoga.jpg thumb|left|200px|One of the earliest extant depictions of St. George survives in a church at the Russian village of [[Ladoga.]]
During the
4th century the veneration of George seems to have spread from Palestine to the rest of the
Eastern Roman Empire. The
5th century would see his fame reach the
Western Roman Empire as well. In
494, George was canonised as a
saint by
Pope Gelasius I (term
492–
496). However Gelasius included George among those "…whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to
God." This statement would not prevent the creation of several differing accounts about his life, several of them filled with
miracles. According to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia'', the earliest text preserving fragments of George's highly miraculous narrative is in
Acta Sanctorum identified by
Hippolyte Delehaye of the scholarly
Bollandists to be a
palimpsest of the
5th century, 'full beyond belief of extravagances and of quite incredible marvels'.
This practice would continue for centuries. In the
iconography of
Eastern Orthodoxy George has been depicted as a
soldier since at least the
7th century. Since the
9th century another popular depiction surfaced: George on
horseback as the apparent slayer of a
European dragon. This depiction was based on a popular
legend of
Christian mythology with George as its central figure: "
George and the Dragon".
Notably, not every image of a dragon-slaying saint represents Saint George. For instance, in Italy this figure is known as
Saint Mercurialis, the first bishop of the city of
Forlì, in
Romagna. He, too, often is portrayed in the act of killing a dragon.
The legend of George and the Dragon
The tale found its place in the
folk religion of several regions of
Europe and
Asia Minor, and accounts may vary based on local tradition.
The tale begins with a dragon making its
nest at the
Spring (water) spring which provides a
city-state with
water. Consequently, the citizens had to temporarily remove the dragon from its nest in order to collect water. To do so, they offered the dragon a daily
human sacrifice. The victim of the day was chosen by drawing
lots. Eventually the "winner" of this
lottery happened to be the local
princess. The local
Monarch is occasionally depicted begging for her life with no result. She is offered to the dragon but at this point a travelling George arrives. He faces the dragon, slays it and saves the princess. The grateful citizens then abandon their ancestral
Paganism and convert to Christianity.
Image:stgeorge-dragon.jpg thumb|right|200px|''Saint George versus the dragon'', [[Gustave Moreau, c.
1880. This small one has the look of a
griffin or a
wyvern.]]
The account used to be considered factual but this belief has been progressively abandoned. On the other hand few doubt it contains
religious symbolism but various interpretations have been suggested. George can be seen as representing
Christianity. In both the Christianized ''
Physiologus'' and the
bestiary bestiaries of the
9th century 9th through
13th century 13th centuries, the dragon is a consistent symbol of
Satan. Similarly, in traditional Judaic and early Christian
allegory and
exegesis, both the
Serpent (symbolism) serpent (with the vast serpent being a dragon) and
leviathan represent Satan. George's victory over the dragon, therefore, has been read allegorically as the victory of Christianity (riding the white horse of the Church Universal) over Satan. Indeed, as late as the
17th century,
Edmund Spenser would use the story of George in that manner.
However, secular historians consider the roots of the story to be older than Christianity itself. They note that the origin of the saint is said to be partly from
Cappadocia in
Asia Minor, and that
Asia Minor was among the earliest regions to adopt the popular veneration of the saint. The region had long venerated other religious figures. These historians deem it likely that certain elements of their ancient worship could have passed to their Christian successors. Notable among these ancient
deities was
Sabazios, the
Sky Father of the
Phrygians and known as
Sabazius to the Romans. This god was traditionally depicted riding on horseback. The iconic image of St. George on horseback trampling the serpent-
European dragon dragon beneath him is considered to be similar to these pre-Christian representations of
Sabazios. So a number of secular historians have suggested that St. George has served as a
christianised version of the older deity.
On the other hand, the tale of George and the Dragon is widely considered among secular historians to share a common
theme (literary) theme with the ancient
Greek mythology Greek myth of
Ethiopian princess
Andromeda (mythology) Andromeda and her saviour and later husband
Perseus (mythology) Perseus, slayer of the
gorgon
Medusa (mythology) Medusa. According to this myth, Perseus beheaded Medusa and George his Dragon in a shared theme of decapitation. Perseus' meeting with Andromeda was placed in her native Ethiopia. In several versions, George meets his Dragon in
Libya (
North Africa west of
Egypt). Both locales can be interpreted to represent distant chthonic kingdoms of
magic (paranormal) magic. The saving of the king's daughter is another shared theme as is the reward-bargain exacted by the respective
hero of the stories: Possession of the princess for Perseus and the mass baptism of the king's subjects for George.
Another idea is that Saint George is an alternative manifestation of St
Michael (archangel) Michael, the
archangel and captain of the heavenly host.
Saint George's history could be considered an example of
Princess and dragon Fairy tales.
Coincidentally, a
dragon is an [http://www.24carat.co.uk/welshdragon.html ancient symbol] of
Wales, conquered by England (King
Edward I of England Edward I).
A comic book,
Aliens vs. Predator Annual #1, retold the story with the "dragon" of the legend revealed to be a Yautja, or
Predator.
Later depictions and occurrences
In any case, it was through this legend that George would reach his greatest popularity. During the early
2nd millennium and long after his death, George came to be seen as the original "
knight-errant knight in shining armour" (and still on horseback), thus serving as an idealised model of
chivalry. And it was also during this time that George would come to be depicted in works of
literature, mostly
medieval romances.
Image:Coat of Arms of Moscow.png thumb|Coat of Arms of [[Moscow]]
Jacobus de Voragine (c.
1230 –
July 13,
1298),
Archbishop of
Genoa authored ''Legenda Sanctorum'' (''Readings'' or ''Legends of the Saints''), a collection of legends concerning saints. The book came to be known as ''Legenda Aurea'' (''
Golden Legends'') for its worth in the eyes of
13th century readers. Its 177 chapters (182 in other editions) are considered today unreliable as historical sources but significant as literary works. The story of Saint George was prominent among them. This early written account is considered to have influenced later depictions of the saint in
Western European literature and art.
Colours
The "Colours of Saint George" (more commonly called
St George's Cross) is a white flag with a red cross, frequently borne by entities over which he is patron (e.g.
England,
Georgia (country) Georgia,
Liguria etc).
Patronage and remembrance
The cult of St George probably first reached the
Kingdom of England when the crusaders returned from the Holy Land in the
12th century. King
Edward III of England (reigned
1327 –
1377) was known for promoting the codes of
knighthood and in
1348 founded the
Order of the Garter. During his reign, George came to be recognised as the
patron saint of
England. Edward dedicated the chapel at
Windsor Castle to the soldier saint who represented the knightly values of
chivalry which he so much admired and the Garter ceremony still takes place there every year.
Shakespeare firmly placed St George within the national conscience in his play
Henry V in which the English troops are rallied with the cry “God for Harry, England and St George.� With the revival of Scottish and Welsh nationalism, there has been renewed interest within England in St George, whose memory had been in abeyance for many years. This is most evident in the St George's flags which now have replaced
Union Jacks in stadiums where English sports teams compete. Nevertheless, St George’s Day still remains a relatively low-key affair. The City of
Salisbury does, however, hold an annual St George’s Day pageant, the origins of which are believed to go back to the thirteenth century. In recent years demands for an official St George’s celebration to be held in England’s capital city have been turned down by the
London Mayor,
Ken Livingstone, in favour of a festival in honour of
St Patrick, Ireland’s patron saint.
On the
Iberian peninsula, George also came to be considered as patron to the
Crown of Aragon (
Aragon,
Catalonia,
Valencia and
Majorca;
Catalan language Catalan: ''Sant Jordi'') and
Portugal (
Portuguese language: ''São Jorge'') during their struggles against
Castile. Their previous patron
Saint James the Great was considered more strongly connected to Castile. Already connected in accepting George as their patron saint, in
1386 England and Portugal agreed to an
Anglo-Portuguese Alliance. Today this treaty between the
United Kingdom and Portugal is still in force.
Saint George is a patron Saint of
Georgia (country) Georgia. The popular saint would also come to be honored as patron to a number of other countries, cities and causes. The latter vary from
archery archers and
Scouts to
skin diseases and
Herpes simplex virus herpes.
In
1969, Saint George's feast day was reduced to an optional memorial in the
Roman Catholic calendar, and the solemnity of his commemoration depends on purely local observance. He is however still honoured as a saint of major importance by
Eastern Orthodoxy.
His feast date,
April 23, is the Day of Aragon (
Spain) and is also holiday in Catalonia (
Spain) where it is traditional to give a rose and a book to the loved one. This, together with the anniversary of the deaths, in
1616, of
Cervantes and
Shakespeare, has led
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNESCO to declare
April 23 as
World Book and Copyright Day.
St George's Day is also celebrated with parades in those countries of which he is the patron saint.
Muslim world
In Islamic cultures, the figure of '''al-Khadr''' (or al-Khidr; according to the
Qur'an a companion of the prophet
Moses), is associated with St.George, who is also venerated under that name by Christians among mainly Muslim people, especially
Palestinian people, and mainly around
Jerusalem, where according to tradition he lived and often prayed near the
Temple Mount, and is venerated as a protector in times of crisis. His main monument is the elongated mosque Qubbat al-Khadr ('The Dome of al-Khadr') which stands isolated from any close neighbors on the northwest corner of the
Dome of the Rock terrace in Jerusalem.
See also
*
Georgslied a 9th-century
Old High German poem about the life of Saint George.
*
Knights of St. George
*
Bristol, England Which has a district after Saint George and also a park having that name.
*
St. George's Day
*
paladin
Sources, references and external links
{{commonscat|Saint George}}
-
Bulgaria - St. George's Day
-
Archnet
-
Saint George and the Dragon links and [http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/dragons/38.html pictures] (more than 125), from [http://www.isidore-of-seville.com/dragons/ Dragons in Art and on the Web]
-
Catholic hagiography
-
Saint George and the Boy Scouts, including a woodcut of a Scout on horseback slaying a dragon
-
prayer for St George's Day
-
St. George
*Natsheh Yusuf. 2000. ''Architectural survey''. In ''Ottoman Jerusalem: The Living City 1517-1917''. Edited by Auld, Sylvia and Hillenbrand, Robert. London: Altajir World of Islam Trust, 893-899.
*Burgoyne, Michael H. 1976. ''A Chronological Index to the Muslim Monuments of Jerusalem''. In ''The Architecture of Islamic Jerusalem''. Jerusalem: The British School of Archaeology in Jerusalem.
Category:270s births George
Category:280s births George
Category:303 deaths George
Category:Christian martyrs George
Category:Saints George
Category:Christian mythology George
bg:Георги ПобедоноÑ?ец
ca:Sant Jordi
de:Georg (Heiliger)
et:Püha Jüri
es:Jorge de Capadocia
eo:Sankta Georgo
fr:Georges de Lydda
it:San Giorgio
li:St. Joris
nl:Joris (heilige)
ja:ゲオルギウス
pl:Święty Jerzy
pt:São Jorge
ru:Георгий ПобедоноÑ?ец
simple:Saint George
sl:Sveti Jurij
fi:Pyhä Yrjänä
sv:Sankt Göran
zh:圣乔治
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