St. George is most commonly depicted in early
wearing armour contemporary with the depiction, executed in gilding and silver colour, intended to identify him as a
. After the
, he is more often portrayed mounted upon a white horse. At the same time St George began to be associated with
. When the two saints are portrayed together mounted upon horses, they may be likened to earthly manifestations of the archangels
. St George is always depicted in Eastern traditions upon a white horse and St. Demetrius on a red horse St George can also be identified in the act of spearing a dragon, unlike St Demetrius, who is sometimes shown spearing a human figure, understood to represent
.
.
) for its worth among readers. Its 177 chapters (182 in other editions) contain the story of Saint George.
Main article: St George's Cross Colours In 1969,
Saint George's feast day was reduced to an optional memorial in the
Roman Catholic calendar; the solemnity of his commemoration depends on purely local observance. He is, however, still honoured as a saint of major importance by the
Eastern Orthodox Church and in
Oriental Orthodoxy.
Patronage and remembrance Traces of the cult of St George predate the Norman Conquest, in ninth-century liturgy used at
Durham Cathedral, in a tenth-century Anglo-Saxon martyrology, and in dedications to Saint George at
Fordingham, Dorset, at
Thetford,
Southwark and
Doncaster. He received further impetus 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 the English monarchy; prior to this,
Saint Edmund had been considered the patron saint of England, although his veneration had waned since the time of the
Norman conquest, and his cult was partly eclipsed by that of
Edward the Confessor. 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 takes place there every year. In the
16th Century,
William 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," and Edmund Spenser included St. George (Redcross Knight) as a central figure in his epic poem The Faerie Queen.
On June 2 1893,
Pope Leo XIII demoted St George as Patron Saint for the English, relegating him to the secondary rank of 'national protector' and replaced him with St Peter as the Patron Saint of England. The change was solemnly announced by Cardinal
Herbert Vaughan in the
Brompton Oratory. This papal pronouncement served to exclude the Catholic Church in England from a day which is part of English tradition. In 1963, in the Roman Catholic Church, St George was further demoted to a third class minor saint and removed him from the Universal Calendar, with the proviso that he could be honoured in local calendars. Pope
John Paul II, in 2000, restored St George to the Calendar, and he appears in
Missals as the English Patron Saint.
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 Flags in stadiums where English sports teams compete. Nevertheless, St George's Day still remains a relatively low-key affair with the City of
London not publicly celebrating the patron saint. However, the City of
Salisbury does hold an annual St George's Day pageant, the origins of which are believed to go back to the thirteenth century.
England Saint George is the patron saint of the Palestinian Christians, who lay claim to him as Saint George was from Palestine. In the areas around Bethlehem, where Saint George is said to have lived in his childhood, many Christians and many Muslims as well have a picture of St-George (known as Mar Girgius) in front of their homes, for his protection. In one hotel in Bethlehem, the Saint appears over the elevator, as well as other places throughout the structure.
Palestine Saint George also is the patron saint of the islands of Malta and Gozo found in the centre of the Mediterranean sea. History tells that in a war between the Maltese and the Mori, Saint George was seen with Saint Paul and Saint Agata, protecting the Maltese. Two parishes are dedicated to Saint George in Malta and Gozo, The
Parish of Qormi, Malta and the
Parish of Victoria, Gozo.
Many churches in the Maltese Islands, have also altars dedicated to this great saint.
Malta Saint George is the patron saint of
Beirut. Many churches are named in honor of the saint in Lebanon:
The
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George,
Centre Ville,
Beirut,
Lebanon The
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George,
Souk El Gharb,
Lebanon The
Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George,
Tripoli,
Lebanon The
Greek Catholic Church of Saint Georges of Bmakine,
Souk El Gharb,
Lebanon The
Maronite Catholic Cathedral of Saint George,
Centre Ville,
Beirut,
Lebanon The
Maronite Catholic Cathedral of Saint George,
Ehden,
Lebanon Holy Monastery of Saint George, Deir El Harf,
Lebanon Saint Georges of Ain Bourdai,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Baabdat,
Lebanon Saint Georges of Barsaa,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Beit Mery,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Edde,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Faitroun,
Keserwan District,
Mount Lebanon,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Kfeir,
Mount Hermon,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Khonchara,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Nahr Barada,
Lebanon Saint Georges of Qaitouli,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Qlaia,
South Lebanon,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Rmaich,
South Lebanon,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Sarba,
South Lebanon,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Sarine,
Bekaa Valley,
Lebanon Saint Georges of
Zouk Mikael,
Keserwan District,
Mount Lebanon,
Lebanon Triple Church of St. George,
Tabarja,
Lebanon Lebanon Saint George is a patron saint of
Georgia. According to Georgian author Enriko Gabisashvili, Saint George is most venerated in the nation of
Georgia. An 18th century Georgian geographer and historian
Vakhushti Bagrationi wrote that there are 365 Orthodox churches in Georgia named after Saint George according to the number of days in one year.
An interesting facts are Georgian sources, some of which are testified by
Persian ones, that Georgian Army during the battles were led by the knight on the white horse who came down from the heaven. Catholicos Besarion of Georgia also testified this fact.
Bulgaria On the
Iberian peninsula, Saint George also came to be considered as patron to the Crown of
Aragon and
Catalonia,
Valencia and
Majorca; (
Spanish language:
San Jorge,
Catalan language:
Sant Jordi) and
Portugal (
Portuguese language:
São Jorge). 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.
His feast date,
April 23, is one of the most important holidays in
Catalonia, where it is traditional to give a present to the loved one; red roses for the women and books for the men. It's also the Day of Aragon (
Spain). This, together with the anniversary of the deaths, in
1616, of
Cervantes and
Shakespeare, has led
UNESCO to declare April 23
World Book and Copyright Day.
Spain and Portugal In
Mons (Belgium)
[2], Saint Georges is honoured each year at the Trinity Sunday. In the heart of the city, a reconstitution (known as the "Combat dit Lumeçon") of the fight between Saint Georges and the dragon is played by 46 actors
[3]. According to the tradition, the inhabitants of Mons try to get a piece of the dragon during the fight. This will bring luck for one year to the ones succeeding in this challenge. This event is part of the annual Ducasse and is attended by thousands of people.
Wallonia In
Greece, St. George is the patron saint of the Hellenic Army. His image adorns all regimental battle flags (Colours), and military parades are held in his honour on 23 April every year in most army garrison towns and cities.
Greece In the religious tradition of the
Afro-Brazilian Candomblé,
Ogoun (as this
Yoruba divinity is known in the
Portuguese language) is often identified with Saint George in many regions of the country, being widely celebrated by both religions' followers.
Brazil The United States Armor Association ("a non-profit organization with over 6,000 members dedicated to disseminating knowledge of the military art and sciences, with special attention to mobility in ground warfare"
United States There are numerous churches dedicated to St. George in
India (especially in
Kerala) practising
Oriental Orthodoxy.
India The
Freemasons consider St. George one of their primary patron saints. The
United Grand Lodge of England holds its annual festival on a day as near as possible to St. George's Day, and St. George is depicted on the ceiling of the Grand Lodge Temple on Great Queen Street, London. A number of Masonic lodges around the world bear the name of St. George.
Freemasons St George's Day is also celebrated with parades in those countries of which he is the patron saint. Also, St George is the patron saint of
Scouting. On St George's day (or the closest
Sunday), Scouts in some countries choose to take part in a parades and some kind of church service in which they renew their
Scout Promise.
Scouting In
Italy, Saint George is the patron saint of Reggio Calabria. He is also apparently the patron saint of skin disease sufferers and
syphilitic people.
[4] In
Colombia there is a school called
Gimnasio Campestre which honors St. George and where they recite his hymn every Friday.
Other There is a tradition in the Holy Land of Christians and Muslim going to an
Eastern Orthodox shrine for St. George at Beith Jala, Jews also attending the site in the belief that the prophet
Elijah was buried there. This is testified to by Elizabeth Finn in 1866, where she wrote, "St. George killed the dragon in this country [Palestine]; and the place is shown close to Beyroot. Many churches and convents are named after him. The church at Lydda is dedicated to St. George: so is a convent near Bethlehem, and another small one just opposite the Jaffa gate; and others beside. The Arabs believe that St. George can restore mad people to their senses; and to say a person has been sent to St. George's, is equivalent to saying he has been sent to a madhouse. It is singular that the Moslem Arabs share this veneration for St. George, and send their mad people to be cured by him, as well as the Christians. But they commonly call him El Khudder —The Green—according to their favorite manner of using epithets instead of names. Why he should be called green, however, I cannot tell—unless it is from the colour of his horse. Gray horses are called green in Arabic."
In Malta, St George is the patron saint of the village of Qormi.
Interfaith shrine The name
George comes from Greek
Georgios "husbandman, farmer," from
geo "earth" +
ergon "work".
Notes Khidr Georgslied, 9th-century
Old High German poem about the life of Saint George
Knights of St. George Bristol, England, which has a district christened Saint George and also a park bearing that name
St. George's Day
- Diada de Sant Jordi
Paladin
Dragon Hill, Uffington
St George's Church, churches dedicated to St. George
The Magic Sword, 1961 film loosely based on the legend of St. George and the Dragon
Patrick Woodroffe, author of several poems about St George collated in a book called Hallelujah Anyway
Saint George and the Dragon
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