Saint George
Saint George died on the 23rd of April in the year 303 during the Diocletianic persecution. He was born in Cappadocia, a region within Anatolia, and his parents were Saint Gerontios and Saint Polychronia. His father came from Cappadocia while his mother originated from Syria Palaestina. Historical records indicate he served as a member of the Praetorian Guard under Roman emperor Diocletian. The Christian tradition states that he was executed because of his faith after being arrested and tortured near Lydda or Diospolis. Some scholars like Edward Gibbon argued that the historical figure might be confused with George of Cappadocia, an Arian bishop who was a rival to Athanasius of Alexandria. However, historian J. B. Bury dismissed this theory stating it had no merit. The earliest known text preserving fragments of his narrative dates back to the 5th century Greek hagiography identified by Hippolyte Delehaye. This palimpsest manuscript is now preserved in the Acta Sanctorum collection published in 1866. Pope Gelasius I stated in 494 that George was among those saints whose names are reverenced but whose actions are known only to God. The version of the legend where Diocletian appears as persecutor is not primitive and seems to be a rationalized form of the name Dadianus. Early sources give conflicting information about the details of his life beyond his martyrdom.
The story of Saint George defeating a dragon first appeared in an 11th-century Georgian source before reaching Latin Europe in the 12th century. In the Golden Legend compiled by Jacobus de Voragine around the year 1300, George encounters a fierce dragon causing panic in the city of Silene in Libya. The inhabitants sacrificed two sheep daily until they were forced to sacrifice people chosen by the townsfolk themselves. Eventually the king's daughter was selected for sacrifice when no one else would take her place. George saved her by slaying the dragon with a lance named Ascalon after the ancient city in southern Palestine. The king offered treasures as a reward but George refused and urged him to give them to the poor instead. All the townspeople became Christians and were baptized after witnessing this event. William Caxton translated the Golden Legend into English during the 15th century making it the most familiar version in England. The earliest known record of the legend occurs in a Greek hagiography identified by Hippolyte Delehaye as a palimpsest from the 5th century. An earlier work by Eusebius written in the 4th century contributed to the legend but did not name George or provide significant detail. The story of the defeat of the dragon is not part of Saint George's earliest hagiographies and seems to have been a later addition. By the close of the 6th century the connection between Saint George and a dragon was already established through texts like the Golden Legend.
England elevated Saint George to patron saint status during the 14th century when Edward III chose him for his Order of the Garter around 1348. Portugal made him its patron saint during the reign of D. John I between 1357 and 1433 after Nuno Álvares Pereira attributed victory at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 to Saint George. Georgia has devotions dating back to the fourth century with exactly 365 Orthodox churches named after George according to the number of days in a year. Ethiopia recognizes Saint George as its patron saint with images of him slaying the dragon being one of the most frequently used subjects in church icons. The country of Georgia is not technically named after the saint but is a well-attested back-formation of the English name. Aragon adopted the Cross of St. George as its personal coat of arms after King Pedro I won the battle of Alcoraz in 1096. Catalonia officially named him patron saint in 1456 when the Catalan Courts established an annual commemoration involving roses. The flag of George featuring a white field with red cross was carried by Portuguese troops during the 15th century. By 1117 the military order of Templars adopted the Cross of St. George as a simple unifying sign for international Christian militia embroidered on their tunics above the heart.
The widespread attribution to George of the red
cross on a white field probably first arose in Genoa which had adopted this image for their flag and George as their patron saint in the 12th century. A vexillum beati Georgii is mentioned in the Genovese annals for the year 1198 referring to a red flag with a depiction of George and the dragon. An illumination of this flag appears in the annals for the year 1227 showing the city's principal war flag. The term Saint George's cross was at first associated with any plain Greek cross touching the edges of the field not necessarily red on white. Thomas Fuller spoke in 1647 of the plain or St George's cross as the mother of all other heraldic crosses. Early icons depict George wearing armor contemporary with his time executed in gilding and silver color intended to identify him as a Roman soldier. Particularly after the Fall of Constantinople he is often portrayed mounted upon a white horse killing the dragon. A 2003 Vatican stamp issued on the anniversary of the Saint's death depicts an armored George atop a white horse slaying the dragon. Eastern Orthodox iconography permits George to ride a white horse while Demetrius rides a red horse according to tradition.
The feast of George falls on the 23rd of April in the General Roman Calendar where it holds
varying ranks from Semidouble to optional memorial depending on papal revisions. Pope Pius XII reduced its rank to Simple in 1955 while Pope John XXIII lowered it further to Commemoration in 1960. Since Pope Paul VI's 1969 revision it appears as an optional memorial though some countries maintain higher status like Solemnity or Feast. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates two additional feasts: one on the 3rd of November commemorating cathedral consecration in Lydda during Constantine's reign and another on the 26th of November for a church dedicated to him in Kyiv. Bulgaria celebrates George's day on the 6th of May when it is customary to slaughter and roast a lamb making it a public holiday. Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina observe Đurđevdan on the 6th of May as a common slava among ethnic Serbs. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Church celebrates his martyrdom on the 23rd of Paremhat equivalent to the 1st of May and consecration of the first church on the seventh of Hatour usually equivalent to the 17th of November. India's Syro-Malabar Catholic Church commemorates him annually from the 27th of April to the 14th of May at Edathua with processions featuring statues taken around churches.
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Common questions
When did Saint George die and during which persecution?
Saint George died on the 23rd of April in the year 303 during the Diocletianic persecution. He was executed because of his faith after being arrested and tortured near Lydda or Diospolis.
Who were the parents of Saint George and where was he born?
Saint George was born in Cappadocia, a region within Anatolia, to parents named Saint Gerontios and Saint Polychronia. His father came from Cappadocia while his mother originated from Syria Palaestina.
How did the story of Saint George defeating a dragon originate and when did it reach Latin Europe?
The story of Saint George defeating a dragon first appeared in an 11th-century Georgian source before reaching Latin Europe in the 12th century. The version of the legend where Diocletian appears as persecutor is not primitive and seems to be a rationalized form of the name Dadianus.
Which countries elevated Saint George to patron saint status and when did this occur?
England elevated Saint George to patron saint status during the 14th century when Edward III chose him for his Order of the Garter around 1348. Portugal made him its patron saint during the reign of D. John I between 1357 and 1433 after Nuno Álvares Pereira attributed victory at the battle of Aljubarrota in 1385 to Saint George.
What is the origin of the red cross on a white field associated with Saint George?
The widespread attribution to George of the red cross on a white field probably first arose in Genoa which had adopted this image for their flag and George as their patron saint in the 12th century. A vexillum beati Georgii is mentioned in the Genovese annals for the year 1198 referring to a red flag with a depiction of George and the dragon.