Last Updated on August 6, 2021 by
The story of how St. George, the patron saint of England. overcame the monstrous dragon is known to everyone, but no one is quite sure how he came to be adopted as our patron saint, or even whether he ever existed! It has been suggested that we, as a “nation of shopkeepers”, instinctively adopted a man as our patron saint who is supposed to have made a huge fortune selling bacon to the Roman army!
We do know that there was a man called George who was venerated as a saint in Palestine in the early days of the church; but, apart from the legend that he held a high position in the Roman army and served in Britain for a short time, none of the details of his life can be proved.
But probably the only historical fact that we can find about St. George is that, in the year 303 A.D., he was martyred during the furious persecution of ChrifltiaRfl by Emperor Diocletian. The Golden Legend—a collection of the lives of the saints, compiled by Jacobus de Voraginc, Archbishop of Genoa—tells us that St. George, after slaying the dragon, took off his knightly clothes and gave everything he had to the poor. He taught about Jesus Christ until he finally died a martyr in the year 303.
St. Cieorge was adopted as our patron saint during the time of the Norman kings of England. The Order of the Garter was founded by Edward III. In the insignia, George, which represents St. George and the dragon, is suspended from the collar. Some years later, the magnificent St. George’s Chapel was built by Edward IV at Windsor. It was here, during the reign of Henry V, that a heart, thought to be St. George’s heart, was placed as a precious relic.
We celebrate St. George’s day on April 23rd when his red and white flag is flown from every Anglican church in the country—but we cannot too possessive because he is also the patron saint of Portugal!
What Is St George Famous For?
He is the patron saint of England and of Georgia and is venerated as one of the 14 Auxiliary Saints (Holy Helpers). Nothing of George’s life or deeds can be established, but tradition holds that he was a Roman soldier and was tortured and decapitated under Diocletian’s persecution of Christians in 303.
What countries is St George patron saint of?
St George was born in Palestine and is called the patron saint of many countries, including England, France, Wales, Portugal, Mexico, Greece, Romania, and the USA. He is also known as the patron of horses, archers, the military, and knights. He is the patron saint of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, the Armenian Apostolic Church, Bulgaria, and the Roman Catholic Church. The main feast day of St George is celebrated on April 23rd.
Is St George Turkish?
I was told by my colleague to write about a Turkish topic, and I was thinking about it for some days, but I was short of topics. Then I remembered that St. George is a Turkish name. He is a saint in the Greek Orthodox Church and as a matter of fact, the Turks and Azerbaijanis are followers of this religion.
Where did the flag of St George come from?
Originally known as St George’s Cross and used by English soldiers since the Crusades, the flag of St George was adopted as the national flag of England in 1672. However, it was the Duke of York (later James II) who first raised the flag of St George over Nottingham Castle in 1677, which was later used by the English army in the battles of the First and Second Dutch Wars.
