Saint George
George | |
|---|---|
Saint George by Donatello, c. 1415 | |
| Megalomartyr, Wonderworker Trophy-Bearer, Victory-Bearer | |
| Born | 3rd century Cappadocia, Anatolia (unconfirmed) |
| Died | 23 April 303 Lydda, Syria Palaestina, Roman Empire[1][2] |
| Venerated in | |
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| Feast |
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| Attributes | Clothed as a crusader in plate armour or mail, often bearing a lance tipped by a cross, riding a white horse, often slaying a dragon. In the Greek East and Latin West he is shown with St George's Cross emblazoned on his armour, or shield or banner. |
| Patronage | Patronage list |
Saint George (Ancient Greek: Γεώργιος, romanized: Geṓrgios;[note 1] died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr, born in Cappadocia (in modern-day Turkey), who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the Roman army. Saint George’s mother Saint Polychronia is believed to have come from Palestine and his father Saint Gerontios is believed to be of Syrian Cappadocian origin. He became a member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman emperor Diocletian, but was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He is one of the most venerated saints, heroes, and megalomartyrs in Christianity, and he has been especially venerated as a military saint since the Crusades. He is respected by Christians, Druze, as well as some Muslims as a martyr of monotheistic faith.
In hagiography, he is immortalised in the legend of Saint George and the Dragon and as one of the most prominent military saints. In Roman Catholicism, he is also venerated as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers. His feast day, Saint George's Day, is traditionally celebrated on 23 April. Historically, the countries of Portugal, England, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Ukraine, Malta, Ethiopia, the regions of Catalonia and Aragon, and the cities of Moscow and Beirut have claimed George as their patron saint, as have several other regions, cities, universities, professions, and organizations. The Church of Saint George in Lydda, Israel has a sarcophagus traditionally believed to contain St. George's relics.[6]
- ^ "Saint George". Encyclopædia Britannica (Online ed.). Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ "St. George". Catholic Encyclopedia. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
- ^ Murphy-O'Connor, Jerome (2008). The Holy Land: An Oxford Archaeological Guide from Earliest Times to 1700. OUP Oxford. p. 205. ISBN 9780191647666.
- ^ Otto Friedrich August Meinardus, Two Thousand Years of Coptic Christianity (1999), p. 315 Archived 13 November 2022 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ Domar: the calendrical and liturgical cycle of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, Armenian Orthodox Theological Research Institute, 2002, pp. 504–505
- ^ G. Massiot (2023). "Church of Saint George, Lod: Interior, view of the nave from the southeast end". CurateND. University of Notre Dame. doi:10.7274/24858729.v1. Retrieved 11 May 2022.
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