Saint George

Saint George (Greek, Γεώργιος Georgios; Classical Syriac, ɛɛɛɐɪɔɛ Giwargis; Latin, Georgius) is the name of a Roman soldier executed in Nicomedia because of his Christian faith, which is why he is venerated as a martyr. It is believed that he lived between 275 or 280 and April 23, 303. According to the golden legend, he was "of the lineage of the Cappadocians", which is why he is sometimes mistakenly identified with the Arian bishop Saint George.

His popularity in the Middle Ages has led him to be one of the most revered saints in the different Christian faiths and even —in a phenomenon of syncretism— in the Afro-American and Muslim religions of the Middle East, especially Palestine where he is called Mar Yeries (Christian Arabic) or Al-Jádr (both Christian and Muslim Arabic).

Legendary Life of Saint George

Saint George and the dragonPaolo Uccello, c. 1470. The dragon has the appearance of a pebble.

The legend —possibly originating in the IV century— tells the story of George, a Roman who, after his father died, —Gerontius, an officer in the Roman army— moved with his mother Polychronia to her hometown, Lydda —current Lod, in Israel—. There, Policronia was able to educate her son in the Christian faith and shortly after reaching the age of majority she enlisted in the army. Due to his charisma, George did not take long to rise and, before reaching the age of 30, he was a tribune and comes , being assigned to Nicomedia as personal guard of Emperor Diocletian (284-305).

St. George's tomb in Lod, Israel.

In 303, the emperor issued an edict authorizing persecution of Christians throughout the empire, which continued under Galerius (305-311). Jorge, who was ordered to participate, confessed that he too was a Christian and Diocletian ordered him to be tortured into apostatizing, but to no avail. For this reason his execution was ordered and he was beheaded outside the walls of Nicomedia on April 23, 303. Witnesses convinced the Empress Alexandra and an unnamed pagan priestess to convert to Christianity and join George in his martyrdom. Once dead, Jorge's body was sent to Lydda for him to be buried.

Veneration as a martyr

Saint George and the dragonpainted in 1504 by Rafael.

The above story is dubious at best. However, the veneration of him as a martyr began relatively early. It is known through pilgrim accounts of a church built in Diospolis (ancient Lydda) in his honor during the reign of Constantine I, which became the center of the Eastern cult of George.

Around 518–530, the archdeacon and librarian Theodosius reports that Diospolis was the center of George's cult. An anonymous pilgrim from Piacenza mentions the same thing around 570.

The church was destroyed in 1010 and later rebuilt by the Crusaders. In 1191 and during the Third Crusade (1189–1192), the church was destroyed again by Saladin's forces. A new church was erected in 1872 and still stands.

During the 4th century century, veneration of the saint spread from Palestine to the rest of the Eastern Roman Empire. In the V century his popularity reached the western part of the Roman Empire.

Canonization and later legends

In 494, George was canonized by Pope Gelasius I, but included him along with "...those whose names are justly revered, but whose acts are known only to God."

This statement would not prevent the creation of various apocryphal stories about his life, several of them full of miracles. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the oldest preserved text on the life of the saint is found in the Acta sanctorum, identified by scholars as a palimpsest from the V.

Towards the end of the VI century, the Irish abbot Adomnán, of the Abbey on the Isle of Iona, recounts some of the oriental legends of George collected by the Gallic bishop Arkulf in his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in the year 680.

In the Islamic tradition

In the early days of Islam, the Christian saint was united—through religious and cultural syncretism—with the Jewish prophet Elijah, the Jewish Samaritan preacher Phineas, and the Islamic saint al-Hadr ('the green one';, from Arabic hadir) to form a religious figure who was and still is revered in the Near East.

The name al-Hadr is more commonly transliterated as al-Khidr or al-Khadir, while for Spanish-speaking it would be more correct al-Jadir or al-Jidr.

The story of al-Jidr with the prophet Moses in the Arabic Quran, al-Qur'an al-Karim where he is called Musa, is found in sura 18, Surat al-Kahf. It is a mystical and Gnostic story of Sufism, the esoteric science of Islam.

The Legend of the Dragon

Saint George and the dragonMartin de Vos.

In the IX century, another popular story appears: Saint George on horseback defeating a dragon. This story, which is part of the Golden Legend, is also known as “Saint George and the Dragon”, and is the probable origin of all fairy tales about princesses and dragons in the West.

Note that the legend is recounted in various parts of Europe (such as the Greek myth of Perseus) and Asia Minor as its own, so details vary depending on local lore.

There is an Orthodox Christian tradition that places Saint George's encounter with the dragon in Beirut, Lebanon, where he is the city's patron saint.

Medieval Western legend begins with a dragon making a nest in the spring that provides water to a city. As a consequence, the citizens, in order to get water, had to separate the dragon from the source, offering it a couple of sheep daily. When the sheep were no longer enough, they began to offer him a daily human sacrifice, which was decided at random among the inhabitants. One day the local princess was selected.

In some stories the king, her father, appears crying out for his daughter's life, but without success. When she was about to be devoured by the dragon, Jorge appears on one of his trips (often on horseback), he confronts the dragon, kills it and saves the princess. The grateful citizens abandon paganism and embrace Christianity.

The story, once considered true, has been progressively abandoned. On the other hand, few doubt that it contains a rich religious symbolism, for which various interpretations have been proposed:

• An ancient Christian interpretation of myth: George would be the believer, the white horse the Church and the dragon would represent paganism, idolatry, temptation and Satan.
• Some lay historians consider history to be older than Christians. In Cappadocia, as one of the first regions to adopt the saint, there may have been an integration of pagan elements. A candidate for Saint George's predecessor is the "god" Sabacio, heavenly father of the Frigios, known as Sabazius for the Romans. It is argued that his horse-riding image of a snake would be the origin of the popular image of Saint George on a white horse.
• On the other hand, the story of George and the dragon has many common elements with the ancient Greek myth of the Ethiopian princess Andromeda and her savior and later husband Perseus, victor of the Medusa gorgona and the marine monster Ceto. In both cases there is a dragon/gorgone with his decapitation, a princess and a reward, in one case the marriage, in the other the conversion of the city. Some of the legends about George and the dragon place the action in Libya (formerly all North Africa to the West of Egypt); that is, the action in both cases is situated in distant "magic" realms.
• Finally, the origin could be in an alternative manifestation of the Michael Archangel, which is at the forefront of the heavenly hosts. In other words, Georgius was the incarnation or the avatar of the archangel Michael, the commander-in-chief of the army of heaven (Joshua 5:13-15; Daniel 8:25, 10:13, 12:1; Zechariah 3:2; Judas Tadeo 1: 8; Revelation 12:7).

San Jorgeby Paolo Uccello, c. 1450.

Popularity in the West

It can be shown that Saint George was already venerated in the Frankish Merovingian kingdom in the VI century. ^{[citation needed]} However, it was not until the late Middle Ages, the time of the crusades and chivalry, when the cult spread in Europe.

George became the protector of the crusaders in the conquest of Jerusalem (July 15, 1099). As miles Christi, that is, 'soldier of Christ', he became patron saint of knights and soldiers, and protector of some military religious orders, such as the Teutonic Order (1st century). XII) or the Templars. In the last centuries of the Middle Ages, Jorge became patron of cities, boroughs and noble houses; he also became the first of the fourteen holy helpers as protector of domestic animals.

Around the 12th century, the golden legend spread throughout Europe. Santiago de la Vorágine (circa 1230–July 13, 1298), Archbishop of Genoa wrote the Legenda sanctorum, a collection of fables about various saints. The story of Saint George stood out among others. The book, due to its value in the eyes of readers of the XIII century, ended up being known as Legenda aurea:

Georgius tribunus, genere Cappadocum, pervenit quadam vice in provinciam Libyae in civitatem quae dicitur Silena. Iuxta quam civitatem erat stagnum instar maris, in quo draco pestifer latitabat, qui saepe populum contra se armatum in escapem converterat flatuque suo ad walls civitatis accedens omnes inficiebat. Quapropter compulsi cives duas oves quotidie sibi dannt, ut eius furorem sedarent, alioquin sic walls civitatis invadebat et aerem inficiebat, quod plurimi interibant.

Cum ergo iam oves paene deficerent, maxime cum harum copiam habere non possent, initio consilio ovem cum adiuncto homine tribuebant. Cum igitur sorte omnium filii et filiae hominum darentur et sors neminem exciperet, et iam paene omnes filii et filiae essent consumpti, quadam vice filia regis unica sorte est deprehensa et draconi adiudicata. Tunc rex contristatus ait: «Tollite aurum et argentum et dimidium regni mei et filiam mihi dimittite, ne taliter moriatur». Cui populus cum furore respondit: «You, or rex, hoc edictum fecisti et nunc omnes pueri nostri mortui sunt et tu vis filiam tuam salvae! Nisi in filia tua compleveris, quod in aliis ordinasti, succendemus te et domum tuum». Quod rex videns coepit filiam suam flere say: "Heu me, filia mea dulcissima, quid de te faciam? Aut quid dicam? Quando plus videbo nuptias tuas?». Et conversus ad populum dixit: «Oro, ut indutias octo dierum lugendi mihi filiam tribuatis». Quod cum populus admisisset, in fine octo dierum reversus populus est cum furore say: "Quare perdis populum tuum propter filiam tuam! In omnes afflatu draconis morimur». Tunc rex videns, quod non posset filiam liberare, induit eam vestibus et amplexatus eam cum lacrimis dixit: «Heu me, filia mea dulcissima, de te filios in royali gremio nutrire credebam et nunc vadis, ut a dracone devoreris. Heu me, filia mea dulcissima, sperabam ad tuas nuptias principes invitere, palatium margaritis ornare, tympana et organa audire, et nunc vadis, ut a dracone devoreris». Et deosculans dimisit eam say: "Utinam, filia mea, ego ante te mortuus essem, quam te sic amisissem". Tunc illa procidit ad pedes patris petens ab eo benedictionem suam. Quam cum pater cum lacrimis benedixisset, ad lacum processit.

Quam beatus Georgius casu inde transiens ut plorantem vidit, eam, quid haberet, interrogavit. Et illa: "Bone iuvenis, velociter equum adscende et fuge, ne mecum pariter moriaris". Cui Georgius: «Noli timere, filia, sed dic mihi, quid hic praestolaris omni plebe spectante!». Et illa: «Ut video, bone iuvenis, magnifici cordis es tu, sed mecum mori desideras! He smokes velociter». Cui Georgius: "Hinc ego non discedam, donc mihi, quid habeas, intimabis". Cum ergo totum sibi exposuisset, ait Georgius: «Filia noli timere, quia in Christi nomine te iuvabo». Et illa: "Bone thousands, sed te ipsum salvae festines, mecum non pereas. Sufficit enim, if only peream. Nam me liberare non posses et tu mecum perires». Dum haec loquerentur, ecce draco veniens caput de lacu levavit. Tunc puella tremefacta dixit: «Fuge, bone domine, fuge velociter». Tunc Georgius equum ascendens et junction se muniens draconem contra se advenientem audaciter aggreditur et lanceam fortiter vibrans et se Deo commendans ipsum graviter violavit et ad terram deiecit dixitque puellae: «Proice zonam tuam in collum draconis nihil dubitans, filia».

Quod cum fecisset, sequebatur eam velut mansuetissima canis. Cum ergo eum in civitatem duceret, populi hoc videntes per montes et colles fugere coeperunt dicentes: «Vae nobis, quia iam omnes peribimus!». Tunc beatus Georgius innuit iis say: "Nolite timere, ad hoc enim me misit Dominus ad vos, ut a poenis vos liberaem draconis. Tantummodo in Christum credite et unusquisque vestrum baptizetur et draconem istum occidam». Tunc rex et omnes populi baptizati sunt, beatus Georgius evaginato gladio draconem occidit et ipsum extra civitatem efferri praecepit. Tunc quattuor paria boum ipsum in magnum campum foras duxerunt. Baptizati autem sunt in illa die XX milia exceptis parvulis et mulieribus. Rex autem in honorem beatae Mariae et beati Georgi ecclesiam mirae magnitudeinis construxit. From cuius altari fons vivus emanat, cuius potus omnes languidos sanat. Rex vero infinitem pecuniam beato Georgio obtulit, quam ille recipere nolens pauperibus eam dari praecepit. Tunc Georgius de quatuor regem breviter instruxit, scilicet ut ecclesiarum dei curam haberet, priests honoraret, divinum officium diligenter audiret et semper pauperum memor esset; et sic osculato rege inde recessit. In aliquibus tamen libris legitur quod dum draco ad devorandum puellam pergeret, Georgius se cross muniuit et draconem aggrediens interfecit.

The rostrum Jorge, of the lineage of the foremen, once arrived in the province of Libya, to a city called Silena. At the side of this city there was a pond similar to a sea, in which a pestilence dragon was hidden, which often ran away the armed people against him and, approaching the walls of the city, with his breath he destroyed them all. Obliged by this situation, the citizens gave him two sheep every day to calm his anger; otherwise, he passed the walls of the city and corrupted the air in such a way that thousands died.

When, therefore, sheep were almost lacking, most of them could not have them in abundance, an ordinance was proclaimed according to which they would tax a sheep with the addition of a man. When, therefore, the sons and daughters of all men were given to lot, and the lot did not spare anyone, and when almost all the sons and daughters had already been swallowed, on one occasion, the only daughter of the king was chosen at random and awarded to the dragon. Then the king, saddened, said, "Take gold and silver, and half my kingdom, and forgive me the daughter, that she may not die so." To what the people answered in fury: "You, king, did this decree, and now all our sons are dead and you want to save your daughter! And if you do not fulfill your daughter what you ordered others, we will set you and your house on fire." Seeing this, the king began to cry for his daughter, saying, "Woe to me, my sweet daughter, what will I do with you? Or what will I say? When will I also see your weddings?” And, turning toward the people, he said, "I pray that you give me a time of eight days to cry for my daughter." Having admitted this, the people returned after eight days, saying with fury, "Why ruin your people because of your daughter? See how we all die by the breath of the dragon!" Then the king, seeing that he could not release the daughter, clothed with lame clothes, and hugged her, said to her in tears: "Woe to me, my sweet daughter, I believed that you would nourish children in your royal lap, and now you go to be devoured by the dragon. Woe to me, my most sweet daughter, I hoped to invite the princes to your weddings, to adorn the palace with pearls, to hear shaves and organs; and now you are going to be devoured by the dragon." And he kissed her, saying, "I wish, my daughter, I would have died before I had lost you like this." Then she fell at the father's feet asking for her blessing. When the father blessed her between tears, she went to the lake.

When St. George, who casually passed by, saw her crying, asked him what was happening to her. And she: "Good young man, go up quickly to the horse and flee, do not die with me the same way." Jorge replied: “Don’t be afraid, daughter; better tell me why you’re standing here with all the populace looking.” And she: “As I see, you are a good young man, but you do not want to die with me! Flee quickly.” To this one, Jorge: "I will not leave here until you tell me what's going on." As he explained everything to him, George said, "Daughter, do not fear, for in the name of Christ I will help you." And she: "Good soldier, be quick to save yourself, do not die with me; only if I die alone, for you could not release me and you would die with me." As they spoke, behold, the dragon was approaching, looking at the head from the lake. Then the young woman, trembling with fear, said to her, "Go away, good lord, flee quickly." Then George, going up to the horse and protecting himself with the sign of the Cross, boldly charged the dragon, who came from the front; and softening the spear and entrusting himself to God, smote him seriously and shattered him on the ground, and said to the young woman, "Bring your belt to the dragon's neck without hesitation, daughter."

She did so, and the dragon followed her as if she were a very meek doggie. Then, when he led him to the city, the inhabitants, seeing him, began to flee through the mountains and the hills, saying, "Woe to us, we shall all die now!" Then St. George made a gesture with his head, saying, "Do not be afraid, for the Lord has sent me to you for this, to deliver you from the chastisement of the dragon. Just believe in Christ and baptize each of you and I will kill this dragon." Then the king and all the inhabitants were baptized, and St. George, unraveled the sword, killed the dragon and ordered him to be taken out of the city. Then four pairs of oxen took him out to a great field. On the one hand, twenty thousand were baptized that day, except the little ones and the women. On the other hand, the king built a church of an admirable size in honor of Saint Mary and Saint George. From his altar he sends a constant source, and drinking from this fountain heals all the sick. In addition, the king offered an endless amount of money to St. George, who, not willing to receive him, ordered the poor to be given. Then, George instructed the king briefly on the four precepts, that is, to take care of the churches of God, to honor the priests, to listen carefully to the divine office and to always remember the poor. And so, after kissing the king, he left. However, in some books it is read that, while the dragon approached to devour the young woman, Jorge protected himself with the sign of the Cross and, attacking him, killed him.

Saint George in Eurasia

Albania

Known as Shën Gjergj, it is celebrated on May 6, as it coincides with the birth date of the national hero.

Germany

Church of St. George in Reichenau.

In the 9th century (or perhaps later, in the XI) appears in Germany the Song of Saint George. The song, based on Latin precedents and written in High German, recounts the saint's martyrdom. It is attributed to the first known poet in the High German language, Otfried of Wissenbourg (c. 800–after 870), although the song's existence can only be proven from the XI. The origin could be in the monastery of Prüm, to which Emperor Lothair I (840–855) donated a severed and stuffed arm, saying that it was a relic of Saint George. That made it the center of veneration for the Franks.

However, the High German language indicates an origin on the monastic island of Reichenau. Around the IX century — thanks to the mediation of the Archbishop of Mainz and Abbot of Reichenau Hatto III (891–913) — came from Rome, among other relics, a skull that was attributed to Jorge. The church of Sankt Georg was built for this relic.

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the 20th century century, this church has preserved wall paintings from the X with scenes from the life of Jesus Christ taken from the gospels. As a consequence, Reichenau became a great center of veneration for Saint George, which extended his influence as far as the convent of Sankt Georgen (1084/1085) in the Black Forest. The main city of the Black Forest, Freiburg im Breisgau, has Saint George as its patron.

France

There are eighty-one towns and several hundred churches with the name Saint-Georges.

Georgia

Flag of Georgia.

Saint George is the patron saint of Georgia. The current flag is a Saint George Cross and the shield has a representation of the saint on horseback slaying the dragon.

Georgians call themselves Kartvelebi (ქართველები) and their country Sakartvelo (საქართველო). The western name "Georgia" is derived from Persian گرجی Gurji via Arabic Jurj.^{[citation needed]}

The spelling of the name has been influenced by the Greek root geōrg- (γεωργ-, the same root as Γεώργιος 'Georgios') and by popular etymology it was believed that the name came from Saint George.

The Persian word گرجی Gurji and the related Armenian Vrastan seem to be related to the name Iberia, with loss of the initial i- and substitution of b for w or v.^{[citation required]}

For Georgians, Saint George is celebrated on November 23, a tradition that stems directly from the feast of the god Moon (White George).

Greece

Saint George is still venerated in Greece, where he has been given the name of the Great Martyr. He is patron of the island of Sciros, where there is a monastery dedicated to the saint.

For the Slavs of Corinth, the celebration of "Saint George the Green" takes on the folkloric aspect of a rite to obtain rain.

Spain and Portugal

In the Middle Ages, Saint George became patron saint of the Crown of Aragon and of Portugal.

Crown of Aragon

The shield of Aragon looks at the cross of St. George at the third barracks.

In 1096, the armies of King Sancho Ramírez of Aragón besieged the city of Alcoraz, near Huesca. After receiving help from Zaragoza, the besieged manage to kill the king, but they win the battle of Alcoraz, according to tradition, thanks to the appearance of Saint George. Later, King Pedro I of Aragon conquered Huesca after invoking the help of the saint. Legend has it that the same day he was helping the crusaders in Antioch and that, at one point in the battle, he mounted a dismounted Teutonic knight on the back of his horse; Later, that same knight was involved in the battle of Alcoraz.

Especially from the XIII century, numerous legends and apparitions arose in the kingdom. Thus, Jaime I the Conqueror recounts that the saint appeared during the conquest of Valencia: «Saint George appeared with many knights from paradise, who helped win the battle, in which no Christian died». Later, King Jaime tells of the conquest of Majorca that "according to what the Saracens told him, they saw a white knight with white weapons enter first on horseback", whom he identifies with Jorge.

Saint George's patronage over the kings of Aragon and, by extension, over the entire Crown of Aragon is officially recognized in the mid-century XV during the reign of Juan II of Aragon and Navarre, who named him patron saint of the Kingdom and of the Diputación del General, the main foral institution in the event that the Parliament was not summoned.

• Aragon

Today on April 23, the day of San Jorge is a holiday in Aragon, which celebrates the Day of Aragon.

The cross of Saint George appears in the third barracks of the Escudo de Aragón, along with four heads of Moors, representing the victory of Peter I in the battle of Alcoraz, the first great milestone of the reconquest and where 40,000 men fought for Huesca in 1096. The barracks of the Tree of Sobrarbe (fueros who defended the law on the king according to tradition), La Cruz de Íñigo Arista (vinculation between Aragon and Navarre), the so-called Cruz de Alcoraz, introduced as an emblem of Peter III the Great in the centuryXIIIand the Bars of Aragon, whose existence and use by the Aragon house as a heraldic emblem dates from the reign of Alfonso II the Casto. The bars were the emblem of the Kings of Aragon who, like other lords in the Middle Ages, were vassals of Rome and Avignon; the colors of the emblem are the same as those used by the popes. It later became the symbol of the Crown of Aragon.

Peter IV the Ceremony promoted the devotion of the kings of Aragon to St. George and adopted as a heraldic currency a chimera with a dragon. Hence he made Jorge the master of Aragon, for his king's sake, and with it all the kingdoms that made the Crown of Aragon. The model of Aragon's shield, as it was approved after the Spanish transition, appears for the first time in Zaragoza, in the presses of the German printer and "magnific master Paulo Hurus" on September 12, 1499.

• Catalonia

The flag of Barcelona looks two crosses of San Jorge along with the bars of the Crown of Aragon.

The cross of Saint George is the first emblem of the Generality of Catalonia. Currently the cross appears on the shield of Barcelona.

According to Costumari Català by Joan Amades, the fact that George is the patron of the knights is due to the help he gave to King Peter I of Aragon in the battle of the Alcoraz, in Huesca, in 1096 against the Muslims. To give thanks for the pregnancy, the king appointed him not only the pattern of cavalry, but of the nobility of the Kingdom of Aragon. This patronage extended to the later Corona de Aragón, which covered the Barcelona County.

In Catalonia the feast of St. George's Day was also generalized in the mid-centuryXV. In 1456 the patronage was officialized when the Catalan Courts declared on April 23 as a festive. The party has become with time in the day of the lovers: the lover gives to the beloved a red rose. Later the custom was generalized that, as a counterpart, women would give a book to their loved ones.

In Montblanch the legend of Saint George and the dragon is represented on April 23, as the events in the city are commemorated. And in San Clemente Sasebas there is a procession to the Enchanted Rock, where there is supposed to be a great treasure that can only be found that night.

• Valencian Community

The saint is very venerated in Alcoy and Bañeres, where the patron saints of "moros and Christians" (Moros y Cristianos de Alcoy, and Moros y Cristianos de Bañeres) are celebrated in their honor the festivals of Moors and Christians of Alcoy are recognized all over the world because they are of such spectacularity that on the 22, 23 and 24 of April, days in which the city is celebrated,

In Bañeres, moreover, the famous "Leyenda del dragon y la Princesa" is staged every three years, organized by the Associació de la llegenda de Sant Jordi.

Rest of Spain

Romanesque image of Saint George facing the dragon, in the church of San Pelayo de Puentedey (Burgos).

• Castilla y León

It is the patron of Olmedo de Camaces and Santiago de la Puebla, both localities of the province of Salamanca, who celebrate their festival on 23 April as the inhabitants of San Esteban de Nogales, province of León, in whose hermitage is kept a relic: the hull of the holy Matadragons. On the day of Saint George the inhabitants of the village make a visit to the hermitage, on the other side of the river Eria. The mozos carry the pendant, crossing the artisanal bridge. There is also a dance (bailina) with sticks.

• Extremadura

Saint George is the patron of the city of Cáceres, being a local holiday on April 23, and celebrating on the night of April 22 (the day of the pattern) with the burning of the dragon in the Plaza Mayor.

• La Rioja

He's patron of Santurdejo. On the day of their holidays, dances and processions are celebrated in their honor. Formerly sick people from all corners approached the church of St. George in Santurdejo and turned around to be healed by the miracles of the Holy One.

• Castilla-La Mancha

It is the pattern of Villanueva de Alcardete (Toledo). On that day, April 23, Mass and procession are celebrated. Novenario, eves, verbenas, music and folklore complete a wide program that the brotherhood or the City Council organize and finance. On the same day 23, in the afternoon, a bid is made with the gifts that the neighbors make to the saint. Animals were once given away and the collection served for the works of the saint and his brotherhood. Now they auction rocks, breads, etc. Typical charities (saltless flour or yeast cooked in oven) are also made to help maintain the holiday. Already in 1606 this party was celebrated with bulls, according to the archive of the City Council, but the climatology prevents one year yes and another also that the bullfighters, sometimes, cannot even make the ride.

It is the patron of Aldea del Rey (Real City). In this municipality of La Mancha you will find the Sacro-Convento Castillo de Calatrava La Nueva and the Palacio de Clavería, also belonging to the Order of Calatrava. For a few years the festival has been held during the weekend after the 23rd of April. On Friday is the local holiday, on Saturday the eves are celebrated in honor of the Holy One and on Sunday is the big day on which the Mass is celebrated in the morning and in the evening a procession that runs through the main streets of the town and to which all the brothers of that brotherhood attend. The distinctive of the brotherhood is a cross band with the colors of the flag of Spain and the Cross of the Order of Calatrava embroidered in the center.

• Asturias

In Asturias it is called San Xurde and is in charge of giving death to the Cuélebre, which is a great snake to which it is represented with crines, ears, bat wings (when it is already old), and guarding a great treasure in a cave or next to a fountain protecting the Xanas. It will be with the arrival of Christianity when the Lever ceases to have the role of Keeper changing it by the devouring dragon of cattle and virgins. The Cover can only be killed by slaving a sword in the neck, or by feeding a loaf of bread full of pins or stones warmed to the red.

• Basque Country

San Jorge is the patron of Santurce. It is also the etymological origin of the name of the population whose origins are an hermitage or a monastery dedicated to this saint in the centuryXI.

Portuguese

It seems that the French crusaders who helped Alfonso I of Portugal in the conquest of Lisbon in 1147, introduced the cult of Jorge in Portugal. However, it is believed that it was not until the time of Alfonso IV that the name of San Jorge was used as a war cry, instead of Santiago.

Nuno Álvares Pereira, Constable of Portugal and a profound devotee of the saint, considered Jorge the champion of Aljubarrota's victory against the Castilians.

Juan I of Portugal was also a devotee of Jorge. So much so that he replaced Santiago with Jorge as the patron saint of Portugal. In 1387 he ordered that the image of him on his horse be taken out in the Corpus Christi procession, a tradition that also spread to Brazil.

Already in 1386, England and Portugal —also united by the patronage of Saint George— signed the Anglo-Portuguese alliance, which is still in force today.

In 1934, Saint Anthony of Padua officially replaced Saint George as the patron saint of Portugal, currently a completely forgotten devotion at the national level.

Hungary

Insignia de la Orden de San Jorge de Hungary.

The figures of Saint George and Saint Martin are closely linked to Hungarian religious cults even before the foundation of the Kingdom of Hungary, around the year 1000. According to chronicles and legends, King Saint Stephen I of Hungary led their armies against the pagan leader, Cupan, in the year 997 "under the banners of Saint George and Saint Martin."^{[citation needed]} For the next three hundred years, both Saint George and Saint Martin were worshiped in various churches and monasteries, although after the canonization of King Saint Ladislaus I of Hungary in 1192, he subsided.

In 1326 King Charles I of Hungary founded the world's first secular knightly order, the Order of Saint George, attesting that in the 19th century XIV her cult was still of great importance in Hungary. In 1373 the Hungarian brothers Martin of Koloszvár and George of Kolozsvár, master sculptors, cast a bronze statue of Saint George, probably a gift from King Louis I of Hungary to his ally Emperor Charles IV of Luxembourg, also King of Bohemia, who was placed in Prague. From the second half of the XIV century, the cult of the knight king Ladislaus I of Hungary prevailed: it even became a tradition to coin coins with his image.

According to a study conducted in Hungary in 1808, 59 settlements bore the name of Saint George. However, taking existing documents and manuscripts into account, it is estimated that prior to the 150 years of Ottoman Turkish occupation in the 15th and 16th centuries, the number of towns named after Saint George was nearly double that of those that appeared in the study. Thus concluding all those absent in the list of 1808 were previously destroyed.

England

The flag of England is a cross of St. George.

King Edward III of England (king 1327-1377), known for promoting the code of chivalry, founded the Order of the Garter in 1348 and named George as its patron saint.

The order's old archives were destroyed by fire, but it is believed that in 1344 or 1348, Edward III proclaimed Saint George patron saint of England. Although his worship was suppressed at the time of the Reformation by the Church of England, St George's Chapel at Windsor (completed between 1483 and 1528) remained the seat of the order.

In 1818, the then Prince Regent and later King George IV of England created the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George to recognize extraordinary service in the diplomatic field.

George is one of the main characters in Edmund Spenser's poem Faerie Queen, considered one of the most beautiful poems in the English language.

He appears in Book I as the «Redcrosse Knight of Holiness» («Holy Knight of the Red Cross»), protector of the Virgin Mary. It is in this way that Saint George can be interpreted as part of the Church of England maintaining and supporting the Tudor dynasty of Elizabeth I of England.

Italy

Representation of Saint George.

In Italy, the cult of Saint George (San Giorgio) was widespread. In Rome, Belisarius (circa 527) placed the Gate of Saint Sebastian (Porta San Sebastiano) and the church of Saint George in Velabro under the protection of George, where another skull of the saint was transferred shortly afterwards, discovered in the Lateran Patriarchate of Pope Zacharias (744–752). Some Italian cities, including Genoa, Ferrara, and Reggio Calabria, have Saint George as their patron.

Russia

Moscow shield.

The image of Saint George appears on the old imperial coat of arms and on the modern national coat of arms. It was the ancient emblem of the Russian armies and gave its name to the country's first military order.

The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day as the patron saint of Russia on May 6. The "Great Martyr George, Trophy Bearer" has been venerated in icon form since the Middle Ages. The Novgorod Icon Gallery of the Novgorod State University has a collection of icons of the saint from the 12th to 16th centuries.

Ukraine

The feast of Saint George is in May. On that date, the plastuny is celebrated in Ukraine, which is both the feast of Saint George and the spring festival. Saint George is the patron saint of Ukraine, the kyiv region, the main sanctuary of Galicia and the city of Lviv (Cathedral of Saint George), the oldest cities of Volodimir-Volinsky, Kamianets-Podilskyi, and a couple of dozen other cities. more cities.

Belarus

In the Republic of Belarus it is celebrated on April 23 at the beginning of spring: peasants roll on the grass soaked by the first dew and bless the earth. On the other hand, the festival is related to the prosperity and care of animals: the cattle are rubbed with an egg to make them more healthy.

Maltese

On the island of Malta the festival is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of June and on Gozo on the third Sunday of July. Saint George is the main dedication of the chapel of the Language of Aragon in the Cathedral of Saint John, in Valletta, the capital of Malta.

Serbia and Montenegro

In the two countries of Serbia and Montenegro Saint George is one of the patron saints. As in Russia, the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Montenegrin Orthodox Church celebrate their feast day on May 6. There is an island off the coast of Montenegro called Saint George, with a monastery dedicated to the saint.

Rest of the world

Argentina

San Jorge is the patron of the Argentine Army Cavalry, so April 23 is also celebrated the day of said weapon. He is also patron of a city in the Province of Salta called Pichanal and of the city of San Jorge located in the center west of the Province of Santa Fe. He lends his name to the town of San Jorge in the Partido de Laprida in the Province of Buenos Aires. Aires; to the San Jorge Gulf divided by halves between the provinces of Chubut (to the north) and Santa Cruz (to the south); and the San Jorge hills, one located in the town of Potrerillos in the Department of Luján de Cuyo in the Province of Mendoza, and the other located in the Department of Río Grande in the Province of Tierra del Fuego, Antártida and Islas del Atlántico Sur.

Chile

In the commune of La Cisterna, located in the southern sector of the capital Santiago, there is a skate-hockey club called HC San Jorge whose insignia features the saint's cross as well as a red dragon, reminiscent of the legend.

Columbia

In the Colombian National Army, he is the patron of the most distinguished weapon of the Force, the Cavalry. The Cavalry soldier, who accompanies with his loyal work the mission of the National Army, has been an important resource in the defense of patriotic values and they recognize in him a fighter, virtuous man who gives his efforts for the security and progress of the homeland.; The day of the Cavalry Weapon is also celebrated on April 23.

Uruguay

Saint George is the patron saint of the Uruguayan Army Cavalry, but his day is celebrated on October 12, the date that commemorates the first horse charge of the Eastern Army on October 12, 1825, Battle of Sarandí.

Venezuelan

In Venezuela, Saint George is the patron saint of the Cavalry and Armored Arms of the Venezuelan Army, his day being celebrated on April 23. There are two churches in Caracas that bear his name, one is the Melkite Church under the direction of the Vatican in Rome and the other is the Serbian Orthodox Church under the direction of the Patriarchate of Serbia: the Melkite church commemorates Saint George on April 23 as It is governed by the Gregorian calendar, while the Serbian Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar on May 6.

Ethiopia

St. George's Church in Ethiopia.

According to a legend, probably generated by King Lalibela of Ethiopia, when he was finishing a series of churches, Saint George appeared in his armor and mounted on a white horse. The king said that the military saint blamed him for not having a temple dedicated to him, so the king started collecting more taxes to build one as soon as possible.

This is how Bet Giyorgis ('St. George') was built, a rock-hewn church, one of the most beautiful churches in Ethiopia. The church is surrounded by myths and legends that claim it was built by the Templars in the 13th century or that it houses the Ark of Biblical Alliance.

Brazil

Portugal brought the cult to its colonies. In Afro-Brazilian cults, in Umbanda Saint George is identified with Ogum or Ogún (in Rio de Janeiro, Recife, São Paulo and Porto Alegre), god of war and weapons, who handles iron and with Oxóssi and Odé, in the Candomblé of the Bay. Africanism also takes this saint to represent Ogum, holy (orixá) warrior and protector.

Mexico

In the state of Durango in Mexico, April 23 has been declared a patron saint. This is due to its mythology of defending against the "beasts", in the city of Durango there are plenty of vipers, insects and arachnids (specifically scorpions).

Icon, Christian-Byzantine Museum, Athens.

Paraguayan

A traditional saint of global Catholicism, with a large following in Paraguay. He helps manage or resolve complicated or conflicting situations and people. It is enough to put under his foot the name of what you want to solve, appease, tame or defeat and Saint George will help us in this task. Saint George was a soldier of the Roman Empire who suffered martyrdom and persecution in the IV century AD. Very popular ever since, his miraculous appearance is credited with defeating a dragon, among other victories. «If you want to win that battle, here is your ally». He is the patron saint of the Cavalry Weapon whose feast is celebrated on April 23. The National Heart Institute, known as the San Jorge Hospital, works on its premises.

Sponsorship

Saint George is, or was, patron saint and protector of various countries, regions and cities: the Crown of Aragon, England, Portugal, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Genoa, Calabria, Barcelona, Moscow, Cáceres, etc.

He is one of the holy knights, protector during the Middle Ages of this estate. In Russia he was used as the main emblem of their armies. In England and Provence his name was used as a rallying cry.

Several military orders bear his name or symbols: the Order of the Garter, the Teutonic Order, the Order of Calatrava, the Sacred Constantinian Order, the Order of Saint George of Alfama, among others.

He is also patron of various other professions and activities: farmers, soldiers, archers, prisoners, blacksmiths, circus people, scouts, mountaineers, among others.

He is also a protector of domestic animals. His name is invoked against poisonous snakes, skin diseases, herpes, plague, leprosy and syphilis, and in Slavic countries against the evil eye.

In addition, Saint George has been the patron saint of Banyeres de Mariola since time immemorial. The town celebrates Moors and Christians festivals in his honor. Both the patron saint and the festivities are already mentioned by the botanist Antonio José de Cavanilles in his travel notebooks during the spring of 1792: "As soon as we left the Pinar we can see the castle and town of Banyeres built on top of a little hill, and on the top of that the castle, its streets on the slope, and everything covered to the east by the head of a hill, which already rises branch or first step for Mariola. Those from Banyeres celebrated the feast of Saint George on that day, which they continued on the following day with a great roar of shots and attacks, representing the capture of the castle by the Moors and the dam that the Christians later built. &#3. 4;

San Jorge martyr is also the patron saint of Alcoy, a city located in the Valencian Community, standing out as the best-known Moors and Christians festival in the world, declared of international tourist interest in 1980.

He is also recognized as the patron saint of Scouting, specifically of the Scout branch. He was chosen by Baden Powell, the founder of the movement, for his example of bravery and chivalry.

Finally, in Argentina, Buenos Aires is also considered the patron saint of a neighborhood called Villa La Florida in Quilmes. This neighborhood has a great Italian influence, since many of its founders came to the place from Italy and were the ones who named Saint George as the patron saint of La Florida, where they even have a large Church named after the saint.

For the Druze (Arabic: durūzī دروزي, plural: durūz دروز)]], he is a revered and respected patron saint.

Iconography

Saint George is usually represented on a horse, usually white, dressed in the medieval military style, with palm, spear, sword and shield. He was the victorious standard bearer, the champion knight of dragons, with the symbol of evil at his feet. He was the knight of the mother of God, Mary, the equivalent on earth of Saint Michael the Archangel (from which he is distinguished because the latter is usually represented with wings).

The "Colours of Saint George" (or what is more commonly called the "Cross of Saint George") is a white flag with a red cross whose arms reach to the ends. It can often be seen on the shield of Saint George in paintings and other representations. It has also been adapted to the different entities of which it is patron, such as the flag of England, Georgia, etc.

In art

The most famous paintings of the saint were by Dürer (in 1503), Donatello, Raphael and Rubens' Saint George and the Dragon, in the Prado Museum.

There are also some representations of the Legend of Saint George and the Dragon in mural painting, such as the Saint George of Alfambra, large in size and in Gothic style, dating from around 1490, and found in the Hermitage of Santa Ana, Alfambra (Teruel). Its level of detail in the clothing that already announces the Renaissance is remarkable, as well as being related to the patronage of Fernández de Heredia, one of whose lineage members appears in the adjoining scene.