St George of Lydda (d. 303) soldier, martyr and protector of England
Veneration is ancient and widespread
The veneration of St George is both ancient and widespread.
In the East he was honoured as megalomartyros
("great martyr") and in the West his feast day is mentioned in the
Martyrology of Jerome (5th-6th century), the Gregorian Sacramentary (8th
century) the Martyrologies of Bede in England and of Oengus in Ireland
(9th century).
Earliest Acta gives a confused narrative
Belgian
Jesuit and Bollandist scholar Hippolyte Delehaye (1859–1941) maintained
that the earliest text preserving fragments of the narrative of St
George was a 5th century palimpsest.
But, he pointed out, the compiler
of this Acta "confused the martyr with his namesake, the
celebrated George of Cappadocia, the Arian intruder into the see of
Alexandria and enemy of
St. Athanasius".
George's life and martyrdom
George is associated
with the town of Lydda (present-day Lod) ten miles southeast of
Tel-Aviv. His tomb can be found today in a chapel in that town, near Ben
Gurion International Airport.
The story is that he was a soldier in the
Roman army. He is said to have at first obtained the favour of the
emperor Diocletian and was promoted to the rank of tribune, but when the
emperor began to persecute the Christians, George rebuked him, gave up
his commission, was then tortured and finally beheaded.
His cheerful
defiance and fortitude has been an inspiration to Christians ever
since.
Devotion to him is one of the most ancient and widespread in the
Church, both East and West.
George the dragon-slayer
George soon became a
type of successful combat against evil, so one can easily see how
legends, such as the slaying of the dragon, would grow up around his
name and memory.
The story is that a dragon was terrorising the locality, poisoning
with its breath all who approached it. Every day it was appeased with an
offering of two sheep, but when these grew scarce, a human victim,
chosen by lot was to be substituted.
The lot had fallen on the king's
daughter who went to her fate dressed as a bride.
But George attacked the dragon, pierced it with his lance and led it
away completely tamed and tied with the princess's girdle. George told
the people not to be afraid: if they would believe in Jesus Christ and
be baptised, he would rid them of the monster.
The king and people
agreed. George killed the dragon and 15,000 were baptised.
The parallels with the classical myth of the rescue of Andromeda by
Perseus, which is also associated with Lydda near Tel-Aviv are
significant.
The story became popular in the West through the Legenda Aurea ("Golden Legend"), a 13th century collection of Lives
of greater saints written by Blessed Jacobus de Voragine (1230-99) and
greatly contributed to the popularity of the saint's cult.
St George in Palestine
Palestinian Christians
and even Muslims celebrate George as their patron saint, especially
around Bethlehem, where he is believed to have lived in his childhood.
A
stone-engraved image of the saint (known as Mar Jirjes) in front of
houses identifies them as Christian and the occupants seek his
protection. In one hotel in Bethlehem, Saint George appears over the
lift, as well as many other places throughout the building.
In the town
of Beit Jala, just west of Bethlehem there is a statue of Saint George
carved of stone in the town's main square showng the saint on his
horse fighting the dragon.
Not far away there is also a 16th century
ancient monastery of St George.
His popularity in Europe
George's popularity
spread to Europe as a result of the Crusades. The Synod of Oxford 1222
declared St. George's Day a feast day in the kingdom of England.
His
apparition to the Franks at the siege of Antioch 1098 is said to have
greatly encouraged them, and he made a similar appearance the following
year at Jerusalem.
Military orders of St George were established in
Aragon (1201), Genoa, Hungary, and by the Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick
III.
Portugal, Lebanon, Bulgaria, Belgium, Georgia and Russia are other
countries which have devotion to St George and where he appears in
images, icons and statuary.
Protector of England
King Edward III of England
(1327-77) founded his knighthood of chivalry, known as the Order of the
Garter, under the banner of St. George.
Many churches were dedicated to
him in England and though his popularity may have lessened with the
severe curtailment of saints days in the calendar during the
Reformation, St George's Day continued to be observed.
His veneration as
protector of England was approved by Pope Benedict XIV (Lambertini
1740-58).