Feast day: 23 April
Saint George
Sanctus Georgius
A Roman officer martyred under Diocletian for refusing to sacrifice to idols, venerated East and West as the model of the Christian soldier.
- Born
- Late third century, probably Cappadocia
- Died
- Traditionally 23 April 303, Nicomedia or Lydda (Palestine)
- Canonization
- Pre-Congregation martyr; his cult at Lydda is attested from the fourth century and confirmed by the Roman Martyrology.
- Country
- Roman Empire (Palestine)
Biography
What history preserves
The historical core is sober: a Christian soldier of high rank was put to death at the beginning of the Diocletian persecution and buried at Lydda (Diospolis), where a church stood over his tomb by the fourth century. Early accounts say he tore down the imperial edict of persecution and confessed his faith openly.
The dragon legend
The famous combat with the dragon appears only in the eleventh century and reaches the West through the Golden Legend. The Church has always distinguished this allegory — the knight who frees a city from a devouring evil — from the historical martyrdom, and marks the legendary elements as such.
Cult and legacy
Crusaders spread his veneration through Europe; he became patron of England under Edward III and of many nations and cities. In 1969 his feast was reduced to an optional memorial in the Roman calendar precisely because of the legendary material, though the martyr himself remains firmly honoured.
Timeline
- ~280 — Born, probably in Cappadocia
- ~303 — Martyred at the outbreak of the Diocletian persecution
- 400 — Church over his tomb at Lydda attested
- 1348 — Named patron of the Order of the Garter in England
Dates marked ~ are traditional or debated among historians.
Symbols
Red cross on white — Martyr's blood on the purity of faith; the flag of many nations.
Lance and dragon — Allegory of faith overcoming evil, from medieval legend.
Virtues & spiritual lessons
Fortitude, public confession of faith at the cost of rank and life, and constancy under torture.
Importance in the Church
One of the Fourteen Holy Helpers and a Great Martyr of the Eastern Churches, he embodies the Christian understanding of courage as service and not conquest.
Quotes
“I am a servant of Christ, and I will not sacrifice to your gods.”
Acts of Saint George, early martyrdom account
Prayers
Collect of Saint George
O God, who gave Saint George strength to follow Christ, grant, we pray, through his intercession, that we too may be strong in faith and firm in the hour of trial. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Adapted from the collect of the Roman Missal for 23 April.
Places
Lod (ancient Lydda), Israel — The church of Saint George over his traditional tomb.
Saint George's Chapel, Windsor — Centre of his English cult since the fourteenth century.
Entries are drawn from the Roman Martyrology, the General Roman Calendar, canonization records of the Holy See, and the saints' own writings. Where a date, quotation or attribution is uncertain, it is marked as such. (63 saints)