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Saint George
According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Saint George probably lived during the 3rd century and died in Lydda, Palestine [now Lod, Israel]. His feast day is April 23. "He was an early Christian martyr who during the Middle Ages became an ideal of martial valour and selflessness. He is the patron saint of England."
".... Legends about him as a warrior-saint, dating from the 6th century, became popular and increasingly extravagant. Jacob de Voragine's Legenda aurea (1265-66; Golden Legend) repeats the story of his rescuing a Libyan king's daughter from a dragon and then slaying the monster in return for a promise by the king's subjects to be baptized. George's slaying of the dragon may be a Christian version of the legend of Perseus, who was said to have rescued Andromeda from a sea monster near Lydda. It is a theme much represented in art, the saint frequently being depicted as a youth wearing knight's armour with a scarlet cross...."
From Britannica
Online, Copyright © 1996 Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Icons of Saint George have been important in the Russian Orthodox Church since early times. The following collection of icons comes from the Novgorad Icon Gallery of the Novgorod State University in Russia. They date from the 12th to the 16th century.
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| Icon of Saint George 1130-1150 |
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Icon of Saint George Near 1170 |
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| Saint George and the Dragon with scenes from his life Beginning or first half of 14th Century |
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Saint George and the Dragon Late 14th Century |
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| Saint George and the Dragon First Quarter of the 15th Century |
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Saint George and the Dragon First half or Middle of the 16th Century |