Guest Author - Nicola Jane Soen

On 23rd April England celebrates their Saints day. He is St. George who killed the dragon. But did he?

In today’s world no one believes in dragons and the age of chivalry is dead but there is still the canonisation of a Roman male called George. Here is his story. Most historians would agree that there is no early proof about the real existence of George. But later history does say he existed. Many legends have a grain of truth in them; so here is the story; you must make up your own mind.

His cross of the Red Cross on the white back ground was introduced by Richard the Lion heart, who possibly prayed to him for help in winning the crusades. But in possibly George was not a man who would have killed people to force them to believe, quite the opposite; he died to show Gods love for men and his belief in that.

George was apparently born to Christian parents in about 275 or 281 AD. His father was already a Roman soldier and his mother came from what is now Israel. Was she Jewish? We do not know. After the death of her husband, presumably from fighting and dying for his Emperor; she took young George and made sure he was given an education. When he became a young man he followed his father’s footsteps into the Roman army.

He was an excellent soldier and rose though the ranks gaining more then the rank of Tribune, possibly even becoming a personal guard of the Emperor. He was not open with his Christianity it appears until the Roman Emperor decreed that all Christians were to be killed and that George was to help execute this law.

George confessed of his Christianity and tried to stop the decree of execution for Christians, but the Emperor would not listen. He hardened his heart towards George, and when he failed to change his faith ordered George to be tortured.

George was tortured terribly and nearly died more than once, so that the Emperor ordered him to be be-headed on 23 April 303 in Palestine. That is why the date is the 23rd of April. It is to commemorate his death.

George was eventually canonised (made a saint) and became the national saint of England possibly in 1222 when the Council of Oxford declared that his death would be a day of national remembrance.

The Orthodox Church especially honoured George and he is not just England’s saint, but also saint to Aragon, Lithuania, Georgia and Catalonia among others; as well as being the saint those suffering from leprosy or syphilis; pray to for help. He is also the saint for farm workers and soldiers.

Did he fight the Dragon? The legend says that to rescue the last remaining maiden from the dragon he did, along with the help of a magic orange tree, which succoured him till he pierced the dragon under his breast and so killed it.

In reality he did not kill a dragon, but was possibly killed because he was as brave as a knight facing a dragon, standing up for what he truly believed was right and dying for it. This is George our Saint, courageous unto death for what he believed in. England is proud of her Saint.

My Thanks go to Wikipedia and Wood-Lands Junior School for their amazing facts about St. George, without which this article would not exist.