The Original Knight in Shining Armor and Patron Saint of England
From Tradition, Family and Property
Statue of St. George inside the City Hall, "Saló de Cent", Barcelona.
Martyr, patron of England, suffered at or near Lydda, also known as
Diospolis, in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine.
According to the very careful investigation of the whole question
recently instituted by Father Delehaye, the Bollandist, in the light of
modern sources of information, the above statement sums up all that can
safely be affirmed about St. George, despite his early cultus and
preeminent renown both in East and West.
Saint George and the dragon
The best known form of the legend of St. George and the Dragon is
that made popular by the “Legenda Aurea”, and translated into English by
Caxton.
St. George and the Dragon by Vittore Carpaccio
According to this, a terrible dragon had ravaged all the country
round a city of Libya, called Selena, making its lair in a marshy swamp.
Its breath caused pestilence whenever it approached the town, so the
people gave the monster two sheep every day to satisfy its hunger, but,
when the sheep failed, a human victim was necessary and lots were drawn
to determine the victim. On one occasion the lot fell to the king’s
little daughter. The king offered all his wealth to purchase a
substitute, but the people had pledged themselves that no substitutes
should be allowed, and so the maiden, dressed as a bride, was led to the
marsh. There St. George chanced to ride by, and asked the maiden what
she did, but she bade him leave her lest he also might perish. The good
knight stayed, however, and, when the dragon appeared, St. George,
making the sign of the cross, bravely attacked it and transfixed it with
his lance. Then asking the maiden for her girdle (an incident in the
story which may possibly have something to do with St. George’s
selection as patron of the Order of the Garter), he bound it round the
neck of the monster, and thereupon the princess was able to lead it like
a lamb. They then returned to the city, where St. George bade the
people have no fear but only be baptized, after which he cut off the
dragon’s head and the townsfolk were all converted. The king would have
given George half his kingdom, but the saint replied that he must ride
on, bidding the king meanwhile take good care of God’s churches, honor
the clergy, and have pity on the poor. The earliest reference to any
such episode in art is probably to be found in an old Roman tombstone at
Conisborough in Yorkshire, considered to belong to the first half of
the twelfth century. Here the princess is depicted as already in the
dragon’s clutches, while an abbot stands by and blesses the rescuer.
St.
George and the Dragon statuette was commissioned by Duke Wilhelm V.
Duke Wilhelm’s son, Maximilian I, had the original ebony base replaced
with the present sumptuous pedestal. The entire statuette consists of
2,291 diamonds, 406 rubies, and 209 pearls. At the base, the inscription
in gold letters reads: “Maximilian, Count Palatine on the Rhine, Duke
of the two Bavarias, Elector of the Holy Roman Empire, dedicated this to
the great martyr St. George, patron and protector of his house and
family.” Well concealed by this lavish decoration is a tiny drawer
containing a reliquary of St. George jeweled as elaborately as all the
rest. This statue is housed in the Residenz Museum in Munich, Germany.
The tiny statuette is barely 20" high from its base to the pearl on the
knights helmet.
From a sermon of St. Peter Damian about St. George
Saint George was a man who abandoned one army for another. He gave up
the rank of tribune to enlist as a soldier for Christ. Eager to
encounter the enemy, he first stripped away his worldly wealth by giving
all he had to he poor. Then, free and unencumbered, bearing the shield
of faith, he plunged into the think of the battle, an ardent soldier for
Christ. Clearly what he did serves to teach us a valuable lesson: if we
are afraid to strip ourselves of out worldly possessions, then we are
unfit to make a strong defense of the faith.
Dear brothers, let us not only admire the courage of this fighter in
heaven’s army, but follow his example. Let us be inspired to strive for
the reward of heavenly glory. We must now cleanse ourselves, as Saint
Paul tells us, from all defilement of body and spirit, so that one day
we too may deserve to enter that temple of blessedness to which we now
aspire.
The tomb of Saint George in Lod, Israel
(cfr Catholic Encyclopedia)
