St. George

Their story

George is one of the most famous saints in the world, honored by Christians in both East and West, though very little is known for certain about his life. He was probably a soldier in the Roman army who was put to death for his faith around the year 303, during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian. His tomb at Lydda, in the Holy Land, became a place of pilgrimage, and churches were built in his honor from very early times. In the Eastern Churches he is called the Great Martyr. According to tradition, George was an officer who refused to offer sacrifice to the Roman gods. Instead he openly declared that he was a Christian and gave away his possessions to the poor. He was cruelly tortured and finally beheaded. The best-known story about George is a legend from the Middle Ages, in which he slays a dragon that is terrorizing a town and rescues a princess, and the people are baptized. The story is not history, but it expresses a truth: George's courage and faith were a sign of Christ's victory over evil. Soldiers in the Crusades brought devotion to him back to Europe, and he became the patron of England and of many other places, including Georgia and Ethiopia. He is also a patron of soldiers, scouts and farmers.