From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
April 23, 2026 (#93)
St. George…and the Dragon?
Saint George, whose feast is celebrated by the Catholic Church on April 23, continues to be one of the most popular and most venerated saints, honored by the Church and beyond. When the Tudors demanded that the banners of the saints be removed from public life in England during the iconoclasm of the sixteen century “English Reformation,” only the banner of St. George, honored as the patron of the Order of the Garter, was permitted to be displayed. And in recent years, the so-called flag of Saint George, a bold red cross on a white background, has been widely utilized by soccer fans in England and for political purposes by those encouraging a resurgence of English nationalism.
But it is not only the English who honor Saint George as a patron saint. The country of Georgia, the first explicitly Christian nation in the world, utilizes the same banner as the basis of its national flag. He is revered throughout the Levant as the patron saint of Palestinian Christians, Lebanese Christians, and Syrian Christians. And he is especially venerated throughout the Greek and Russian Orthodox worlds. There is even evidence of his veneration among Muslims.
All of this might be especially surprising since we know so little in terms of the details of his life. He has been venerated as a martyr since at least the 5th century, and possibly the 4th.
He is also known as Saint George of Lydda (Lod, in modern Israel), where an Orthodox church now stands, containing a sarcophagus alleged in some quarters to contain his relics. The stories about his life and death, often conflicting, are numerous. Reliable sources suggest that he died for the Faith, possibly as a Roman soldier, at the end of the 3rd century or beginning of the 4th. The story of his battle with the dragon (in the region of modern Libya) was greatly popularized by a manuscript written in the 13th century. And his portrayal as a model chivalrous medieval knight was especially advanced in the last years of the Crusades.
In as much as the image of the dragon, the “ancient serpent,” represents the devil, every image of St. George battling (and defeating!) the Evil One reminds us of the challenges of the Christian life, the aid of powerful intercessors (like George) to whom we can appeal for assistance in the midst of spiritual battles, and the victory for which we hope in Christ Jesus.
St. George, pray for us!
Statuary, medals, and related materials commemorating St. George can be found at:
https://inhisname.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=st+george
