Saint George, Martyr
S. Georgii Martyris
Saint George is one of the most celebrated of the early martyrs, venerated throughout both East and West from very ancient times. Honoured as a soldier of Christ who gave his life for the Faith, he is the patron of England and of soldiers.
Saint George is among the most widely beloved of the martyrs, his name held in honour across the whole Christian world from the earliest centuries. Churches were dedicated to him in the East already in the fourth century, and his veneration spread swiftly through every land. Yet for all the love in which he is held, the certain facts of his life are few: that he was a martyr, that he suffered at or near Lydda (Diospolis) in Palestine, and that he gave his life for Christ, most probably in the persecutions that preceded the peace of the Church. The Church has always honoured the reality of his martyrdom while exercising due reserve toward the later and more elaborate accounts of his sufferings.
A soldier of Christ
By the constant tradition, Saint George was a soldier, and it is as a soldier-martyr that the faithful have ever venerated him — one who, bearing arms in the service of an earthly prince, did not flinch to confess the King of Heaven and to lay down his life rather than deny the Faith. The familiar story of George and the dragon, so beloved in Christian art, arose in later ages as an allegory: the saint mounted and victorious represents the Christian soldier overcoming the power of evil by the grace of God. It is a parable in image, not a record of history, and the Church proposes for our veneration not the legend but the martyr himself.
Patron and protector
Devotion to Saint George flourished especially among soldiers and crusaders, and he came in time to be honoured as the patron of England, of Portugal, and of many cities and peoples, as well as of those who bear arms. In him the faithful venerate the courage of the martyrs and are reminded that the truest victory is won not by the sword but by fidelity unto death. Though little of his story can be told with certainty, the Church’s long and constant love for him bears witness to the place he holds among the great soldiers of Christ.
The Collect
O God, who dost gladden us by the merits and intercession of blessed George, Thy Martyr: mercifully grant that we who seek Thy benefits through him may obtain them by the gift of Thy grace. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son, who liveth and reigneth with Thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Deus, qui nos beáti Geórgii Mártyris tui méritis et intercessióne lætíficas: concéde propítius; ut, qui tua per eum benefícia póscimus, dono tuæ grátiæ consequámur. Per Dóminum nostrum Iesum Christum Fílium tuum, qui tecum vivit et regnat in unitáte Spíritus Sancti Deus, per ómnia sǽcula sæculórum. Amen.
Patronage
Saint George is the patron of England, Portugal, and many other lands and cities, and is honoured as a patron of soldiers and of those who bear arms.
In the Modern Calendar
In the modern calendar, this feast is observed on the same day, 23 April, but as an optional memorial.
Common Questions
When is the feast of Saint George?
In the 1962 Roman Missal his feast is kept on 23 April as a Fourth-Class feast. In the modern calendar it is observed on the same day as an optional memorial.
Who was Saint George?
He was an early martyr, by tradition a soldier, who suffered for the Faith at Lydda in Palestine. Venerated from ancient times throughout East and West, he is the patron of England and of soldiers.
Did Saint George really fight a dragon?
The story of George and the dragon arose in later centuries as a Christian allegory, picturing the saint as the soldier of Christ overcoming the power of evil. It is a symbolic image rather than a historical event; what the Church honours is the fact of his martyrdom.
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