Wednesday 23 April 2008

The story of St. George

I don't know much about St. George really. Just that he's the patron saint of England and that the flag of England is the St. George's cross (see below) and that he supposedly killed a dragon...





So I decided to do a little bit of reseach. I found an interesting article on St. George on the website of the Royal Society of St. George.



It says that he was born in about AD 280 in Turkey and that he joined the Roman army at the age of 17. But after George became a Christian, he was persecuted along with all other Christians during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. George, however, stood up for his faith and for other Christians, denouncing the cruelty of the emperor. But then he was arrested and tortured until he would renounce his faith in Christ. Nevertheless, George remained true to his faith and his Lord and became a martyr when he was beheaded on 23 April, AD 303. This date is now celebrated as St. George's Day in England as well as in other countries. St. George led a courageous and honourable life and can serve as an example to many of us. Check out the link above for more detailed information on his life.

And what about the dragon? That might have to be classified more as a myth or legend that has developed around his name. But if you want to hear the story of the dragon, take a look at the video below to see the story acted out by primary school children using Playmobil figures. Very good!







Happy St. George's Day!

No comments: