Here are some surprising facts about the dragon-slayer
St. George might be the patron saint of England, but here are some surprising facts about the dragon-slayer.
1) St. George wasn’t English, he was born in Cappadocia, part of modern day Turkey
2) St. George never set foot on English soil.
3) St. George was adopted in England because the story in The Golden Legend, about his slaying of a dragon, was similar to an Anglo-Saxon legend.
4) However, he didn’t save a maiden from a dragon – it turns out dragons don’t exist!
5) He was a Roman soldier.
6) He was put to his death on the 23rd April 303 for refusing to give up Christianity.
7) Edward III made St. George the patron saint of England when he founded England’s order of knights (Order of the Garter) in 1350.
8) The date of St. George’s Day occasionally changes if it falls close to Easter. In 2011 it was moved from its usual date to 2nd May and in 2014 it was moved to 28th April.
9) St. George’s Day is celebrated in a number of different countries around the world, usually in April or May.
10) The flag of England comes from St. George’s Cross and is used as part of the familiar Union flag used in the UK.
11) St. George is also the Patron Saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia.
12) The country Georgia is named after St. George.