On May 6 (April 23, old style), the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, born in the Lebanese Mountains.
Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious: history
Great Martyr George was the son of rich and pious parents who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in ancient times - Berit), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.
Having entered military service, the Great Martyr George stood out among other soldiers for his intelligence, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Having soon reached the rank of commander of a thousand, Saint George became the favorite of Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical supporter of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of Christians.
Having once heard at trial an inhuman sentence about the extermination of Christians, Saint George was inflamed with compassion for them. Anticipating that suffering also awaited him, George distributed his property to the poor, set his slaves free, appeared to Diocletian and, declaring himself a Christian, accused him of cruelty and injustice. George's speech was full of strong and convincing objections to the imperial order to persecute Christians.
After unsuccessful persuasion to renounce Christ, the emperor ordered the saint to be subjected to various tortures. Saint George was imprisoned, where he was laid on his back on the ground, his feet were put in stocks, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest. But Saint George bravely endured suffering and glorified the Lord. Then George’s tormentors began to become more sophisticated in their cruelty. They beat the saint with ox sinews, wheeled him around, threw him into quicklime, and forced him to run in boots with sharp nails inside. The holy martyr endured everything patiently. In the end, the emperor ordered the saint's head to be cut off with a sword. So the holy sufferer went to Christ in Nicomedia in 303.
The Great Martyr George is also called the Victorious for his courage and spiritual victory over his tormentors who could not force him to renounce Christianity, as well as for his miraculous help to people in danger. The relics of Saint George the Victorious were placed in the Palestinian city of Lydda, in a temple bearing his name, and his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.
On the icons, the Great Martyr George is depicted sitting on a white horse and slaying a serpent with a spear. This image is based on legend and refers to the posthumous miracles of the Holy Great Martyr George. They say that not far from the place where Saint George was born in the city of Beirut, there lived in a lake a snake that often devoured the people of that area. What kind of animal it was - a boa constrictor, a crocodile or a large lizard - is unknown.
To quench the fury of the serpent, the superstitious inhabitants of that area began to regularly give him a young man or a girl by lot to be devoured. One day the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that area. She was taken to the shore of the lake and tied, where she waited in horror for the snake to appear.
When the beast began to approach her, a bright young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, struck the snake with a spear and saved the girl. This young man was the Holy Great Martyr George. With such a miraculous phenomenon, he stopped the destruction of young men and women within Beirut and converted the inhabitants of that country, who had previously been pagans, to Christ.
It can be assumed that the appearance of St. George on horseback to protect the inhabitants from the serpent, as well as the miraculous revival of the farmer’s only ox described in the life, served as the reason for the veneration of St. George as the patron of cattle breeding and protector from predatory animals.
In pre-revolutionary times, on the day of remembrance of St. George the Victorious, residents of Russian villages for the first time after a cold winter drove their cattle out to pasture, performing a prayer service to the holy great martyr and sprinkling houses and animals with holy water. The Day of the Great Martyr George is also popularly called “Yuriev’s Day,” on this day, before the reign of Boris Godunov, peasants could move to another landowner.
The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious is the patron saint of the army. The image of St. George the Victorious on a horse symbolizes the victory over the devil - the “ancient serpent” (Rev. 12:3, 20:2); this image was included in the ancient coat of arms of the city of Moscow.
Troparion to the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious
Troparion: As the liberator of the captives and the protector of the poor, the physician of the infirm, the champion of kings, the victorious Great Martyr George, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls.
Life of the Great Martyr George the Victorious
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This saint is numbered among the great martyrs and is one of the most revered in the Christian world. According to his life, he lived in the 3rd century AD. e. and died at the beginning of the 4th century - in 303. George was born in the city of Cappadocia, which at that time was located on the territory of modern Turkey. The second common version is that he was born in the city of Lydda (original name - Diospolis), in Palestine. Currently, this is the city of Lud, located in Israel. And the saint grew up in Cappadocia, in a family of noble and wealthy parents who professed Christianity.
What do we know about St. George the Victorious?
By the age of 20, a physically strong, courageous and educated young man became one of the close associates of the Roman Emperor Diocletian, who appointed him a military tribune (commander of 1000 soldiers).
During the outbreak of mass persecution of Christians, he distributed all his property, freed his slaves and announced to the emperor that he was a Christian. He was subjected to painful torture and beheaded in the city of Nicomedia (currently Izmit) on April 23. 303 years (old style).
Transcription of the name of the saint in the folklore of the peoples of the world
In some sources he is also mentioned under the names Yegor the Brave (Russian folklore), Jirjis (Muslim), St. George of Lydda (Cappadocia), and in Greek primary sources as Άγιος Γεώργιος.
In Rus', after the adoption of Christianity, one canonical name George (translated from Greek as “farmer”) was transformed into four, different from the point of view of legislation, but united, according to the Orthodox Church: George, Egor, Yuri, Egor. The name of this saint, revered by different nations, has undergone similar transformations in many other countries. Among the medieval Germans he became Jorge, among the French - Georges, among the Bulgarians - Gorgi, among the Arabs - Djerjis. The customs of glorifying Saint George under pagan names have been preserved. The most famous examples are Khizr, Keder (Middle East, Muslim countries) and Uastirdzhi in Ossetia.
Patron of farmers and cattle breeders
The Great Martyr George the Victorious is revered in many countries of the world, but in Rus' the cult of this saint had special significance. George is positioned in our country as the patron saint of Rus' and the entire people. It is no coincidence that his image is included in the coat of arms of the Russian state. Thousands of churches bore (and still bear) his name - both those with a long history and those newly built.
Most likely, the basis of such veneration is the pagan ancient Russian cult of Dazhdbog, who before Epiphany was considered in Rus' the ancestor and patron of the Russian people. Saint George the Victorious supplanted many Russian ancient beliefs. However, the people attributed to him the traits that they had previously attributed to Dazhdbog and the gods of fertility, Yarilo and Yarovit. It is no coincidence that the dates of veneration of the saint (04/23 and 11/03) practically coincide with the pagan celebration of the beginning and completion of agricultural work, which the mentioned gods assisted in every possible way. In addition, it is generally accepted that St. George the Victorious is also the patron and protector of cattle breeding.
Very often, this saint was popularly called George the Water-Bearer, because on the day when the Church commemorates this great martyr, special walks were made for the blessing of water. According to the popular opinion, the water blessed on this day (Yuryev's dew) had a very beneficial effect on the future harvest and on the cattle, which on this day, called Yuryev, were first driven out of the stall after a long winter to pastures.
Guardian of Russian lands
In Rus' they saw George as a special saint and guardian of the Russian lands, elevating him to the rank of a hero-demigod. According to popular beliefs, Saint Yegor, with his words and deeds, “establishes the land of Light Russian” and, having completed this work, takes it under his personal supervision, affirming in it “the baptized faith.”
It is no coincidence that in the Russian “spiritual poems” dedicated to Yegor the Brave, the theme of dragon fighting, especially popular in Europe and symbolizing the triune role of George (G.) as a hero, a preacher of the true faith and a chivalrous defender of innocence doomed to slaughter, is simply omitted. In this monument of writing, G. turns out to be the son of a certain Sophia the Wise - the queen of the city of Jerusalem, in Holy Rus' - who spent 30 years (remember Ilya Muromets) in the dungeon of the “kingdom of Demyanishch” (Diocletian), then, miraculously getting rid of the prison, carried Christianity comes to Rus' and at the end of the road, in an honest list, eradicates infidelism on Russian land.
Saint George on the state symbols of Russia
Almost until the 15th century, this image, without any additions, was the coat of arms of Russia, and its image was embossed in Ancient Rus' on Moscow coins. This holy great martyr began to be considered in Rus' the patron saint of princes.
After the battle that took place on the Kulikovo Field, it was believed that St. George the Victorious was the patron saint of the city of Moscow.
Having taken the place of the state religion, Christianity assigns Saint George the Victorious, together with a number of other great martyrs from the military class (Fyodor Stratilates, Dmitry of Thessaloniki, etc.), the status of the heavenly patron of the army of a Christ-loving and ideal warrior. His noble origin makes this saint a model of honor for the noble class in all Christian states of the world: for princes in Rus', for military nobility in Byzantium, for knights in Europe.
Assigning the symbolism of Jesus Christ to a saint
Stories about cases when Saint George the Victorious appeared as a military leader of the crusader troops in Palestine made him, in the eyes of believers, the commander of the entire army of Christ. The next logical step was the transfer to him of the emblem, which was originally the emblem of Christ himself - a red cross on a white background. It began to be believed that this was the personal coat of arms of the saint.
In Aragon and England, the coat of arms of St. George the Victorious became the official symbols of states for a long time. It still remains on the flag of England ("Union Jack"). For some time it was the coat of arms of the Genoese republic.
It is believed that St. George the Victorious is the heavenly patron of the Republic of Georgia and the most revered saint in this country.
The figure of the holy great martyr on ancient coins
For quite a long time it was believed that the images of St. George the Victorious that appeared on Russian coins and seals in the 13th-14th centuries were stylized images of a certain ancient Byzantine saint George.
But recently, the version that behind the image of St. George in question is hidden is Georgy Danilovich, the Russian Tsar Khan, who ruled in Rus' at the beginning of the 14th century and began the great so-called “Mongol conquest.” He is Genghis Khan.
Who, when and why changed Russian history in this way? It turns out that historians have long known the answers to these questions. This substitution occurred in the 18th century, during the reign of Peter I.
Whose image was minted on Russian coins
In the official documents of the 13th-17th centuries that have come down to us, the horseman on coins and seals who fights with the dragon is interpreted as a symbol of the king or grand duke. In this case we are talking about Rus'. In support of this thesis, historian Vsevolod Karpov provides information that it is in this form that Ivan III is depicted on the wax seal that was sealed with the charter of 1497, which is confirmed by the corresponding inscription on it. That is, on seals and money, a horseman with a sword in the 15th-17th centuries was interpreted as a grand duke.
This explains why St. George the Victorious is often depicted without a beard on Russian money and seals. Ivan IV (the Terrible) ascended the throne at a fairly young age and did not have a beard at that time, so the money and seals bore the imprint of the beardless George the Victorious. And only after Ivan IV matured (after his 20th birthday) did the beard return to coins.
When the personality of the prince in Rus' began to be identified with the image of St. George the Victorious
The exact date is even known, starting from which in Rus' the Grand Duke began to be depicted in the image of St. George the Victorious. These are the years of the reign of Novgorod Prince Yuri Danilovich (1318-1322). Coins of that period, which initially had a one-sided image of a holy horseman with a naked sword, soon received on the reverse side a design called purely in Slavic - “a rider in a crown.” And this is none other than the prince himself. Thus, such coins and seals inform everyone that George the Victorious and Yuri (George) Danilovich are one and the same person.
In the 18th century, the heraldic commission established by Peter I decided to consider that this victorious horseman on Russian emblems is St. George the Victorious. And during the reign of Anna Ioannovna, he officially began to be called a saint.
Russian roots of the “Byzantine saint”
Most historians cannot or do not want to understand that this saint was not Byzantine, but was one of the first state leaders, the tsar-khans, to appear in Rus'.
In the calendar there is a mention of him as the holy Grand Duke Georgy Vsevolodovich, the actual “duplicate” of Georgy Danilovich, whom historians of the Romanov dynasty shoved into the XIII century, along with the great “Mongol” conquest.
Until the 17th century, Rus' knew very well and remembered well who Saint George really was. And then he was simply thrown out, like the memory of the first Russian tsars, replacing it with a “Byzantine saint”. This is where the heaps of inconsistencies in our history begin, which are easily eliminated if we just return to the present history.
Temples erected in honor of St. George the Victorious
Religious religious buildings, the consecration of which took place in honor of this holy great martyr, were erected in many countries of the world. Of course, the vast majority of them were built in countries where the official religion is Christianity. Depending on the denomination, the spelling of the saint's name may vary.
The main buildings are churches, cathedrals and chapels, built in various countries in Europe, Africa and Asia. The most famous of them are:
1.Church of Saint George. Church of St. George the Victorious, belonging to the Jerusalem Orthodox Church. Built in Lora. According to legend, it was erected over the tomb of a saint.
The new church building was erected in 1870 on the site of the old basilica with the permission of the Ottoman (Turkish) authorities who controlled the area at that time. The church building is located on the same site as the El-Khidr Mosque, so in terms of area the new building occupies only part of the territory of the former Byzantine basilica.
The church contains the sarcophagus of St. George.
2. Monastery of Xenophon. The right hand (part of the hand) of this holy great martyr in a silver shrine is kept in the monastery of Xenophon (Μονή Ξενοφώντος), located on Mount Athos (Greece). The founding date of the monastery is considered to be the 10th century. Its Cathedral Church is dedicated to St. George the Victorious (the old building - the catholicon - dates back to the 16th century, the new one - to the 19th century).
3. St. George's Monastery. The first monasteries in honor of this saint were founded in Rus' in the 11th century (1030) by Grand Duke Yaroslav in Novgorod and Kyiv. Since the saint was better known in Kievan Rus under the names Yuri and Yegori, the monastery was founded under one of these names - St. Yuriev.
This is one of the most ancient monasteries on the territory of our state, which still operates today. It has the status of a monastery of the Russian Orthodox Church. Located near Veliky Novgorod on the Volkhov River.
The main church of the monastery was St. George's Cathedral, the construction of which began in 1119. The work was completed 11 years later and on July 12, 1130 the cathedral was consecrated in the name of this saint.
4. Temple of San Giorgio in Velabro. The religious building of San Giorgio in Velabro (Italian transcription of the name San Giorgio al Velabro) is a temple located on the territory of modern Rome, on the former Velabre swamp. According to legend, it was here that Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were found. This is the oldest Church of St. George the Victorious located in Italy. The severed head and sword that belonged to this saint are buried under the main altar, which is made of marble in the Cosmatesque style. The work dates back to the 12th century.
The holy relics are in the chapel under the altar. There is an opportunity to venerate these relics. Until recently, another shrine was kept here - the personal banner of the saint, but on April 16, 1966 it was donated to the Roman municipality, and now it is kept in the Capitoline Museums.
5. Chapel-reliquary of Sainte-Chapelle. Part of the relics of St. George the Victorious is kept in Sainte-Chapelle (French transcription of the name Sainte Chapelle), a Gothic reliquary chapel located in Paris. The relic was preserved by King Louis the Saint of France.
Temples built in Russia in the XX-XXI centuries
Of those built relatively recently and also consecrated in the name of St. George, mention should be made of the Church of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, which was founded on 05/09/1994 in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the victory of our people in the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill and consecrated on 05/06/1995, as well as the Church of St. George the Victorious in Koptev (Northern Autonomous District, Moscow). It was erected in 1997 in the best traditions of northern Slavic architecture of the 17th century. The construction of the temple was timed to coincide with the celebration of the 850th anniversary of Moscow.
Saint George the Victorious. An icon that has survived centuries
The very first images of this saint that have come down to us are considered to be bas-reliefs and icons dating back to the 5th-6th centuries. On them, George, as befits a warrior, is depicted in armor and always with weapons. However, he is not always depicted riding a horse. The oldest images are considered to be the image of the saint and the icon of St. George the Victorious, discovered in the Coptic monastery temple located in the city of Al Bawiti (Egypt).
It is here that a bas-relief appears for the first time, depicting St. George on horseback. With a cross with a long shaft, he strikes a certain monster like a spear. Most likely, it was meant that this was a pagan totem, overthrown by the saint. The second interpretation is that the monster personified universal evil and cruelty.
Later, the icon of St. George the Victorious, on which he is depicted in a similar way, began to appear in an ever-increasing number of variants, and the slain monster was transformed into a serpent. Scientists are inclined to think that initially this composition was not an illustration of a specific event, but was an allegorical image of the victory of the spirit. But it was the image of the snake fighter that became especially popular among the people. And not because of allegorical pathos, but due to the fact that it is very close to mythological and fairy-tale motifs.
Hypothesis of the origin of the story of the saint's victory over the serpent
However, the official church showed extreme caution and a negative attitude towards icons containing allegorical images. In 692, the Council of Trullo officially confirmed this. Most likely, after him the legend of George’s victory over the monster appeared.
In the religious interpretation, this icon is called the “Miracle of the Serpent.” St. George the Victorious (a photo of the icon is given in the article) never renounced the true faith, despite all the temptations to which his tormentors subjected him. That is why this icon has miraculously helped Christians in danger more than once. At the moment, the icon of St. George the Victorious exists in several versions. You can see photos of some of them on this page.
Canonical icon depicting this saint
The image, considered classic, represents a saint who sits astride a horse (usually a white one) and slays a serpent with a spear. It is a snake, which is especially emphasized by church ministers and heraldry scholars. Since the dragon in heraldry is always a positive character, but the snake is only negative.
The legend of the saint’s victory over the serpent was interpreted not only in the literal sense (which was what the West leaned towards, using this interpretation to revive and cultivate the declining institution of chivalry), but also allegorically, when the freed princess was associated with the church, and the overthrown serpent with paganism . Another interpretation that takes place is the victory of the saint over his own ego. Take a closer look - there he is, Saint George the Victorious. The icon speaks for itself.
Why did people recognize Saint George as the guardian of the Russian land?
It would be a mistake to associate the highest popularity of this saint solely with the pagan heritage “transferred” to him and his fairy-tale-mythological recognition. The theme of martyrdom did not leave parishioners indifferent. It is precisely this side of the “feat of spirit” that is dedicated to the story of very numerous icons of St. George, known to the general public much less than the canonical ones. On them, as a rule, the saint himself, depicted in full growth, is located in the center, and along the perimeter of the icon there is, similar to a storyboard, a series of so-called “everyday marks”.
And today we greatly honor St. George the Victorious. The icon, the meaning of which can be interpreted in different ways, has a demon-fighting aspect, which forms the basis of the cult of this saint. It has always been associated in Rus' with an irreconcilable struggle against foreign conquerors. That is why George in the XIV-XV centuries became an extremely popular saint in Rus', symbolizing precisely the fighter-liberator and defender of the people.
Schools of icon painting
In the iconography dedicated to St. George, there are eastern and western directions.
The followers of the first school depict St. George the Victorious in a more spiritual way. The photos allow you to see this. As a rule, this is a young man of very average build, very often beardless, without a helmet or heavy armor, with a thin spear in his hands, sitting on an unrealistic horse (spiritual allegory). Without any visible physical effort, he pierces with his spear a snake with paws and wings that is as unrealistic as his horse (also a spiritual allegory).
The second school depicts the saint in a more down-to-earth and realistic way. This is first and foremost a warrior. A man with well-developed muscles, in full combat gear, in a helmet and armor, with a thick spear on a powerful and quite realistic horse, with a prescribed physical effort, pierces with his heavy spear an almost realistic snake with paws and wings.
A prayer to St. George the Victorious helps people gain faith in victory during the years of difficult trials and enemy invasions, in which they ask the saint to protect the lives of military men on the battlefield, for patronage and protection in military affairs, for the defense of the Russian state.
The image of St. George on coins of the Russian Empire
On coins, the image of a horseman piercing a serpent appears almost immediately after the saint’s martyrdom. The first money known today with such images dates back to the reign of Constantine the Great (306-337).
The same plot can be seen on coins dating back to the reign of Constantius II (337-361).
On Russian coins, the image of a similar horseman appears at the end of the 13th century. Since the warrior depicted on them was armed with a spear, according to the classification that existed at that time he was considered a spearman. Therefore, very soon in colloquial speech such coins began to be called kopecks.
When you have a small Russian coin in your hands, St. George the Victorious will definitely be depicted on its reverse. This is how it was in the Russian Empire, and this is how it is in modern Russia.
For example, consider the two-kopeck coin introduced into circulation in 1757 by Elizabeth I. Its obverse depicts the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious without a robe, but in full armor, slaying a serpent with his spear. The coin was issued in two versions. On the first, the inscription “two kopecks” went in a circle above the image of the saint. In the second, it was transferred to the tape down to the coins.
During the same period, mints issued coins of 1 kopeck, dengu and polushka, which also bore the image of the saint.
The image of a saint on coins of modern Russia
The tradition has been revived in Russia today. The spearman demonstrated by the coin - St. George the Victorious - has firmly settled on Russian metal money of less than 1 ruble.
Since 2006, gold and silver investment coins have been issued in Russia in a limited edition (150,000 pieces), with the image of St. George the Victorious minted on one side. And if it is possible to debate about the images on other coins, who exactly is depicted there, then these coins are directly called: “St. George the Victorious” Coin. Gold, the price of which is always quite high, is a noble metal. Therefore, the cost of this coin is much higher than its face value of 50 rubles. and amounts to more than 10 thousand rubles.
The coin is made of 999 gold. Weight - 7.89 g. At the same time, gold - no less than 7.78 g. The denomination of the silver coin is 3 rubles. Weight - 31.1 grams. The cost of a silver coin ranges from 1180-2000 rubles.
Monuments to St. George the Victorious
This section is for those who wanted to see the monument to St. George the Victorious. Photos of some existing monuments erected to this saint around the world are given below.
There are more and more places in Russia where monuments to the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious are erected. To talk about them all, one would have to write a separate article. We bring to your attention several monuments located in different parts of Russia and beyond its borders.
1. In Victory Park on Poklonnaya Hill (Moscow).
2. In Zagreb (Croatia).
3. Bolsherechye city, Omsk region.
St. George the Victorious. Since the time of Dmitry Donskoy, Saint George has been considered the patron saint of Moscow, which has been reflected in Moscow heraldry since the 14th-15th centuries. Revered in many countries, this saint has become a symbol of courage and perseverance for many centuries.
Life of Saint George
The biography of Saint George begins with the fact that he was born in the city of Beirut, at the foot of the Lebanese mountains, into a pious and rich family. During his military service, he was able to stand out among other warriors with his strength, courage, intelligence, beauty and military posture. Quite quickly moving up the career ladder, he reached the rank of commander and became a close associate of Emperor Diocletian. This ruler was a talented commander, but a passionate supporter of Roman paganism, and therefore is noted in history as one of the most cruel and ardent persecutors of Christians.
Holy Great Martyr George
Once at the trial, George heard inhuman and cruel sentences about the extermination of Christians. Compassion for these innocent people kindled within him. Anticipating terrible torment, George distributed everything he had to the poor, gave free rein to his slaves and came to receive Diocletian. Standing in front of him, George declared himself a Christian and began to denounce the emperor for injustice and cruelty. After unsuccessful persuasion, the emperor gave the order to subject his commander to the same tortures as Christians. George's tormentors became more and more cruel, inventing new and new tortures, but he patiently endured the suffering and praised the Lord. In the end, the emperor ordered the saint's head to be cut off. So the martyr George departed to the Lord in 303, in Nicomedia, according to the new style on May 6. The Feast of St. George the Victorious has since been celebrated on this day. The relics of the saint were placed in the temple of the city of Lida, in Palestine. His head was preserved in the Roman temple, also dedicated to the feat of St. George.
St. George the Victorious
George received the name Victorious for his courage, perseverance and spiritual victory over his torturers, who could not force him to renounce the title of Christian, as well as for his miraculous help to people in danger. On the feast of St. George the Victorious, his military exploits are remembered. On the icons he is depicted riding a horse and killing a serpent with a spear. This image is based on folk legends and posthumous miracles of St. George. The essence of the legend is that a terrible beast appeared near George’s hometown, devouring people. The superstitious people of those places began to give him a sacrifice by lot in order to quench his rage. One day the choice fell on the daughter of the ruler of that region; she was tied on the shore of a lake and left in horror to wait for the monster to appear. When the beast came out of the water and began to approach the petrified girl, a bright husband suddenly appeared between them on a white horse, killed the snake and saved the girl. With such a miraculous phenomenon, the Great Martyr George stopped the sacrificial killings of people and converted the inhabitants of that region, who had previously been pagans, to Christianity.
Veneration of St. George in Rus'
Saint George is considered the patron saint of warriors. His image on a horse is a symbol of victory over the devil, who has long been called the “ancient serpent.” This image has become part of it and has been displayed on coins of different countries for many years. They also remember on the feast of St. George the Victorious the story when he revived the poor farmer’s only dead ox. This and other miracles gave rise to his commemoration as the patron of livestock breeding and protector from predators.
Before the revolution, on the Orthodox holiday of St. George the Victorious, Russian villagers went en masse to churches for church services. After a procession of the cross, a prayer service to the holy great martyr, and sprinkling of houses and domestic animals with holy water, the cattle were driven out to pasture for the first time after a long winter. Another day on which the holiday of St. George the Victorious is celebrated is popularly called “Autumn St. George”, or “St. George’s Day”. Until Boris Godunov came to power, on this day serfs had the right to move to another landowner.
St. George's Awards
Inextricably linked with the name of the saint is one of the symbols of victory and military glory - the St. George ribbon, symbolizing military valor and courage. The combination of three black stripes, meaning smoke, and two orange, symbolizing flames, is about 250 years old. The appearance of the ribbon is directly related to the appearance of the main award of Russia - the Order of St. George, established in 1769. The order looked like a white cross covered with enamel. This award could be received for a military feat not only by an officer, but also by a simple soldier. “St. George” had four degrees, the highest of which was held by only 25 military leaders before the revolution. Of these, only one, Mikhail Kutuzov, was a knight of all four degrees. In the post-revolutionary period, the order was abolished by the Bolsheviks as a royal award, and the ribbon, as a symbol of valor and courage, was preserved and used in the awards of the Great Patriotic War. The Order of St. George was restored in all four degrees in 2000 and is again the highest award in Russia. Since 2005, St. George ribbons began to be distributed before Victory Day on May 9 to everyone around the world as a memory of the bloodiest war in the history of the fatherland. So the symbol acquired another meaning - the memory of those who sacrificed the most valuable thing they had to save their homeland - their lives.
Special veneration of the Victorious in Rus' began in 1030, when Yaroslav the Wise, after his victory over the miracle, laid the foundation of the Yuryev Church near Novgorod. In 1036, having defeated the Pechenegs, he founded the monastery of St. George. During the consecration of the temple on November 26, a princely decree throughout Rus' ordered the annual celebration of St. George the Victorious. The consecration of the St. George Church is one of the very first ancient Russian holidays.
The day of the death of St. George, May 6, is still revered no less. Many see symbolism in the fact that the final defeat of Nazi Germany happened precisely on the day of remembrance of St. George the Victorious. The surrender on May 8, 1945 was also accepted by Georgy, Marshal Zhukov, who had previously led many victorious battles during this terrible war.
Patron Saint George
Saint George is especially revered in many countries, for example in Georgia, where even the name of the country (George) is taken in his honor. According to legend, Equal to the Apostles Nina, a revered saint in Georgia, is the cousin of the described warrior husband. She especially revered George and bequeathed Christians to love this saint. Since the 9th century, massive construction of churches in honor of St. George took place. There is much evidence of its appearance in various battles. The Cross of St. George is depicted on the Georgian flag.
St. George is also a revered saint in England (since the reign of King Edmund III). The English flag itself looks like the Cross of St. George. Very often the image of St. George is used in classical English literature.
The holiday - St. George's Day - is celebrated with special joy in Arab countries. There are many folk legends about the miracles of George, one of which is about a Saracen who shot an arrow at the icon of the saint. As soon as this happened, the detractor’s hand became swollen, and he began to die from pain, but, on the advice of a Christian priest, he burned oil in front of the icon of St. George and anointed his swollen hand with oil. Immediately after this, he received healing and believed in Christ, for which he was given over to a painful death by his colleagues. History has not preserved the name of this Saracen, but he is depicted on local icons about the snake as a small figure with a lamp on a horse behind George.
On April 23, 303, the Christian saint and great martyr George the Victorious was beheaded. This is one of the most revered Orthodox saints. It is believed that George was cast on the wheel by order of Emperor Diocletian for his devotion to the Orthodox faith, but an angel appeared, laid his hand on the tormented George, and the latter was healed. Having seen the miracle, many of the pagans converted to the Orthodox faith. George did not renounce his faith even under terrible torture, which lasted eight days.
We present to your attention several interesting facts about the Great Martyr George the Victorious.
“The Miracle of George on the Dragon” (icon, late 14th century). DepictedSt. George the Victoriousslaying a snake with a spear
1) He was born into a Christian family. When he entered military service, he distinguished himself with intelligence, courage and physical strength. George became the best commander at the court of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
2) After the death of his parents, he received a rich inheritance, and when persecution of Christians began in the country, George appeared in the Senate, declared that he was Orthodox, and distributed all his property to the poor.
3) Diocletian begged George for a long time to renounce Christ, but saw that the commander was firm in his faith. Because of this, George was subjected to terrible torture.
4) George under torture:
On the 1st day, when they began to push him into prison with stakes, one of them miraculously broke, like a straw. Then he was tied to the posts, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest.
The next day he was tortured with a wheel studded with knives and swords. Diocletian considered him dead, but suddenly, according to legend, an angel appeared and George greeted him as the soldiers did, then the emperor realized that the martyr was still alive. They took him off the wheel and saw that all his wounds were healed.
Then they threw him into a pit where there was quicklime, but this did not harm the saint.
A day later, the bones in his arms and legs were broken, but the next morning they were whole again.
He was forced to run in red-hot iron boots with sharp nails inside. He prayed all the next night and the next morning again appeared before the emperor.
He was beaten with whips until the skin peeled off his back, but he rose up healed.
On the 7th day, he was forced to drink two cups of potions prepared by the sorcerer Athanasius, from one of which he was supposed to lose his mind, and from the second - to die. But they didn't harm him. He then performed several miracles (resurrecting the dead and reviving a fallen ox), which caused many to convert to Christianity.
Michael van Coxie. "Martyrdom of St. George"
5) On the eighth day, he was taken to the temple of Apollo where he made the sign of the cross over himself and the statue of Apollo - and this forced the demon who lived in it to declare himself a fallen angel. After this, all the idols in the temple were crushed. Enraged by this, the priests rushed to beat George, and the wife of Emperor Alexander, who ran to the temple, threw herself at his feet and, sobbing, asked to be forgiven for the sins of her tyrant husband. Diocletian shouted in anger: “ Cut it off! Cut off the heads! Cut off both!“And George, having prayed for the last time, laid his head on the block with a calm smile.
6) George was canonized as a great martyr as he fearlessly suffered for the Christian faith. They began to call him the Victorious because he showed invincible will during torture, and subsequently repeatedly helped Christian soldiers. Most of St. George's miracles are posthumous.
7) Saint George is one of the most revered saints of Georgia and is considered its heavenly protector. In the Middle Ages, Greeks and Europeans called Georgia Georgia, since there was a church in his honor on almost every hill. St. George's Day is officially declared a non-working day in Georgia.
8) The wooden Church of St. George the Victorious, built in 1493, is considered the oldest wooden church in Russia, which stands on its historical site.
Paolo Uccello. "The Battle of St. George with the Serpent"
9) One of the most famous posthumous miracles of St. George is the killing of a serpent (dragon) with a spear, which devastated the land of a pagan king in Beirut. As the legend says, when the lot fell to give the king’s daughter to be torn to pieces by the monster, George appeared on horseback and pierced the snake with a spear, saving the princess from death. The appearance of the saint contributed to the conversion of local residents to Christianity.
10) The appearance of the city of Moscow is associated with the name of St. George the Victorious. When the Grand Duke of Kyiv Vladimir Monomakh had a son, he named him Yuri. St. George the Victorious became his heavenly patron, and the prince’s seal depicted St. George dismounted and drawing a sword (there was no snake in that image). According to legend, Yuri Dolgoruky was traveling from Kyiv to Vladimir and on the way stopped to stay with the boyar Kuchka. The prince did not like the reception, and at first he decided to execute the boyar, but having loved his possessions, he gave the order to found the city of Moscow there. And for the coat of arms of the new city he gave the image of his heavenly patron.
11) St. George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of the Russian army. The St. George Ribbon appeared under Catherine II along with the Order of St. George, the highest military award of the Russian Empire. And in 1807, the “St. George Cross” was established - an award included in the Order of St. George in the Russian Imperial Army ( The insignia of the Military Order was the highest award for soldiers and non-commissioned officers for military merits and for courage shown against the enemy).
12) Ribbons distributed as part of the “St. George Ribbon” campaign, dedicated to the celebration of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, are called St. George ribbons, referring to the two-color ribbon for the Order of St. George, although critics argue that in fact they are more consistent with the Guards, as they mean a symbol of victory in the Great Patriotic War and have orange stripes, not yellow.
The military considers the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious their patron. He protects those associated with military service and is the protector of their family members. On one of the icons, St. George the Victorious is depicted killing a snake on horseback, which personifies the greatness of military strength and courage. There are even coins with this image.
In addition, Saint George patronizes people associated with agriculture. Prayers help him preserve the harvest and the health of livestock, and protect him from natural elements that harm agricultural work.
St. George the Victorious helps people who turn to him for help to protect them from enemies and gain victory and peace. The Holy Great Martyr also helps in curing serious illnesses; there is evidence of deliverance from female diseases.
The Holy Great Martyr George helps everyone who has faith that his request will be heard and fulfilled. All the suffering that the Great Martyr George the Victorious endured, he endured for the Orthodox faith, which he did not betray and did not exchange for wealth and power.
It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
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THE LIFE OF THE HOLY GREAT MARTYR GEORGE THE VICTORIOUS
Saint George was born in Lebanon in Cappadocia in the city of Belit (now Beirut in Lebanon) around 276. His parents were wealthy and pious people who lived according to Christian commandments. George was still small when he lost his father, who was tortured for confessing Christ.
St. George Having received a good education, he chose military service for his activities, where he proved himself to be a courageous and talented commander. Thanks to his talents, he soon received the title of commander of a thousand, and in the war of the Romans with the Persians (296-297), George showed himself to be a brave warrior, after which he received the favor of the emperor Diocletian himself and was appointed to the personal guard as a comite (companion) of the ruler.
Diocletian was a talented ruler (reigned 284-305), but was distinguished by his fanatical attitude towards paganism, and therefore he went down in history as the most cruel ruler towards Christians. In 303 the emperor commanded:
"to destroy churches to the ground, burn holy books and deprive Christians of honorary positions"
Very soon there were two fires of the imperial palace in Nicomedia, the culprits of which Diocletian considered Christians and began their destruction. Those who confessed the true God were sent to prisons and executions.
When George witnessed the lawless trial of the innocent, and heard the order for the extermination of Christians, he sympathized with the persecuted and was inflamed with zeal for the faith.
Assuming that he, too, would suffer, George distributed to the poor everything he had, including gold and jewelry, freed all his slaves, and after that, at a meeting where Diocletian was present, he made an accusatory speech. 
He said that the emperor and his princes and subordinates were mistaken in their faith. It is not idols that need to be worshiped, but Jesus Christ, whose faith they are trying to destroy. He denounced them for cruelty and injustice, and at the end of his speech, George declared himself a servant of Christ, a preacher of the truth.
The enraged emperor ordered his yesterday's favorite to be imprisoned in prison, where he was chained in stocks, placed on the floor, and rolled over with a heavy stone. But George bravely endured the test and continued to praise the Lord.
Then Diocletian ordered the torment to continue saint on a wheel with iron points. After this torture, when the executioners considered George dead, suddenly everyone heard a voice:
“Don’t be afraid, George! I'm with you!"
It was the Angel of the Lord who helped the righteous man. When His Holiness, glorifying God, himself came off the wheel, Queen Alexandra and some royal dignitaries wanted to convert to Christianity. For such disobedience of will, Diocletian gave the order to execute the dignitaries, and the empress was locked in one of the rooms of the palace. 
The Great Martyr himself was thrown into a pit and covered with lime, believing that it would burn his flesh. George was in the pit for three days, after which he was pulled out alive and unharmed and brought to the astonished emperor.
« Tell Georgiy, asked Diocletian, Where do you get such power and what magic do you use?»
« Tsar, - answered Georgiy - you blaspheme God. Seduced by the devil, you are mired in the errors of paganism and call the miracles of my God, performed before your eyes, enchantments." The tsar ordered boots with nails inside to be put on George’s feet and driven to the very dungeon with beatings and abuse.
Then the emperor turned to the then famous sorcerer Athanasius and ordered him to defeat the holy power of the rebellious George. The sorcerer prepared two drinks, one of which was supposed to subjugate the will of the martyr, and the second was poison, after drinking which George was supposed to die. Having filled two goblets with these drugs, Athanasius offered them to George. He drank both, but remained alive, after which the sorcerer himself believed in Christ and confessed Him as the almighty God, for which he paid with his life.
And again the martyr is sent to prison, but people have already learned about the miracles that happened to St. George the Victorious, they bribe the guards to see the saint and ask him for instructions and blessings.
At night, before the next tests of Saint George, in his dream there was the appearance of Christ, who said:
“Don’t be afraid, but dare. You will soon come to Me in the Heavenly Kingdom.”
When the martyr was brought to the pagan temple, and Diocletian began to persuade him to worship the idols, George made the sign of the cross, demonic groans were heard in the temple, and the pagan statues began to collapse. The priests and pagans attacked the saint and began to beat him, but then Queen Alexandra herself, who came to the noise coming from the temple, came to his defense. The emperor was very surprised by his wife’s act:
« What's wrong with you, Alexandra? Why do you join the magician and the sorcerer and shamelessly renounce our gods?“But she only turned away from her husband and did not answer him, then Diocletian ordered her to be executed.
Saint Alexandra, going to her execution, fervently prayed to God; along the way she asked the guards for permission to sit by the wall, where she gave up her spirit to the Lord - God heard her prayers and delivered her from torment.
Saint George was executed on April 23 (May 6, new style), 303, by beheading.
The Church calls the Great Martyr George for his courage and for his undoubted spiritual victory over the executioners, who subjected him to the most severe tortures, but were never able to force him to renounce the holy Christian faith, the Victorious. The holy relics of the passion-bearer George were placed in Lydda (Palestine) in the temple that bears his name, and his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.
After the martyrdom of St. George the Victorious, the merciful Lord, for our benefit and salvation, magnified the memory in the hearts of people saint many miracles, the most famous of which is his victory over the terrible monster, the devil's spawn - the serpent.
According to legend, not far from Beirut, the birthplace of St. George, there was a lake in which a large dragon snake lived. The monster came out onto the earth and devoured people, livestock, and destroyed crops. In order to calm him down, people were forced to cast lots and give their children as sacrifices to this dragon. One day it fell to the king-ruler to give his daughter to be torn to pieces by a snake; she was brought to a sacrificial place, where she began to obediently await her fate. When the evil monster began to approach the princess, unexpectedly for all the people watching from afar, a young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, attacked the snake and struck it with his spear, and then, taking out his sword, cut off its head. This brave man was Saint George the Victorious, who told the people:
“Fear not and trust in Almighty God. Believe in Christ. He sent me to deliver you from the serpent.”
After such a miraculous deliverance, people believed in Almighty God and accepted Holy Baptism. 
There is another legend associated with the miracles of St. George; according to legend, this miracle happened in Ramel. After one of the Saracen warriors shot an arrow at the icon of George, his hand became severely swollen and, due to unbearable pain, he turned to a Christian priest for advice. He suggested lighting a lamp in front of the icon of St. George and leaving it burning all night. And in the morning you had to take oil from the lamp and anoint your sore hand with it. After the Saracen did everything as he was told, his hand was healed and he believed in Christ, for which the other Saracens martyred him.
Therefore, sometimes on the icon where St. George the Victorious slays the serpent, a small man is depicted with a lamp in his hands, sitting behind the saint.
This image, which comes from an Arabic legend, is also very popular in Greece and the Balkans.
St. George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of the Russian army; many victories in Tsarist and Soviet times are associated with his holy name. Before the revolution, awards included the Order of St. George, the Cross of St. George and the Medal of St. George. These awards included a two-color 
St. George's ribbon, the black and orange colors of which in one interpretation meant “smoke and flame,” a symbol of victory over the dragon. In Soviet times, this ribbon was slightly changed, it became known as the “Guards Ribbon”, it was used to decorate the Order of Glory and the medal “For Victory over Germany”.
Since 2005, in our country every year on Victory Day a voluntary campaign “St. George's Ribbon - I Remember!” I'm proud" when participants attach a ribbon to their clothing, to a bag or to the handle (antenna) of a car.
In honor of the founder of Moscow, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky (Yuri is the Russian version of the name George), Saint George the Victorious is depicted on the ancient coat of arms of Moscow.
Perhaps the protection of the inhabitants and their herds from the serpent was the reason for the veneration of St. George as the protector of cattle breeders. Before the revolution, on the day of his memory, after a prayer service to the saint, the peasants, having sprinkled the animals with holy water, drove their cattle out to pasture for the first time after a long winter.
In addition, the peasants, before the time of Boris Godunov, were very fond of “St. George’s Day,” on which they were allowed to move from one landowner to another.
Georgia was converted to the Orthodox faith by a saint († 335), who was George's cousin. 
In memory of the wheeling of the Great Martyr George the Victorious, on November 10/23, Saint Nina established a day of remembrance, which is still one of the most important in Georgia.
Georgia is called Georgia (Georgia) in many languages of the world and it is believed that this country received this name in honor of St. George the Victorious. The most popular names among newborn boys are George, Goga, George.
On November 16 (new style), the Russian Orthodox Church remembers the consecration and renovation of the Church of St. George in Palestine Lydda. 
While still in prison and foreseeing his death, Saint George asked his servant to transfer his body after death to Palestine. This command was fulfilled - the saint's body was transported and buried in the city of Ramla.
During the reign of Emperor Constantine, a beautiful temple was built in Lydda in honor of St. George the Victorious and the incorruptible relics of the saint were transferred from Ramla on November 3/16. After many years, this beautiful temple, the pride of Lydda, turned out to be neglected; the altar and the saint’s coffin remained intact.
And only thanks to the sacrifices of Russian philanthropists and the Russian government, the temple in Lydda was restored and on November 3/16 its secondary illumination took place, on the same day when this was done for the first time.
Prince Yaroslav, the son of Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, received the name George in holy baptism. 
In Kyiv, not far from the St. Sophia Cathedral, he planned to build a temple in honor of his guardian angel St. George the Victorious. The work began and one day, when the prince came to see the progress of construction, he was surprised by the small number of people working.
Calling the manager, Yaroslav asked: “Why are there so few workers at the temple of God?”
He explained that “since this is a ruler’s business” (i.e., princely), people do not want to work here, because they are afraid of being left without payment for their work.
When the prince announced that each worker would receive a coin a day, many people immediately went to work and the temple was completed quite quickly.
On November 26 (December 9, new style), 1051, the temple in honor of the Great Martyr George was consecrated by Metropolitan Hilarion, and Yaroslav the Wise ordered the day of consecration to be celebrated throughout the country every year.
GREATNESS
The greatness of you, the passion-bearing holy great martyr and victorious George, and we honor your honest suffering, which you endured for Christ.
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