23 April is St George’s Day – Who was he?

The UK celebrates 23 April as St George’s Day, but who was the real St George and what did he do to become England’s patron saint?

Who was St George

Saint George’s is popularly identified with England and English ideals of honour, bravery and gallantry, but actually, he wasn’t English at all.

St George is believed to have been born in Cappadocia (now Eastern Turkey) in the year AD 270. His parents were Christian. When his father died, George’s mother returned to her native Palestine, taking George with her. At the age of seventeen, George became a soldier in the Roman army and rose to the rank of Tribune. He served under a pagan Emperor but never forgot his Christian faith.

When Emperor Diocletian started persecuting Christians, St George pleaded with the Emperor to spare their lives. However, St George’s pleas fell on deaf ears, and it is thought that Emperor Diocletian tried to make St George deny his faith in Christ by torturing him. St George showed incredible courage and faith and was finally beheaded near Lydda in Palestine on 23 April, 303.

In 1222, the Council of Oxford declared April 23 to be St George’s Day, and he replaced St Edmund the Martyr as England’s patron saint in the 14th century. In 1415, April 23 was made a national feast day.

Waving the flag

Knowing that St George was not English, it is ironic that the English Defence League use the flag of St George to champion their call for an England for the “English. This might explain why many people associate the flag with racism and football hooliganism.

St George’s emblem is a red cross on a white background. This is the flag of England, and part of the British flag. St George’s emblem was adopted by Richard the Lionheart and brought to England in the 12th century. The king’s soldiers wore it on their tunics to avoid confusion in battle.

St George is the patron saint not only of England but also of Ethiopia, Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia.

The story of Saint George is so wrapped in myth and legend that it’s challenging to find the historical facts about him in real life. Some believe he never existed or that he’s a Christianised version of an older pagan myth.

Most children will know St George as the hero who killed the dragon and rescued the princess.