Saint George: The Patron Saint of Armor

Saint George: The Patron Saint of Armor by Christy Bourgeois “Liberator of captives, and defender of the poor, physician of the sick, and champion of kings, O trophy-bearer, and Great Mart yr George, intercede with Christ our God that our souls be saved.” — Hymn of Saint George

SAINT GEORGE

N ot much is known of the life of Saint George. He was a Roman soldier, born around 280 A.D. in Cappodocia (Greece) to a rich and noble family. He was martyred for his Christian faith in the late 3d or early 4th century. He was also a member of Emperor Diocletian’s personal bodyguard, and accompanied him at all times. In February 303 A.D., while staying in Nicodemia, Diocletian and his general, Galerius, issued an edict ordering the destruction of all Christian churches, the surrender and public burning of sacred writings and service books, and the outlawry of all Christians who would not conform, at least outwardly, to paganism. This edict was to result in the last and bloodiest of the Roman persecutions of Christians; though its original intent was for no bloodshed to occur. One of the first to die was Saint George. Upon seeing the edict, he ripped it down and destroyed it before a mob in the same city where the Emperor resided. For his act of defiance, he was arrest ed and tortured. He resisted his captors’ attempt to force him to recant his faith and was subsequently executed. Though Eusebius, a historian in Nicodemia at the time, gave no name for this man, a document discovered later corroborated the story, and named him as Nest or of Cappodocia. In this account, Nest or was a Turkish soldier and friend to Saint Demetrius. Eastern Christian versions also identified this man as Nest or the Victor. Later, the early Christians changed his name to George. A tomb reputed to be that of Saint George is located at Lydda, now called Lod, Israel. The Canon of Pope Saint Gelasius in 495 A.D. lists Saint George among those saints “whose names are justly revered among men, but whose deeds are known only to God.”

SAINT GEORGE, THE KNIGHT

I n the military sense, chivalry was the heavy cavalry of the Middle Ages, which constituted the chief and most effective warlike force. The knight, or chevalier, was the professional soldier of the time; in Medieval Latin, the ordinary word “miles” (soldier) was equivalent to “knight.” This pre-eminence of cavalry was correlative with the decline of infantry on the battlefield. Four peculiarities distinguished the professional warrior: his weapons; his horse; his attendants, and his flag. In time, a legend grew from the original accounts of Saint George’s sacrifice, and particularly in the East, he was an extremely popular saint. Around 367 A.D., a cult grew in the East, dedicated to his memory. Saint George was venerated in the East as one of the “Fourteen Helpers,” who were models of knighthood, avengers of the weak and innocent, and the patron saints of soldiers. Time obscured his real history and it was gradually replaced by legends. By the 7th century, his fame had spread to England, where churches were dedicated to his memory and spirit. During the Crusades, Saint George’s legend and popularity grew immensely. In 1098, Frankish Crusaders were trapped in Antioch, between the Saracens, the mountains, and the sea. One of the Crusaders, Peter Bartholomew, dreamed that Saint Andrew revealed to him the location of the tip of the lance used to stab Christ on the cross. A lance tip was found buried at that location. The find was considered as a sign of November-December 2007 — 7 victory and rallied the Crusaders into attacking the Saracens. On 28 June 1098, The Crusaders attacked. As they began the attack, some of the crusaders believed they saw an angelic host in the distance coming to their aid waving white banners and riding white horses. At the head of the host rode Saint George, Saint Mercurius, and either Saint Demetrius or Saint Theodore, all warrior saints. The attack succeeded, and the victory was attrib uted to the help of the saints and the lance tip. Later, many Crusaders reported seeing Saint George in a blaze of light upon the walls of Jerusalem during their assault on the city. During the Third Crusade in 1119, the army of Richard I was marching along a coast road near Acre. Suddenly, his rear guard was overwhelmed and sur rounded by Saracens. In serious jeopardy of being wiped out, one of the Crusaders appealed to Saint George for help, rallying the Crusaders and enabling them to drive off the enemy. As a result of the Crusades, Saint George became regarded as a patron saint of fighting men in West ern Europe, as well as in the East, and his legend spread with the return of the Crusaders. In England, a church, built in his honor during the reign of Alfred the Great, was rebuilt with a new wall sculpture of Saint George on horseback attacking his enemies with a lance, driving them back or forcing them into submission. In 1284, his flag was unfurled and bore a red “On 28 June 1098, The Crusaders attacked. As they began the attack, some of the crusaders believed they saw an angelic host in the distance coming to their aid waving white banners and riding white horses. At the head of the host rode Saint George, Saint Mercurius, and either Saint Demetrius or Saint Theodore, all warrior saints. The attack succeeded, and the victory was attrib uted to the help of the saints and the lance tip.”

cross on a white field. In the 14th century, one of the oldest, and perhaps the greatest of all, European knightly orders was founded in England in honor of Saint George — the Order of the Garter. The king chose its members, and each of them had to be of gentle birth, courageous, and free from all reproach. This knightly order still exists today and annual ceremonies are conducted at Saint George’s Chapel on Saint George’s Day, 23 April. During the Hundred Years War, “Saint George” was the English battle cry. Later in 1347, Edward III required all of his soldiers and sailors to wear Saint George’s sign on their backs and chests while they participated in the Scottish campaigns. Wearing this emblem resulted in tales of miraculous rescues, all of which were attributed to Saint George. At the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, Saint George’s banner was carried and his name used by the English as the signal to attack. His cross is now a permanent part of the British Union Jack. The ideals embodied by Saint George include protecting the innocent and confronting evil. He is portrayed as a mounted warrior saint prepared to die for his Christian faith; even today, when a person is knighted, it is “by the Grace of God and Saint George.” SAINT GEORGE and THE DRAGON A nd having cast all his strength into it, he dealt the dragon a deadly thrust; but the sp ear glanced aside, for the scales of the beast were like steel plates, and withstood the blow. Then the dragon, infuriated by the thrust, lashed itself against the knight and his horse, and threw out a vapor deadlier than before, and cast lightning upon him from its eyes. And it writhed, an evil thing, about him, so that one would have said he must have been crushed; and wherever he thrust at it, that part was as if it had been clad in mail. The Dragon was added to Saint George’s legend in the 12th century by the Italians. Stories of heroes slaying dragons had been popular throughout the ages, but due to Saint George’s popularity, he inherit- 8 — November-December 2007 ed the tale. His legend also replaced the popular Baltic god Klavis, the heavenly smith and dragon slayer. In some of the early versions, Saint George defeats the dragon merely by showing the dragon his sign. Later, the story was embellished to this now popular version: In the lifetime of Saint George, a frightful dragon took up its abode in a marshy swamp near the city of Silene, in the province of Libya. It devastated the countryside, and all attempts to drive it away failed because its breath poisoned everyone who approached it. To protect themselves from its depredations, the citizens provided the dragon with two sheep daily, but soon, the time came when the sheep were gone and human victims had to be offered. These victims were chosen by lottery, and eventually, the lottery fell upon the King’s daughter. The unhappy girl, dressed as a bride, was led to the swamp and left alone to await the monster’s arrival. There, Saint George found her, and at once, prepared to defend her. He attacked the dragon as soon as it appeared, and after a fierce fight, defeated it, transfixing it with his lance. He did not kill it, however; instead, he asked the Princess for her girdle, tied it round the creature’s neck, and placed the other end in her hand. By this slender bond, the dreaded monster was led back in triumph to Silene, following her, we are told, “as if it had been a meek beast and debonair.” When the inhabitants of the city saw their mortal enemy approaching, still alive and bound only by a fragile cord, they were horrified, but Saint George reassured them, promising to slay the monster if they would embrace the Christian faith. To this they agreed, and when the dragon was safely dead and its venomous carcass had been removed in four oxcarts, more than fif teen thousand people were baptized. The grateful King offered gold and treasures to the victor, but Saint George refused to accept any reward and directed it be given to the poor instead. Then, after adjuring the King to worship the Lord diligently, honor all clergy, maintain their churches, and show mercy to the poor, Saint George rode away. In this legend, the dragon represented the embodiment of evil and hatred ultimately overcome by the force of good. The Patron Saint C rusaders, upon their return from battle, told everyone about Saint George and his help in fighting the “And having cast all his strength into it, he dealt the dragon a deadly thrust; but the spear glanced aside, for the scales of the beast were like steel plates, and withstood the blow. Then the dragon, infuriated by the thrust, lashed itself against the knight and his horse, and threw out a vapor deadlier than before, and cast lightning upon him from its eyes. And it writhed, an evil thing, about him, so that one would have said he must have been crushed; and wherever he thrust at it, that part was as if it had been clad in mail.”

Saracens. The Slovenes identified Saint George with Kres-nik, who was associated with springtime renewal, bountiful crops, and cattle. Saint George was also associated in other cultures with “Green George” (the spirit of spring). Green George events began on Saint George’s Day with a ceremony honoring nature and ended on May Day. These types of nature ceremonies took place in England, Germany, Russia, Rumania, and Slovakia. In 1222, the Council of Oxford decided that 23 April, Saint George’s Day, should be kept as an English national festival. Later in 1415, it was designated as a double festival, which meant only necessary work could be performed. In the 14th century, Pope Benedict XIV officially approved Saint George as the Protector of England. Guilds formed in England to honor Saint George and many towns held plays or other events to further honor his deeds. Some of these plays went so far as to state that Saint George was English and had killed the dragon near Berkshire. Saint George’s Day, called Drac Tag, is celebrated with various plays and events in many parts of southern Germany. In 1528, the Saint George Chapel was finished in Berkshire as part of Windsor Castle, which is still used by the Knights of the Order of the Garter, whose members hold an annual ceremony on Saint George’s Day. In the chapel, various insignia, helmets, swords, and other accoutrements are displayed. The chapel is also used as a Royal Mausoleum, second only to Westminster Abbey. With the Reformation, honoring Saint George was considered pagan, and his popularity declined. In 1778, English Catholics no longer maintained Saint George’s Day as a day of holy obligation, and in other countries, Saint George’s popularity waned. However, Saint George’s name was linked with all mounted warriors and on 11 August 1937, Pope Pius XI declared Saint George the protector of the Italian cavalry. Today, the Italian armor force celebrates Saint George’s Day with battalion ceremonies. The ceremony usually involves a Mass, wreaths placed on the tomb of the unknown soldier, and a testimonial to the deeds of Saint George. Later, a similar ceremony is held within the officer’s mess. To the Italians, who feel that armor and cavalry is a way of life and not just a branch, Saint George best epitomizes this calling. Sometime during the 15th century, Saint George was also adopted by the French armor force as its patron saint. Ceremonies on Saint George’s Day include a morning parade, a lunch with a common mess, an afternoon of equipment displays and sports competitions, and an evening sound and light show that recalls the history of Saint George, cavalry, and the unit. Saint George is also recognized as the patron saint of Canada, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Malta, Moldova, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Montenegro, Ethiopia, Aragon, Catalonia, and Moscow. He is also known as a patron saint of occupation and act ivities, which include agricultural workers, archers, armorers, boy scouts, butchers, cavalry, crusaders, equestrians, farmhands, farmers, field hands, field workers, horsemen, husbandry, husbandmen, knights, riders, saddle makers, saddlers, scouts, shepherds, soldiers, and Teutonic knights. The Order of Saint George I n keeping with the heroic order, the United States Army’s Armor Branch adopted Saint George as its patron saint. In 1986, the United States Armor Association began an awards program to honor the very best of America’s tankers and cavalry troopers. The Saint George award program provides the mounted force a way to recognize outstanding soldiers, their spouses (Order of Saint Joan D’ Arc), and armor force supporters (Noble Patron of Armor). The heroic and legendary images of Saint George defeating the dragon exemplify the mounted gallantry and righteous bravery that we have come to associate with the horse-mounted knights of old. Saint George is the only saint portrayed as fighting mounted and whose personification should be the goal of every modern mounted warrior. Bibliography Agnes Grozier Herbertson, Heroic Legends, Illustrated by Helen Stratton, originally published in London, UK, 1908, reprint by Kessinger Publishing, Whitefield, MT, 2004. The Benedictine Monks of Saint Augustine’s Abbey, The Book of Saints, A Dictionary of Persons Canonized or Beatified By the Catholic Church, Thomas Y. Crowell Co, New York, 1966. John Coulson (ed.), The Saints, A Concise Biographical Dictionary, Hawthorn Books, Inc., New York, 1958. Ronald C. Finucane, Soldiers of the Faith, Crusaders and Moslems at War, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1983. Marion A. Habig, Encyclopedia Americana International Edition, 30 vols. Grolier Inc., Danbury, CN, 1984. Deirdre Headon, and Julek Heller, Knights, Schocken Books, New York, 1987. Christina Hole, Saints In Folklore, M. Barrows and Company, Inc., New York, 1965. Maria Leach (ed.), Funk and Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of Folklore, Mythology, and Legends, 2 vols, Funk and Wagnalls Co., New York, 1950. University of Chicago, New Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 vols., Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., Chicago, IL, 1984. November-December 2007 — 9 “In 1528, the Saint George Chapel was finished in Berkshire as part of Windsor Castle, which is still used by the Knights of the Order of the Garter, whose members hold an annual ceremony on Saint George’s Day. In the chapel, various insignia, helmets, swords, and other accoutrements are displayed.”