St. George

A Christian soldier of the Roman army, born in Cappadocia and martyred at Lydda under Diocletian for refusing to sacrifice to the gods. The legend of his slaying a dragon to free a princess — a parable of Christian virtue overcoming evil — made him a beloved subject of medieval art and the patron of England, Catalonia, Georgia, and Ethiopia.

The historical George remains elusive behind centuries of legend, but his cult is among the oldest in Christendom. A church at Lydda marked his tomb by the fourth century, and soldiers of the Crusades carried his banner across the Holy Land. Richard the Lionheart placed England under his protection, and the red cross of St. George became the nation's flag.

His enduring appeal lies in the image of courage — a lone knight facing a beast that no one else dares approach. Whether the dragon is read as persecution, temptation, or death itself, the message is the same: the Christian is called not to flee evil but to confront it, trusting in a power greater than any earthly terror.