St George, the patron saint of England, or so I thought, but he’s also patron to Lebanon, Georgia, Portugal, Bulgaria, Valencia, the list goes on. So it begs the question, for such a diluted Saint, why the fuss? Founded in 1894, the Royal Society of St George was established to promote 'Englishness' and the English way of life, gallantry, and good overcoming evil. There was an unprecedented social and economic upheaval taking place at that time, with millions emigrating to and from England, and the industrial revolution was accelerating an unparalleled change in life and social structure. Perhaps the founders of the Society saw it as a way to stem the flow of change and rein in the growing intolerance of the British workingman for the ruling classes. 21st Century On 15 December 2010, the Rt Hon Nadhim Zahawi MP introduced a bill to make St George’s Day a Bank Holiday, and in April 2018, Jeremy Corbyn said a Labour government would introduce a set of new bank holidays to mark all our saints’ days. A Downing Street statement said, "the present pattern of bank holidays in the UK is well established and accepted and the Government has no current plans to change the arrangements". But what do we know about this national unsung hero? Everyone is familiar with the George and the Dragon stories; the Caxton Press published The Golden Dragon in 1483, a translation from a French Bishop, Jacques de Voragine's story of George rescuing a maiden from a dragon. The Red Cross Turn back the clock 1,730 years to when George was born into a Christian family in Cappadocia (now in Turkey). Following her husband’s death, George's mother decided to return to her native Palestine. Like his father before him, the strong and handsome George became a soldier, quickly rising through the ranks. However, when the pagan Emperor Diocletian, on the instructions of Caesar Galerius, began the last major persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire in AD303, George took a stand and defended them. He was arrested, tortured, and eventually executed for his Christian beliefs. He was reportedly beheaded at Lydda, Palestine and his head carried to Rome and preserved in a church dedicated to him. Whilst it is unclear precisely where the St George symbol of a red cross on a white background originated, it became the emblem for the 12th century Crusaders, so soldiers could recognise one another on the battlefield; and as the Crusades returned from fighting the Saracens, George's reputation grew. Richard the Lionheart wore the red cross, and it is incorporated into the Union Flag. The earliest known church in England to be dedicated to St George is in Fordington, Dorset where there is a stone carving depicting St George leading Crusaders into battle. The church of St George, Hinton St George, Somerset was built by the 13th century masons of Wells Cathedral. George and the Reformation George's philosophy became increasingly important to the Christian way of life and in 1222 St George's Day was set as 23 April, the generally accepted date of his death in 303 AD. Life was tough in medieval England and from the 14th century, St George was seen as a special protector of the English. In 1415, George became the patron saint of England when the Battle of Agincourt was won under King Henry V. St George's Day was then second only to Christmas Day. St George's popularity probably began to wane around the time of the Reformation. In 1778, St George's Day was demoted to a simple day of devotion for the Catholics. Until finally in 1969, the RC Church downgraded St George to the minimum status of commemoration, making celebration optional. Dragon Slaying Hero Time passes, attitudes change, do we still need to celebrate this ancient superhero? Wars, recessions, Covid, the evil Putin; there seems to be no end to the misery and suffering, so perhaps we do need a champion; handsome, strong, chivalrous. The Royal Society of St George was for good overcoming evil, maybe it is time to revive the dragon slaying hero.
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Sophia MoseleyIn the same way a moth is drawn to the light, I cannot resist the call of the word. Archives
June 2022
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