On May 6, the Orthodox feast of St. George the Victorious is celebrated almost all over the world. Since the time of Dmitry Donskoy, St. 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.
The Life of Saint George
The biography of St. George begins with the fact that he was born in the city of Beirut, at the foot of the Lebanese mountains, in a pious and rich family. During military service, he was able to stand out among other warriors with his strength, courage, intelligence, beauty and military posture. Quite quickly, going up the career ladder, he reached the rank of commander and became close to the emperor Diocletian. This ruler was a talented commander, but a passionate supporter of Roman paganism, in connection with which he 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 andharsh sentences for the extermination of Christians. Compassion for these innocent people ignited in him. Anticipating terrible torments, George distributed everything he had to the poor, gave free rein to his slaves and came to receive Diocletian. Standing before him, George declared himself a Christian and began to accuse the emperor of injustice and cruelty. After futile persuasion, the emperor gave the order to subject his commander to the same torment as the Christians. George's tormentors excelled in cruelty, inventing new and new tortures, but he patiently endured suffering and praised the Lord. At the end, the emperor ordered the saint's head to be cut off. So the martyr George reposed in the Lord in the year 303, in Nicomedia, according to the new style, on May 6th. The feast of St. George the Victorious has been celebrated on this day ever since. The relics of the saint were placed in the temple of the city of Lida, in Palestine. His head is preserved in a Roman temple, also dedicated to the feat of St. George.
George the Victorious
George was named the Victorious for courage, steadfastness and spiritual victory over his torturers, who could not force him to renounce the title of Christian, as well as for 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 snake with a spear. This image is based on folk traditions and posthumous miracles of St. George. The essence of the legends is that a terrible beast appeared near the hometown of George, devouring people. Superstitiousthe people of those places began to give him a sacrifice by lot to appease his fury. Once the choice fell on the daughter of the ruler of that region, she was tied on the shore of the lake and left in horror to wait for the appearance of the monster. When the beast came out of the water and began to approach the petrified girl, a bright man suddenly appeared between them on a white horse, killed the snake and saved the girl. Thus, by a miraculous phenomenon, the great martyr George stopped the sacrificial killings of people, converted to Christianity the inhabitants of that area, who had previously been pagans.
Veneration of St. George in Russia
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 the coat of arms of Moscow, it has been displayed on the coins of different countries for many years. Also, on the feast of St. George the Victorious, the story is remembered when he revived the only dead ox from a poor farmer. This and other miracles served as a reason to commemorate him also as the patron saint of cattle breeding and the protector from predators.
Before the revolution, on the Orthodox holiday of St. George the Victorious, Russian villagers went to churches for church services. After the procession, the prayer service to the holy great martyr, the sprinkling of houses and domestic animals with holy water, the cattle were driven out for the first time after a long winter to pastures. Another day, on which the feast of St. George the Victorious is celebrated, is popularly called "Autumn George", or "St. George's Day". UntilBoris Godunov did not come to power, on this day the serfs had the right to move to another landowner.
St. George 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 prowess 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, enameled cross. This award could be received for a military feat not only by an officer, but also by a simple soldier. "Saint George" was of four degrees, the highest of which before the revolution was owned by only 25 military leaders. Of these, only one Mikhail Kutuzov was a holder 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 have been handed out 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 got another meaning - the memory of those who sacrificed the most valuable thing they had - their lives - to save their homeland.
Feast of George the Victorious
Special veneration of the Victorious onRussia began in 1030, when Yaroslav the Wise, after defeating the miracle, laid the foundation for the St. George's 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, by a princely decree throughout Russia, it is prescribed to annually celebrate the feast of St. George the Victorious. The consecration of St. George's Church is one of the very first ancient Russian holidays.
The day of the death of St. George - May 6, is still honored no less. Many see symbolism in the fact that the final defeat of fascist Germany happened on the day of memory of George the Victorious. The capitulation on May 8, 1945 was also accepted by Georgy - Marshal Zhukov, who had previously led many victorious battles during this terrible war.
Patron George
St. 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 saint revered in Georgia, is the cousin of the described warrior husband. She especially revered George, bequeathed to Christians to love this saint. Since the 9th century there has been a massive construction of churches in honor of St. George. A lot of evidence of his appearance in various battles has been recorded. The George Cross 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 George Cross. Very often the image of St. George is used in the classicalEnglish Literature.
With special joy celebrate the holiday - the Day of St. George the Victorious - in the Arab countries. There are many folk legends about the miracles of George, one of which is about a Saracen who shot from a bow at the icon of the saint. As soon as this happened, the blasphemer's hand swelled up, and he began to die from pain, but, on the advice of a Christian priest, he burned oil in front of the icon of George and anointed his swollen hand with oil. Immediately after this, he received healing and believed in Christ, for which he was put to a painful death by his colleagues. History has not preserved the name of this Saracen, but he is depicted on local snake icons as a small figure with a lamp on a horse behind George.
