The military consider the holy Great Martyr George the Victorious as their patron. He protects those associated with the military and is the protector of their family members. On one of the icons, George the Victorious is depicted riding a horse killing a snake, which personifies the greatness of military strength and courage. There are even coins with this image.
In addition, Saint George patronizes people associated with agriculture... Prayers help him to preserve the harvest and livestock health, protect him from natural disasters that harm rural labor.
George the Victorious helps people who turn to him for help to protect them from enemies, and find victory and peace. The holy great martyr also helps in curing serious ailments, there is evidence of deliverance from women's diseases.
The Holy Great Martyr George helps everyone who has faith that his request will be heard and fulfilled. All the sufferings that the Great Martyr George the Victorious endured for the Orthodox faith, which he did not betray and did not exchange for wealth and power.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any particular area. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
and .

THE LIFE OF THE HOLY MARTYR GEORGE THE VICTOR

Saint George was born in Lebanon in Cappadocia in the city of Belit (now Beirut in Lebanon) around 276. His parents were wealthy and pious people living according to Christian commandments. George was still little when he lost his father, who was tortured for confessing Christ.
St. George Having received a good education, he chose military service for his activities, where he showed himself to be a courageous and talented commander. Thanks to his talents, he soon received the title of a thousand commander, and in the war between the Romans and the Persians (296-297), George showed himself to be a brave warrior, after which he received the favor of the emperor Diocletian himself and was appointed to the personal guard of the governor's comit (companion).

Diocletian was a talented ruler (reigned 284-305), but he was distinguished by his fanatical attitude towards paganism, and therefore he went down in history as the most cruel ruler against Christians. In 303 the emperor commanded:

"Destroy churches to the ground, burn holy books and deprive Christians of honorary positions"

Very soon there were two fires in the imperial palace in Nicomedia, the culprits of which Diocletian considered Christians and began to destroy them. Those who confessed the true God were sent to prisons and to executions.
When George witnessed the unlawful trial of the innocent, and heard the order for the extermination of Christians, he sympathetically reacted to the persecuted and was inflamed with jealousy of the faith.

Assuming that torment awaited him, too, George distributed to the poor everything that he had, including gold and jewelry, set free all his slaves, and after that, at a meeting where Diocletian was present, made a denunciation.
He said that the emperor and his princes and subordinates are deluded in their faith. It is not idols that need to be worshiped, but Jesus Christ, the faith in whom they are trying to destroy. He denounced them for cruelty and injustice, and at the end of his speech, George declared himself a slave of Christ, a preacher of truth.
The enraged emperor ordered his yesterday's pet to be imprisoned, where he was chained in stocks, laid on the floor, and piled on top with a heavy stone. But George bravely endured the test and continued to praise the Lord.

Then Diocletian ordered to continue the torment saint on a wheel with iron points. After this torture, when the executioners considered George dead, suddenly everyone heard a voice:

“Don't be afraid, George! I'm with you!"

It was the Angel of the Lord who helped the righteous. When the saint, glorifying God, got off the wheel himself, Queen Alexandra and some of the royal dignitaries wanted to convert to Christianity. For such disobedience to the will, Diocletian gave the order to execute the dignitaries, and the empress was locked in one of the rooms of the palace.

The martyr himself was thrown into a pit and covered with lime, believing that it would burn his flesh. George was in the pit for three days, after which he was dragged out safe and sound and brought to the astonished emperor.
« Tell George, - asked Diocletian, - Where does this power come from and what kind of magic do you use?»
« Tsar, - answered George- you blaspheme God. Deceived by the devil, you are mired in the delusions of paganism and call the miracles of my God, performed before your eyes,". The tsar gave orders to put boots on George's feet with nails inside and drive him to the very dungeon with beatings and abuse.

Then the emperor turned to the then famous sorcerer Athanasius and ordered him to defeat the holy power of the rebellious George. The sorcerer prepared two drinks, one of which was to subjugate the will of the martyr, and the second was poison, after drinking which George was supposed to die. Having filled two cups with these potions, Athanasius offered them to George. He drank both, but remained alive, after which the sorcerer himself believed in Christ and confessed Him as the almighty God, which he paid with his life.

And again the martyr is sent to prison, but people have already learned about the miracles that happened to George the Victorious, they bribe the guards in order to see the saint and ask him for guidance and blessing.
At night, before the next tests of Saint George, in a dream he saw the appearance of Christ, Who said:

“Don't be afraid, but dare. You will soon come to Me in the Kingdom of Heaven. "

When the martyr was brought to a pagan temple, and Diocletian began to persuade him to worship idols, George made the sign of the cross, demonic groans were heard in the temple, and the pagan statues began to collapse. The priests with the pagans pounced on the saint and began to beat him, but then Queen Alexandra herself stood up to protect him, who came to the noise coming from the temple. The emperor was very surprised by the act of his wife:
« What's the matter with you, Alexandra? Why do you join the sorcerer and sorcerer and shamelessly disown our gods?“But she only turned away from her husband and did not answer him, then Diocletian ordered her to be executed.

Saint Alexandra, going to the execution, prayed fervently to God, on the way she asked the guards for permission to sit at the wall, where she gave her spirit to the Lord - God heard her prayers and delivered her from torment.

Saint George was executed on April 23 (May 6, New Style) 303 by beheading.

The Church calls the Great Martyr George for his courage and for his undoubted spiritual victory over the executioners, who subjected him to the most severe tortures, but failed to force him to renounce the holy Christian faith. The holy relics of the passion-bearer George were laid in Lydda (Palestine) in the temple that bears his name, and his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.

After the martyrdom of George the Victorious, the merciful Lord, for our benefit and salvation, magnified the memory in the hearts of people saint many miracles, the most famous of which is his victory over a terrible monster, the devil's offspring, the serpent.

According to legend, not far from Beirut, the birthplace of St. George, there was a lake in which a large dragon-serpent lived. The monster came to the ground and devoured people, livestock, destroyed crops. In order to calm him down, people were forced to throw lots and sacrifice children to this dragon. Once it fell to the king-ruler to give her daughter to be torn apart by a serpent, she was brought to a sacrificial place, where she began to humbly await her fate. When the evil monster began to approach the princess, unexpectedly for all people watching from afar, a young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, attacked the snake and hit him with his spear, and then, taking out his sword, cut off his head. This brave man was Saint George the Victorious, who told people:

“Do not be afraid and trust in Almighty God. Believe in Christ. He sent me to deliver you from the serpent. "

After such a miraculous deliverance, people believed in Almighty God and received Holy Baptism.
There is another legend associated with the miracles of St. George, according to legend, this miracle happened in Ramel. After one of the Saracen warriors fired a bow at the icon of George, his hand was severely swollen and, due to unbearable pain, he turned to a Christian priest for advice. He offered to light a lamp in front of the icon of St. George and leave it burning all night. And in the morning you had to take oil from the lamp and anoint your sore hand with it. After the Saracen did everything, as he was told, the hand was healed and he believed in Christ, for which his other Saracens were martyred.
Therefore, sometimes on the icon, where St. George the Victorious strikes a snake, a small man is depicted with a lamp in his hands, sitting behind the saint.
This image, which comes from an Arab legend, is also very popular in Greece and the Balkans.

George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of the Russian army; many victories in tsarist and Soviet times are associated with his holy name. Before the revolution, among the awards were the Order of St. George, St. George cross and the St. George medal. These awards were accompanied by a two-color St. George ribbon, black and Orange color and which in one of the interpretations meant "smoke and fire", a symbol of victory over the dragon. In Soviet times, this ribbon was slightly changed, it became known as the "Guards Ribbon", it was used to design the Order of Glory and the medal "For Victory over Germany."
Since 2005 in our country every year on the Victory Day a voluntary action “St. George's Ribbon - I Remember! I'm Proud ”as participants attach the tape to their clothing, to their bag or to the handle (antenna) of the car.
In honor of the founder of Moscow, Prince Yuri Dolgoruky (Yuri is the Russian version of the name George), St. George the Victorious is depicted on the ancient coat of arms of Moscow.

Perhaps the protection of the inhabitants and their flocks from the serpent was the reason for the veneration of Saint George as the protector of herders. Before the revolution, the peasants on the day of his memory, after the prayer to the saint, sprinkling the animals with holy water, for the first time after a long winter drove cattle to pastures.
In addition, peasants until the time of Boris Godunov were very fond of Yuryev's Day, on which they were allowed to move from one landowner to another.

Georgia was converted to the Orthodox faith by a saint (+ 335), who was brought to George by his cousin.
In remembrance of the great martyr George the Victorious on the wheel, on November 10/23, Saint Nina established a memorial day, which is still one of the most important in Georgia.
Georgia is called Georgia (Georgia) in many languages ​​of the world and it is believed that this country received such a name in honor of George the Victorious. The most popular name among newborn boys is George, Goga, George.

On November 16 (new style), the Russian Orthodox Church commemorates the consecration and renovation of the Church of St. George in Palestinian Lydda.

While still in prison and foreseeing his death, Saint George asked his servant to transfer his body after death to Palestine. This command was fulfilled - the body of the saint was transported and buried in the city of Ramla.
During the reign of Emperor Constantine, a beautiful temple was built in Lydda in honor of George the Victorious, and the incorruptible relics of the saint were transferred from Ramla on November 3/16. After many years, this beautiful temple, the pride of Lydda, turned out to be neglected, the altar and the tomb of the saint remained intact.
And only thanks to the sacrifices of Russian benefactors and the Russian government, the temple in Lydda was restored and on November 3/16 it was re-illuminated, on the same day when it was done for the first time.

Prince Yaroslav, the son of the Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, received the name George in holy baptism.
In Kiev, not far from St. Sophia Cathedral, he planned to build a temple in honor of his guardian angel George the Victorious. Work began and, once, when the prince came to see the progress of construction, he was surprised by the small number of people working.
Calling the manager, Yaroslav asked: "Why are there so few workers at the temple of God?"
He explained that “since it is a sovereign business” (ie, a princely one), people do not want to work here, because they are afraid to be left without payment for their labor.
When the prince announced that each worker would receive a coin a day, many people immediately went to work and the temple was quickly completed.
On November 26 (December 9, new style), 1051, the temple in honor of the Great Martyr George was consecrated by Metropolitan Hilarion, and the day of consecration Yaroslav the Wise ordered to be celebrated throughout the country annually.

GREAT

By the greatness of thee, the passion-suffering holy great martyr and victorious George, and we honor your honest sufferings, even for Christ you endured.

VIDEO

Name: George the Victorious (Saint George)

Date of Birth: 275 BC

Age: 28 years

Activity: Christian saint, great martyr

Family status: was not married

George the Victorious: biography

One of the most famous and revered Christian martyrs is named George the Victorious. There are many versions of the saint's life. According to the canonical life, he suffered during the Great Persecution. Famous story about George the Victorious is called "The Miracle of the Serpent."

Childhood and youth

The Byzantine version of being was expounded by Simeon Metaphrast. According to records, George was born in the 3rd century in Cappadocia. The boy's father, Gerontius, served as a senator, while Polychrony's mother had a large estate. The child's parents were considered wealthy and God-fearing people.

When George's father passed away, the mother and her child moved to Lydda. George was raised as a Christian. He received a good education. The future saint grew up as a strong young man, so he entered military service. In a short time he won fame and became a favorite soldier of the Emperor Diocletian.

When George was twenty years old, the young man's mother passed away. He inherited large sum of money.

The ruler of the empire of Rome honored the pagan gods and was an opponent of the Christian faith. When George learned that at the behest of the emperor they were destroying churches and burning holy books, he distributed the property to the poor and came to the Senate. There, the young man publicly declared that Diocletian was a ruler who did not deserve to be at the head of the country. The young man was famous for his beauty and courage, people asked George not to ruin his life and give up words, but the young man remained adamant. After his speech and disobedience, George was thrown into prison and tortured.

Death

After a fiery speech delivered by George in the Senate, the young man was seized by the guards and thrown into prison. There the young man was subjected to terrible torture, forced to renounce Christianity and accept paganism. George bravely endured the torment and did not renounce God. The torture lasted 8 days. During cruel tortures, the body of George was healed and strengthened.

The emperor concluded that the former commander of the army was using magic, and gave the order to kill the young man with poison. But that didn't work either. Then Diocletian ordered George to revive the deceased person. He thought to embarrass the former soldier in this way and force him to renounce his faith. But after the prayer uttered by George, the earth shook, and the deceased was resurrected.

George bravely endured the torture and did not give up. After fruitless persuasion to accept paganism, the young man was sentenced to death. The night before the execution young man the Savior appeared in a dream. He told that for the endured ordeals and endurance before the force of the tormentor, the young man would go to Paradise. After awakening, George called the servant and dictated to him what he saw in his dream under the record.

On the same night, the emperor himself came to the young man in the dungeon. He again appealed to the mind of George with a request to repent and recognize paganism. The young man, in response, wished that the prisoner be brought to the temple. When the request was fulfilled, he stood in front of the statue of the god and crossed himself and the idol. The demon living in the idol left the refuge, and the pagan statues shattered. The angry priests beat George.

Then Diocletian's wife rushed to the noise, knelt before the martyr and began to pray for her husband's forgiveness. At the same moment, she converted to the Orthodox faith after seeing what happened. The ruler, realizing what had happened, ordered the execution of the girl along with the boy. George prayed and laid his head on the block.

On April 23, in a new way - on May 6, George was executed. Since the young man endured trials and did not give up the faith, he was canonized. The exact date of the canonization of St. George the Victorious is unknown.

According to legend, the saint was buried in a church in the city of Lod, and the severed head and sword were kept in Rome. In 1821, several heads are indicated, kept in Venice, Prague, Constantinople and other cities. Each of these chapters was sincerely taken for the head of St. George the Victorious. Part of the relics is kept in Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. Another part of the relics - the right hand - is located on the holy Mount Athos.

Today, on the day of the murder of the martyr, the memory of George is honored, services are held in cathedrals, prayers are offered up to the martyr. This date is also considered the day of memory of Queen Alexandra, the young wife of Diocletian. According to other sources, the wife of the ruler was named Prisca.

Christian ministry

The real biography of the holy martyr is questionable, as are the descriptions of the lives of other ancient Christian saints. In the story of Eusebius of Caesarea, a young man is mentioned who rebuffed the usurper. It is believed that this hero was George. There is a version that in fact two Georgias lived. But one fell under persecution in Lydda, and the other in Cappadocia.

Miracles performed by the martyr took place after the death of George. The most popular story is about the defeat of the terrible serpent by the martyr. The monster raged in the domain of the king in Berit, who preached paganism. It is written that when it fell out to give the king's daughter the serpent, George appeared on horseback and killed the monster with a spear. The emergence of the saint so amazed the townspeople that they believed in God and converted to Christianity.

The incident with the serpent is sometimes interpreted differently: the princess means the church, the insidious serpent means paganism. In such an incarnation - on a horse with a spear smashing a serpent - the holy great martyr is depicted in icon painting.

Another variant of the development of events: George pacifies the dragon with the help of prayer, and brings the rescued princess to the city, whose inhabitants immediately accept Christianity. Then the youth kills the serpent with a sword. At the place where the Church of St. George the Victorious was erected, a living spring made its way from the ground. This is the place where, according to the legend, the young man killed the serpent.

Another miracle is described that happened after the death of the martyr. It happened when the Arabs attacked Palestine. One of the soldiers entered the Christian church and saw the priest at the prayer to George the Victorious. Showing disdain for the icon and worship, the Arab took out his bow and shot at the icon.

But it turned out that the arrow pierced the shooter's hand, and did no harm to the image. Then the fighter turned to the priest, and he told the invader the legend about St. George. The Arab was so impressed by the story that he converted to the Christian faith.

Memory

Saint George has been revered since early Christianity. The first temples to the Monk Martyr were erected in the Roman Empire in the 4th century. The cult of St. George arose instead of the cult. On the places of the sanctuaries of the god of paganism, cathedrals were erected to the great martyr of Orthodoxy.

Saint George became an example of courage and courage. In particular, the martyr is venerated in Georgia. The first temple, erected in memory of the passion-bearer, dates back to 335. Over time, the number of churches and prayer houses began to grow. There are 365 holy buildings in Georgia, as many as there are days in a year. There is not a single cathedral in the country that does not have an icon of St. George.

It is popular in Georgia to give boys the name George. It is believed that the bearer of such a name is accompanied by good luck and victory. Since ancient Russian times, George has been known as Yuri and Egoriy. The great in the 1030s founded the St. George monasteries in Kiev and Novgorod and ordered to celebrate the day of the martyr on November 26.

The central Christian church in North Ossetia is St. George. And out of 56 working chapels, 10 are listed as Georgievsky ones.

In 1769, the Empress approved the Order of St. George the Victorious. The award was presented for merit in battle and length of service in military ranks... In 1917, the new Soviet government abolished the Order. In the 2000s, the Order was restored as a military decoration. Russian Federation... A two-color St. George ribbon is applied to the Order of St. George. And the St. George ribbon serves as a symbol of the Victory Day celebration.

Since the reign of St. George is considered the patron saint of Moscow. In heraldry, the image of a horseman piercing a winged serpent with a spear appeared from the XIV-XV centuries. This figure is located in the coat of arms of the Russian Federation, but there is no direct indication that the knight is Saint George. It is the serpent that is shown on the coat of arms, and not the dragon, because in the heraldic agreement, the serpent is a negative character, and the dragon is a positive one. They differ from each other in the number of paws: the dragon has two limbs, the snake has four.

In the 13th century, a man with a spear on a horse was depicted on coins. In 1997, a drawing of a horseman was placed on the Russian kopeck, copying the face of the icon of St. George of the 15th century.

The image of Saint George is used in contemporary art... Artists love to embody on canvas a rider with a spear in his hand, killing a serpent. Despite the similarity of the drawings, each painting indicates a special vision of the creator.

Memorable dates

• April 23 - Day of Remembrance of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in the Catholic Church
• May 6 - Day of Remembrance of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in the Orthodox Church
• November 16 - renovation (consecration) of the Church of St. George in Lydda (IV century)
• November 23 - wheeling of the great martyr George;
• December 9 - consecration of the Church of the Great Martyr George in Kiev in 1051 (celebration of the Russian Orthodox Church, popularly known as the autumn St. George's Day)

May 6 (April 23 old style) Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the holy great martyr George the Victorious, born in the Lebanese mountains.

Saint Great Martyr George the Victorious: history

The Great Martyr George was the son of rich and pious parents who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in ancient times - Berit), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.

Having entered the military service, the great martyr George stood out among other soldiers for his intelligence, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Having soon attained the rank of commander of a thousand, Saint George became the favorite of the emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical follower of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of Christians.

Hearing once at a trial an inhuman sentence about the extermination of Christians, Saint George was inflamed with compassion for them. Foreseeing that suffering awaited him too, George distributed his property to the poor, set free his slaves, appeared to Diocletian and, declaring himself a Christian, denounced him of cruelty and injustice. George's speech was full of strong and persuasive objections to the imperial order to persecute Christians.

After ineffectual persuasions to renounce Christ, the emperor gave orders to subject the saint to various tortures. Saint George was imprisoned, where he was laid with his back on the ground, his feet were locked in stocks, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest. But Saint George bravely endured suffering and glorified the Lord. Then the tormentors of George began to be sophisticated in cruelty. They beat the saint with ox veins, drove on the wheel, threw him into quicklime, and forced him to flee in boots with sharp nails inside. The holy martyr endured everything patiently. In the end, the emperor gave orders to cut off the head of the saint with a sword. So the holy sufferer went to Christ in Nicomedia in 303.

The Great Martyr George for his courage and spiritual victory over the tormentors who could not force him to abandon Christianity, as well as for miraculous help to people in danger - is also called the Victorious. The relics of Saint George the Victorious were laid in the Palestinian city of Lydda, in the temple that bears his name, while his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.

On the icons, the Great Martyr George is depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a serpent with a spear. This image is based on tradition and refers to the posthumous miracles of the holy Great Martyr George. It is said that not far from the place where Saint George was born in the city of Beirut, a serpent lived in the lake, which often devoured the people of that area. What kind of animal it was - a boa constrictor, a crocodile or a large lizard - is unknown.

The superstitious inhabitants of that area, in order to quench the rage of the serpent, began to regularly give him a young man or a maiden to be eaten by lot. Once the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that area. They took her to the shore of the lake and tied her, where she began to await the appearance of the serpent in horror.

When the beast began to approach her, a bright youth suddenly appeared on a white horse, who struck the snake with a spear and saved the girl. This youth was the holy great martyr George. With such a miraculous phenomenon, he stopped the extermination of young men and women within the borders of Beirut and converted to Christ the inhabitants of that country, who had previously been pagans.

It can be assumed that the appearance of St. George on a horse to protect the inhabitants from the serpent, as well as the miraculous revival of the only ox of the farmer described in his life, served as a reason for the veneration of St. George as the patron saint of cattle breeding and protector from predatory animals.

In pre-revolutionary times, on the day of commemoration of St. George the Victorious, the inhabitants of Russian villages for the first time after a cold winter drove cattle to pasture, having performed a prayer service to the holy great martyr, sprinkling houses and animals with holy water. The day of the great martyr George is also popularly called “St. George's Day,” on this day, before the reign of Boris Godunov, the peasants could pass to another landowner.

The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious is the patron saint of the army. The image of George the Victorious on a horse symbolizes the victory over the devil - “the ancient serpent” (Rev. 12: 3, 20: 2), this image was included in the ancient coat of arms of the city of Moscow.

Troparion to the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious

Troparion: Like a captive liberator and a defender of the poor, a weak physician, a champion of kings, victorious Great Martyr George, pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Life of the Great Martyr George the Victorious

You just read the article. Read also.

On April 23, 303, the Christian saint and great martyr George the Victorious was beheaded. This is one of the most revered Orthodox saints. It is believed that George was on the wheel by order of the emperor Diocletian for his devotion to the Orthodox faith, but an angel appeared, put his hand on the tortured George, and the latter was healed. Seeing a miracle, many of the pagans converted to the Orthodox faith. George did not give up his faith even under terrible torture, which lasted eight days.

We present to your attention several interesting facts about the great martyr George the Victorious.

"The Miracle of George about the Serpent" (icon, end of the XIV century). DepictedGeorge the Victoriousstriking a snake with a spear

1) He was born into a Christian family. When he entered the military service, he distinguished himself with intelligence, courage and physical strength. George became the best commander at the court of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

2) After the death of his parents, he received a rich inheritance, and when persecution of Christians began in the country, George appeared in the Senate, declared that he was Orthodox, and distributed all his property to the poor.

3) Diocletian for a long time begged George to renounce Christ, but he saw that the commander was firm in his faith. Because of this, George was subjected to terrible torture.

4) George under torture:

On the first day, when they began to push him into the dungeon with stakes, one of them miraculously broke, like a straw. Then he was tied to posts, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest.

The next day he was tortured with a wheel studded with knives and swords. Diocletian considered him dead, but suddenly, according to legend, an angel appeared, and George greeted him, as the soldiers did, then the emperor realized that the martyr was still alive. They took him off the wheel and saw that all the wounds were healed.

Then they threw him into a pit, where there was quicklime, but this did not harm the saint.

A day later, the bones on his arms and legs were broken, but in the morning they became whole again.

He was forced to run in red-hot iron boots with sharp nails inside. The next night he prayed and the next morning he again appeared before the emperor.

They beat him with whips so that the skin peeled off his back, but he rose up healed.

On the 7th day, he was forced to drink two cups of medicine prepared by the sorcerer Athanasius, from one of which he was to lose his mind, and from the second - to die. But they didn't hurt him. Then he performed several miracles (resurrected the deceased and revived the fallen ox), which forced many to convert to Christianity.

Mikael van Coxie. "Martyrdom of St. George"

5) On the eighth day, he was taken to the temple of Apollo, where he overshadowed himself and the statue of Apollo with the sign of the cross - and this forced the demon that dwelt in it to declare himself a fallen angel. After that, all the idols in the temple were crushed. Enraged by this, the priests rushed to beat George, and the wife of Emperor Alexander, who had come running to the temple, threw herself at his feet and, sobbing, asked forgiveness for the sins of her tyrant husband. Diocletian shouted in anger: “ Cut off! Cut off the heads! Cut off to both!”And George, having prayed for the last time, with a calm smile laid his head on the block.

6) George was numbered among the great martyrs as fearlessly suffering for the Christian faith. They began to call him a victorious one because in torture he showed an invincible will, and subsequently repeatedly helped the Christian soldiers. Most of St. George's miracles are posthumous.

7) Saint George is one of the most revered saints of Georgia and is considered its heavenly protector. In the Middle Ages, Greeks and Europeans called Georgia Georgia, because there was a church in his honor on almost every hill. St. George's Day is officially declared non-working in Georgia.

8) The wooden church of St. George the Victorious, built in 1493, is considered the oldest wooden church in Russia, which stands in its historical place.

Paolo Uccello. "Battle of St. George with the serpent"

9) One of the most famous posthumous miracles of St. George is the killing of a serpent (dragon) with a spear, which devastated the land of a pagan king in Beirut. As the legend says, when it fell out to give the royal daughter to be torn apart by the monster, George appeared on horseback and pierced the snake with a spear, saving the princess from death. The appearance of the saint contributed to the conversion of local residents to Christianity.

10) The appearance of the city of Moscow is associated with the name of George the Victorious. When a son was born to the great Kiev prince Vladimir Monomakh, he named him Yuri. His heavenly patron was George the Victorious, and the princely seal depicted Saint George dismounted and taking out his sword (there was no snake in that image). According to legend, Yuri Dolgoruky was driving from Kiev to Vladimir and on the way stopped to stay with the boyar Kuchka. The prince did not like the reception, and at first he decided to execute the boyar, but loving his possessions, he gave the order to found the city of Moscow there. And in the coat of arms he gave the new city the image of his heavenly patron.

11) George the Victorious is considered the patron saint of the Russian army. The Ribbon of St. George appeared under Catherine II along with the Order of St. George - the highest military award Russian Empire... And in 1807, the "St. George's Cross" was established - an award included in the Order of St. George in the Russian Imperial Army ( the insignia of the Military Order was the highest award for soldiers and non-commissioned officers for military merit and for bravery shown against the enemy).

12) Ribbons distributed as part of the "St. George Ribbon" campaign dedicated to the celebration of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War, are called St. George's, referring to the two-color ribbon to the Order of St. George, although critics argue that in fact they are more consistent with the guards, since they mean a symbol of victory in the Great Patriotic War and have orange stripes, not yellow.