George St

George, St., the patron saint of England, was a Roman military officer, born of a Christian family, who served with distinction under Diocletian. When the Emperor determined on the persecution of the Christians, George of Cappadocia remonstrated with him, and upon the failure of his remonstrance resigned his commission. He was arrested, and upon his refusal to renounce Christianity was put to death with torture in 303 A.D.

He is honoured as a saint in the Roman Church, and is an especial favourite in Spain, and the Greek Church also has canonised him. His feast-day is the 23rd of April. Some confusiou as to his life and deeds arose from the fact of his being confounded with a certain heretical archbishop of the same name. The Venerable Bede says he was martyred under Dacian, King of Persia. The dragon with which he is generally connected came into the story later. St. George was a favourite saint of Richard Coeur de Lion, and the Council of Oxford in 1222 made his day a national festival, but it was Edward III. who made him the patron saint of England. The republics of Genoa and Venice were under the protection of St. George, and he is much reverenced by the Oriental churches.