In a legend,

Saint George Saint George (;Geʽez: ጊዮርጊስ, , ka, გიორგი, , , died 23 April 303), also George of Lydda, was an early Christian martyr who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the ...

a soldier venerated in

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

—defeats a

dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tribute once a day. And, one day, the princess herself was chosen as the next offering. As she was walking towards the dragon's cave, St. George saw her and asked her why she was crying. The princess told the saint about the dragon's atrocities and asked him to flee immediately, in fear that he might be killed too. But the saint refused to flee, slew the dragon, and rescued the princess. The narrative was first set in

Cappadocia Cappadocia (; , from ) is a historical region in Central Anatolia region, Turkey. It is largely in the provinces of Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. Today, the touristic Cappadocia Region is located in Nevşehir ...

in the earliest sources of the 11th and 12th centuries, but transferred to

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

in the 13th-century ''

Golden Legend The ''Golden Legend'' ( or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of 153 hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in Europe during the Late Middle Ages. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary Maddo ...

''."St. George and the Dragon: Introduction"
in: E. Gordon Whatley, Anne B. Thompson, Robert K. Upchurch, eds. (2004). ''Saints' Lives in Middle Spanish Collections''. The narrative has pre-Christian origins (

Jason and Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished " pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high-priestess of the goddess Hecate. She i ...

Perseus and Andromeda In Greek mythology, Andromeda (; or ) is the daughter of Cepheus, the king of Aethiopia, and his wife, Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia boasts that she (or Andromeda) is more beautiful than the Nereids, Poseidon sends the sea monster Cetus to rava ...

Typhon Typhon (; , ), also Typhoeus (; ), Typhaon () or Typhos (), was a monstrous serpentine giant and one of the deadliest creatures in Greek mythology. According to Hesiod, Typhon was the son of Gaia and Tartarus. However, one source has Typhon as t ...

, etc.), and is recorded in various saints' lives prior to its attribution to Saint George specifically. It was particularly attributed to

Saint Theodore Tiro : ''For another Saint Theodore, see: Theodore Stratelates or Saint Theodore (disambiguation)''. Saint Theodore (Άγιος Θεοδώρος), distinguished as Theodore of Amasea, Theodore the Recruit (Θεοδώρος ό Τήρων), and by #Nam ...

in the 9th and 10th centuries, and was first transferred to Saint George in the 11th century. The oldest known record of Saint George slaying a dragon is found in a Georgian text of the 11th century. The legend and iconography spread rapidly through the Byzantine cultural sphere in the 12th century. It reached

Western Christian Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic Ch ...

tradition still in the 12th century, via the

Crusades The Crusades were a series of religious wars initiated, supported, and at times directed by the Papacy during the Middle Ages. The most prominent of these were the campaigns to the Holy Land aimed at reclaiming Jerusalem and its surrounding t ...

. The knights of the

First Crusade The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the Middle Ages. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Muslim conquest ...

believed that Saint George, along with his fellow soldier-saints

Demetrius Demetrius is the Latinization of names, Latinized form of the Ancient Greek male name, male Greek given names, given name ''Dēmḗtrios'' (), meaning "devoted to goddess Demeter". Alternate forms include Demetrios, Dimitrios, Dimitris, Dmytro, ...

Maurice Maurice may refer to: *Maurice (name), a given name and surname, including a list of people with the name Places * or Mauritius, an island country in the Indian Ocean *Maurice, Iowa, a city *Maurice, Louisiana, a village *Maurice River, a trib ...

Theodore Theodore may refer to: Places * Theodore, Australian Capital Territory, Australia * Theodore, Queensland, Australia * Theodore, Saskatchewan, Canada * Theodore, Alabama, United States * Theodore Reservoir, in Saskatchewan People * Theodore (gi ...

and

Mercurius Mercury (; ) is a major god in Religion in ancient Rome, Roman religion and Roman mythology, mythology, being one of the 12 Dii Consentes within the ancient Roman pantheon. He is the god of financial gain, commerce, eloquence, messages, commu ...

, had fought alongside them at Antioch and Jerusalem. The legend was popularised in Western tradition in the 13th century based on its Latin versions in the ''

Speculum Historiale The or (Latin: "The Greater Mirror") was a major encyclopedia of the Middle Ages written by Vincent of Beauvais in the 13th century. It was a great compendium of all knowledge of the time. The work seems to have consisted of three parts: the (" ...

'' and the ''Golden Legend''. At first limited to the courtly setting of

chivalric romance As a literary genre, the chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of high medieval and early modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a chivalri ...

, the legend was popularised in the 13th century and became a favourite literary and pictorial subject in the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

, and it has become an integral part of the Christian traditions relating to Saint George in both Eastern and Western tradition.

Origins

Pre-Christian predecessors

The iconography of

military saints The military saints, warrior saints and soldier saints are patron saints, martyrs and other saints associated with the military. They were originally composed of the early Christians who were soldiers in the Roman army during the persecution of ...

, George and

as horsemen is a direct continuation of the Roman-era "

Thracian horseman The Thracian horseman (also "Thracian Rider" or "Thracian Heroes") is a recurring Motif (visual arts), motif depicted in reliefs of the Hellenistic period, Hellenistic and Roman Empire, Roman periods in the Balkans—mainly Thrace, Macedonia (reg ...

" type iconography. The iconography of the dragon appears to grow out of the

serpent Serpent or The Serpent may refer to: * Snake, a carnivorous reptile of the suborder Serpentes Mythology and religion * Sea serpent, a monstrous ocean creature * Serpent symbolism, the snake in religious rites and mythological contexts * Serpen ...

entwining the "tree of life" on one hand, and with the ''draco'' standard used by late

Roman cavalry Roman cavalry (Latin: ''equites Romani'') refers to the horse-mounted forces of the Roman army throughout the regal, republican, and imperial eras. In the regal era, the Roman cavalry was a group of 300 soldiers called ''celeres'', tasked wi ...

on the other. Horsemen spearing serpents and boars are widely represented in Roman-era stelae commemorating cavalry soldiers. A carving from Krupac, Serbia, depicts

Apollo Apollo is one of the Twelve Olympians, Olympian deities in Ancient Greek religion, ancient Greek and Ancient Roman religion, Roman religion and Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology. Apollo has been recognized as a god of archery, mu ...

and

Asclepius Asclepius (; ''Asklēpiós'' ; ) is a hero and god of medicine in ancient Religion in ancient Greece, Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology. He is the son of Apollo and Coronis (lover of Apollo), Coronis, or Arsinoe (Greek myth), Ars ...

as Thracian horsemen, shown besides the serpent entwined around the tree. Another stele shows the

Dioscuri Castor and Pollux (or Polydeuces) are twin half-brothers in Greek mythology, Greek and Roman mythology, known together as the Dioscuri or Dioskouroi. Their mother was Leda (mythology), Leda, but they had different fathers; Castor was the mortal ...

as Thracian horsemen on either side of the serpent-entwined tree, killing a boar with their spears.Paul Stephenson, ''The Serpent Column: A Cultural Biography'', Oxford University Press (2016),
179–182
The development of the hagiographical narrative of the dragon-fight parallels the development of iconography. It draws from pre-Christian dragon myths. The Coptic version of the Saint George legend, edited by

E. A. Wallis Budge Sir Ernest Alfred Thompson Wallis Budge (27 July 185723 November 1934) was an English Egyptology, Egyptologist, Orientalism, Orientalist, and Philology, philologist who worked for the British Museum and published numerous works on the ancient ...

in 1888, and estimated by Budge to be based on a source of the 5th or 6th century, names "governor Dadianus", the persecutor of Saint George as "the dragon of the abyss", a Greek myth with similar elements of the legend is the battle between

Bellerophon Bellerophon or Bellerophontes (; ; lit. "slayer of Belleros") or Hipponous (; lit. "horse-knower"), was a divine Corinthian hero of Greek mythology, the son of Poseidon and Eurynome, and the foster son of Glaukos. He was "the greatest her ...

and the

Chimera Chimera, Chimaera, or Chimaira (Greek for " she-goat") originally referred to: * Chimera (mythology), a fire-breathing monster of ancient Lycia said to combine parts from multiple animals * Mount Chimaera, a fire-spewing region of Lycia or Cilicia ...

. Budge makes explicit the parallel to pre-Christian myth:

I doubt much of the whole story of Saint George is anything more than one of the many versions of the old-world story of the conflict between Light and Darkness, or Ra and
Apep Apophis (; ), also known as Apep () or Aphoph (, ) Erman, Adolf, and Hermann Grapow, eds. 1926–1953. ''Wörterbuch der aegyptischen Sprache im Auftrage der deutschen Akademien''. 6 vols. Leipzig: J. C. Hinrichs'schen Buchhandlungen. (Re ...
i, and
Marduk Marduk (; cuneiform: Dingir, ᵈAMAR.UTU; Sumerian language, Sumerian: "calf of the sun; solar calf"; ) is a god from ancient Mesopotamia and patron deity of Babylon who eventually rose to prominence in the 1st millennium BC. In B ...
and
Tiamat In Mesopotamian religion, Tiamat ( or , ) is the primordial sea, mating with Abzû (Apsu), the groundwater, to produce the gods in the Babylonian epic '' Enûma Elish'', which translates as "when on high". She is referred to as a woman, an ...
, woven upon a few slender threads of historical fact. Tiamat, the scaly, winged, foul dragon, and Apepi the powerful enemy of the glorious Sungod, were both destroyed and made to perish in the fire which he sent against them and their fiends: and Dadianus, also called the 'dragon', with his friends the sixty-nine governors, was also destroyed by fire called down from heaven by the prayer of Saint George.

In anticipation of the Saint George iconography, first noted in the 1870s, a Coptic stone fenestrella shows a mounted hawk-headed figure fighting a crocodile, interpreted by the Louvre as

Horus Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...

killing a metamorphosed Setekh. File:Burgas Archaeological Museum - Thracian rider - P1020149.JPG,

with serpent-entwined tree (2nd century) File:Grosvenor Museums - Grabstein 2 Kavallerist.jpg, Funerary relief of a Roman cavalryman trampling a barbarian warrior (4th or 5th century).

Grosvenor Museum Grosvenor Museum is a museum in Chester, Cheshire, in the United Kingdom. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. Its full title is The Grosvenor Museum of Natural History and Archa ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

File:Horus horseman-E 4850-IMG 4871-gradient.jpg, Fenestrella interpreted by the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

on horseback spearing

Set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

in the shape of a crocodile (4th century)

Christianised iconography

Depictions of "Christ militant" trampling a serpent are found in Christian art of the late 5th century. Iconography of the horseman with spear overcoming evil becomes current in the early medieval period. Iconographic representations of St Theodore as dragon-slayer are dated to as early as the 7th century, certainly by the early 10th century (the oldest certain depiction of Theodore killing a dragon is at

Aghtamar Akdamar Island (), also known as Aghtamar () or Akhtamar (; ), is the second largest of the four main islands in Lake Van, in eastern Turkey. About 0.7 km2 in size, it is situated approximately 3 km from the shoreline. At the western end of the i ...

, dated ). Theodore is reported as having destroyed a dragon near

Euchaita Euchaita () was a Byzantine city and diocese in Helenopontus, the Armeniac Theme (northern Asia Minor), and an important stop on the Ancyra- Amasea Roman road. Euchaita gained prominence during the later Roman and Byzantine periods as a signifi ...

in a legend not younger than the late 9th century. Early depictions of a horseman killing a dragon are unlikely to represent Saint George, who in the 10th century was depicted as killing a human figure, not a dragon. Vinica Christopher George

The earliest image of St Theodore as a horseman (named in Latin) is from

Vinica, North Macedonia Vinica ( ) is a town in North Macedonia, in the Eastern Statistical Region of the country. The town of Vinica is the seat of Vinica Municipality. The town is located under the mountain of Plačkovica, in the southeastern part of the Kočani ...

, and, if genuine, dates to the 6th or 7th century. Here, Theodore is not slaying a dragon, but holding a ''draco'' standard. One of the Vinica icons also has the oldest representation of Saint George with a dragon: George stands besides a cynocephalous

Saint Christopher Saint Christopher (, , ; ) is venerated by several Christian denominations. According to these traditions, he was a martyr killed in the reign of the 3rd-century Roman Empire, Roman emperor Decius (), or alternatively under the emperor Maximin ...

, both saints treading on snakes with human heads, and aiming at their heads with spears. Maguire (1996) has connected the shift from unnamed equestrian heroes used in household magic to the more regulated iconography of named saints to the closer regulation of sacred imagery following the

iconoclasm Iconoclasm ()From . ''Iconoclasm'' may also be considered as a back-formation from ''iconoclast'' (Greek: εἰκοκλάστης). The corresponding Greek word for iconoclasm is εἰκονοκλασία, ''eikonoklasia''. is the social belie ...

of the 730s. In the West, a Carolingian-era depiction of a Roman horseman trampling and piercing a dragon between two soldier saints with lances and shields was put on the foot of a ''crux gemmata'', formerly in the Treasury of the

Basilica of Saint Servatius The Basilica of Saint Servatius () is a Roman Catholic Church (building), church dedicated to Saint Servatius, in the center of Maastricht, Netherlands. The architecturally hybrid but mainly Romanesque architecture, Romanesque church is situated ...

in Maastricht (lost since the 18th c.). The representation survives in a 17th-century drawing, now in the in Paris. Yilanli Kilise dragon

The "Christianisation" of the Thracian horseman iconography can be traced to the Cappadocian cave churches of Göreme, where frescoes of the 10th century show military saints on horseback confronting serpents with one, two or three heads. One of the earliest examples is from the church known as Mavrucan 3 (), generally dated to the 10th century, which portrays two "sacred riders" confronting two serpents twined around a tree, in a striking parallel to the Dioskuroi stela, except that the riders are now attacking the snake in the "tree of life" instead of a boar. In this example, at least, there appear to be two snakes with separate heads, but other examples of 10th-century Cappadocia show polycephalous snakes. A poorly preserved wall-painting at the ("Snake Church") that depicts the two saints Theodore and George attacking a dragon has been tentatively dated to the 10th century, or alternatively even to the mid-9th. A similar example, but showing three equestrian saints, Demetrius, Theodore and George, is from the "Zoodochos Pigi" chapel in central Macedonia in Greece, in the prefecture of

Kilkis Kilkis () is a city in Central Macedonia, Greece. As of 2021 there were 24,130 people living in the city proper, 27,493 people living in the municipal unit, and 45,308 in the municipality of Kilkis. It is also the capital city of the regional un ...

, near the modern village of Kolchida, dated to the 9th or 10th century. A 12th-century depiction of the mounted dragon-slayer, presumably depicting Theodore, not George, is found in four

muqarna Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

panels in the nave of the

Cappella Palatina The Palatine Chapel /ˈpælətaɪn ˈtʃæpəl/ () is the royal chapel of the Palazzo dei Normanni, Norman Palace in Palermo, Sicily. This building is a mixture of Byzantine architecture, Byzantine, Norman architecture, Norman and Fatimid archite ...

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

. Jeremy Johns, "Muslim Artists, Christian Patrons and the Painted Ceilings of the Cappella Palatina (Palermo, Sicily, circa 1143 CE)"
Hadiith ad-Dar 40
(2016), p. 15.

Transfer to Saint George

The

motif was transferred to the George legend from that of his fellow

soldier saint The military saints, warrior saints and soldier saints are patron saints, martyrs and other saints associated with the military. They were originally composed of the early Christians who were soldiers in the Roman army during the persecution of ...

. The transfer of the dragon iconography from Theodore, or Theodore and George as "Dioskuroi" to George on his own, first becomes tangible in the early 11th century. The oldest certain images of Saint George combatting the serpent are still found in

Golden Legend

In the well-known version from

Jacobus de Voragine Jacobus de Voragine, OP (13/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the '' Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the mediev ...

's ''

Legenda aurea The ''Golden Legend'' ( or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of 153 hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in Europe during the Late Middle Ages. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary Maddoc ...

'' (''The Golden Legend'', 1260s), the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place somewhere he called "Silene" in what in medieval times was referred to as "

" (basically anywhere in North Africa, west of the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

). Silene was being plagued by a venom-spewing

dwelling in a nearby pond, poisoning the countryside. To prevent it from affecting the city itself, the people offered it two sheep daily, then a man and a sheep, and finally their children and youths, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king's daughter. The king offered all his gold and silver to have his daughter spared, but the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon.

arrived at the spot. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the pond while they were conversing. Saint George made the

Sign of the Cross Making the sign of the cross (), also known as blessing oneself or crossing oneself, is both a prayer and a ritual blessing made by members of some branches of Christianity. It is a very significant prayer because Christians are acknowledging ...

and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her

girdle A belt without a buckle, especially if a cord or rope, is called a girdle in various contexts, especially historical ones, where girdles were a very common part of everyday clothing from antiquity until perhaps the 15th century, especially for w ...

(), and he put it around the dragon's neck. Wherever she walked, the dragon followed the girl like a "meek beast" on a

leash A leash (also called a lead, lead line or tether) is a rope or similar material used to control an animal by attaching it to a collar, harness, or halter. In British English, a leash is generally for a larger (possibly dangerous or aggressiv ...

. The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the population. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptized. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity. George then killed the dragon, beheading it with his sword, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. The king built a church to the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

and Saint George on the site where the dragon died and a spring flowed from its altar with water that cured all disease. Only the Latin version involves the saint striking the dragon with the spear, before killing it with the sword., note 96 The ''Golden Legend'' narrative is the main source of the story of Saint George and the Dragon as received in Western Europe, and is therefore relevant for Saint George as patron saint of England. The princess remains unnamed in the ''Golden Legend'' version, and the name "Sabra" is supplied by

Elizabethan era The Elizabethan era is the epoch in the Tudor period of the history of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603). Historians often depict it as the golden age in English history. The Roman symbol of Britannia (a female ...

writer

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

in his ''

Seven Champions of Christendom The Seven Champions of Christendom is an epithet referring to St. George, St. Andrew, St. Patrick, Saint Denis of Paris, St. Denis, St. James the Great, St. James Boanerges, St. Anthony of Padua, St. Anthony the Lesser, and St. David. They are the ...

'' (1596). In the work, she is recast as a princess of Egypt. This work takes great liberties with the material, and makes Saint George marry Sabra and have English children, one of whom becomes

Guy of Warwick Guy of Warwick, or Gui de Warewic, is a legendary English hero of Romance popular in England and France from the 13th to 17th centuries, but now largely forgotten. The story of Sir Guy is considered by scholars to be part of the Matter of England ...

. Alternative names given to the princess in Italian sources still of the 13th century are ''Cleolinda'' and ''Aia''. Johnson also supplied the name of Saint George's sword: "Ascalon". The story of Saint George, as the Red Cross Knight and the patron saint of England, slaying the dragon, which represents

sin In religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law or a law of the deities. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered ...

, and Princess Una as George's true love and an

allegory As a List of narrative techniques, literary device or artistic form, an allegory is a wikt:narrative, narrative or visual representation in which a character, place, or event can be interpreted to represent a meaning with moral or political signi ...

representing the

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

church as the one true faith, was told in altered fashion in

Edmund Spenser Edmund Spenser (; – 13 January 1599 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an English poet best known for ''The Faerie Queene'', an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the House of Tudor, Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is re ...

's ''

The Faerie Queene ''The Faerie Queene'' is an English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. Books IIII were first published in 1590, then republished in 1596 together with books IVVI. ''The Faerie Queene'' is notable for its form: at over 36,000 lines and over 4,000 sta ...

''. File:Edward Burne-Jones- Princess Sabra (the King's Daughter).JPG, ''Princess Sabra (the King's Daughter)'', by

Edward Burne-Jones Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, 1st Baronet, (; 28 August 183317 June 1898) was an English painter and designer associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood's style and subject matter. Burne-Jones worked with William Morris as a founding part ...

, 1865 File:Burne ,Princess Sabra Led to the Dragon.jpg, ''Princess Sabra Led to the Dragon'' by

, 1866 File:Henry Treffry Dunn (1838-1899) - The Theodore Watts-Dunton Cabinet, The Princess Sabra Taken to the Dragon - 1288304.3 - National Trust.jpg, ''The Princess Sabra Taken to the Dragon'', by

Henry Treffry Dunn Henry Treffry Dunn (1838–1899) was Dante Gabriel Rossetti's assistant and a painter in his own right.Henry Dunn
...

, 1896 File:Burne Jones Saint George and The Dragon The Princess Tied to the Tree 1866.jpg, ''The Princess Tied to the Tree'' by

, 1866 File:Edward Burne-Jones - The fight- St George kills the dragon VI - Google Art ProjectFXD.jpg, ''The Fight: Saint George Kills the Dragon'', by

, 1866 File:St. George Slaying The Dragon, With Una Praying In Background, 1904 (Detail) (8415582011).jpg, ''Saint George Slaying The Dragon, With Una Praying In The Background'', by

Phoebe Anna Traquair Phoebe Anna Traquair (; 24 May 1852 – 4 August 1936) was an Irish-born artist, who achieved international recognition for her role in the Arts and Crafts movement in Scotland, as an illustrator, painter and embroiderer. Her works included larg ...

, 1904 File:William Bell Scott - Una and the Lion.jpg, ''Una and the Lion'' by

William Bell Scott William Bell Scott (12 September 1811 – 22 November 1890) was a Scottish artist in oils and watercolour and occasionally printmaking. He was also a poet and art teacher, and his posthumously published reminiscences give a chatty and often vi ...

, 1860 File:GF Watts Una Red Cross Knight.jpg, ''Una and the Red Cross Knight'' by

George Frederic Watts George Frederic Watts (23 February 1817 – 1 July 1904) was a British painter and sculptor associated with the Symbolism (arts), Symbolist movement. Watts became famous in his lifetime for his allegorical works, such as ''Hope (Watts), Hop ...

, 1860 File:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - St George and Princess Sabra.jpg, ''Saint George and Princess Sabra'' by

Dante Gabriel Rossetti Gabriel Charles Dante Rossetti (12 May 1828 – 9 April 1882), generally known as Dante Gabriel Rossetti ( ; ), was an English poet, illustrator, painter, translator, and member of the Rossetti family. He founded the Pre-Raphaelite Brother ...

, 1862 File:Dante Gabriel Rossetti - The Wedding of St George and Princess Sabra.jpg, ''The Wedding of Saint George and Princess Sabra'' by

, 1857

Iconography

Medieval iconography

Eastern

The saint is depicted in the style of a

man in the tradition of the "

Thracian Heros The Thracian horseman (also "Thracian Rider" or "Thracian Heroes") is a recurring motif depicted in reliefs of the Hellenistic and Roman periods in the Balkans—mainly Thrace, Macedonia, Thessaly and Moesia—roughly from the 3rd century BC to ...

". There are two main iconographic types, the "concise" form showing only George and the dragon, and the "detailed" form also including the princess and the city walls or towers of Lacia (Lasia) with spectators witnessing the miracle. The "concise" type originates in Cappadocia, in the 10th to 11th century (transferred from the same iconography associated with Saint Theodore of Tiro in the 9th to 10th century). The earliest certain example of the "detailed" form may be a fresco from Pavnisi (dated c. 1160), although the examples from Adishi, Bochorma and Ikvi may be slightly earlier. Georgian
St George of Parakheti.jpg, Saint George of Parakheti, Georgia, late 10th century Icon of St. George from Labechina, Racha region of Georgia, XI century.png, Saint George of Labechina,

Racha Racha (also Račha, , ''Račʼa'') is a highland area in western Georgia, located in the upper Rioni river valley and hemmed in by the Greater Caucasus mountains. Under Georgia's current subdivision, Racha is included in the Racha-Lechkhumi and ...

, Georgia, early 11th century Kondakov 1890. St George icon from Likhauri.jpg, Icon of Saint George and the dragon from

Likhauri Likhauri ( ka, ლიხაური) is a village in the Ozurgeti district of Guria in western Georgia. References * Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia The ''Georgian Soviet Encyclopedia'' ( ka, ქართული საბჭოთა ენ� ...

(

Ozurgeti Municipality Ozurgeti ( ka, ოზურგეთის მუნიციპალიტეტი, ''Ozurgetis munitsipalit'et'i'') is a municipality of Georgia (country), Georgia, in the region of Guria. Its main town is Ozurgeti. Ozurgeti municipality is l ...

), Georgia, 12th century St George enamel icon (Georgia).jpg, A 15th-century Georgian

cloisonné enamel Cloisonné () is an ancient technique for decorating metalwork objects with colored material held in place or separated by metal strips or wire, normally of gold. In recent centuries, vitreous enamel has been used, but inlays of cut gemstones ...

icon Greek
Byzantine - St George and the Dragon - Walters 41205.jpg, Byzantine bas-relief of Saint George and the Dragon (

steatite Soapstone (also known as steatite or soaprock) is a talc-schist, which is a type of metamorphic rock. It is composed largely of the magnesium-rich mineral talc. It is produced by dynamothermal metamorphism and metasomatism, which occur in subdu ...

), 12th century St George Icon Sinai 13th century.jpg, Monumental ''vita'' icon at Sinai, first half of the 13th century, likely by a Greek artist. The dragon episode is shown in one of twenty panels depicting the saint's life. Saint George icon in Pyrgos, Santorini.jpg, Greek icon of St George with the youth of

Mytilene Mytilene (; ) is the capital city, capital of the Greece, Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of the Aegean. It was fo ...

, 15th century, Pyrgos,

Santorini Santorini (, ), officially Thira (, ) or Thera, is a Greek island in the southern Aegean Sea, about southeast from the mainland. It is the largest island of a small, circular archipelago formed by the Santorini caldera. It is the southern ...

File:Chanter Angelos Akotandos - St George on Horseback, Slaying the Dragon - Google Art Project.jpg, Icon by Angelos Akotandos, Crete (first half of the 15th century) St George - Google Art Project.jpg, "Pedestrian" St George, Crete, second half of the 15th century Damaskenos Saint-George-and-Saint-Demetrius.jpg,

Michael Damaskinos Michael Damaskenos or Michail Damaskenos (also Damaskinos) (, 1530/35–1592/93) was a leading post-Byzantine Cretan painter. He is a major representative of the Cretan School of painting that flourished in the 16th and 17th centuries. Pain ...

(16th century), Saint George killing the dragon, alongside

Saint Mercurius Mercurius (, ; ; 224/225 – 250 AD) was a Roman soldier of Scythian descent who became a Christian saint and martyr. He was born in the city of Eskentos in Cappadocia, in Eastern Asia Minor (modern-day Turkey). According to Christian tradition ...

killing Julian Russian
The oldest example in Russia found on walls of the church of St George in

Staraya Ladoga Staraya Ladoga ( rus, Ста́рая Ла́дога, p=ˈstarəjə ˈladəɡə, r=Stáraya Ládoga, t=Old Ladoga), known as Ladoga until 1704, is a rural locality (a '' selo'') in Volkhovsky District of Leningrad Oblast, Russia, located on the ...

, dated . In Russian tradition, the icon is known as ; i.e., "the miracle of George and the dragon". The saint is mostly shown on a white horse, facing right, but sometimes also on a black horse, or facing left. The princess is usually not included. Another motif shows George on horseback with the youth of Mytilene sitting behind him. Святой Георгий Победоносец, фреска 12 века, Старая Ладога.jpg, The

fresco, S.George (Novgorod, mid. 14 c, GTG).jpg, 14th-century icon from

Novgorod Veliky Novgorod ( ; , ; ), also known simply as Novgorod (), is the largest city and administrative centre of Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century. The city lies along the V ...

Black.George.14.cent.Museum.of.Russian.icon.png, 14th-century icon from

Rostov Rostov-on-Don is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East European Plain on the Don River, from the Sea of Azov, directly north of t ...

File:S.George (Novgorod, 14th c., Russian museum).jpg, Novgorod ''vita'' icon, 14th century; the "detailed" dragon iconography takes the central panel. File:S.George (Moscow, 15th c., Korin's house-museum).jpg, Russian icon of the "detailed" type, Moscow, early 15th century File:StGeorge-RussianMuseum.jpg, Novgorod icon, late 15th century File:S.George (Russian North, end 15-early 16th c., GTG).jpg, Northern Russian icon of the "detailed" type, the saint is exceptionally slaying the dragon with his sword (). File:Святий Юрій Змієборець.jpg, Chełm school, 16th century Ethiopian
File:Äthiopien Grosses Triptychon Museum Rietberg EFA 15 img05.jpg, Great Triptych, Ethiopia, , tempera on fabric on wood; Museum Rietberg, Zurich, Switzerland File:Alwan Codex 27 Ethiopian Biblical Manuscript.jpg, Alwan Codex 27 Ethiopian Biblical Icon - Saint George (20th century)

Western

The motif of Saint George as a knight on horseback slaying the dragon first appears in western art in the second half of the 13th century. The tradition of the saint's arms being shown as the red-on-white

Saint George's Cross In heraldry, Saint George's Cross (or the Cross of Saint George) is a red cross on a white background, which from the Late Middle Ages became associated with Saint George, the military saint, often depicted as a crusader. Associated with ...

develops in the 14th century. File:20030708570DR Ankershagen Dorfkirche Fresken.jpg, 13th-century fresco in

Ankershagen Ankershagen is a Municipalities of Germany, municipality in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte (district), Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. Components of the municipality ''Ankershagen'' are ''Ankershagen'', ...

Mecklenburg Mecklenburg (; ) is a historical region in northern Germany comprising the western and larger part of the federal-state Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. The largest cities of the region are Rostock, Schwerin, Neubrandenburg, Wismar and Güstrow. ...

File:St George and the Dragon Verona ms 1853 26r.jpg, Miniature from a ''Passio Sancti Georgii'' manuscript (Verona, second half of 13th century) File:St George BNF Fr 241 101v.jpg, Miniature from a manuscript of ''

Legenda Aurea The ''Golden Legend'' ( or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of 153 hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in Europe during the Late Middle Ages. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary Maddoc ...

'', Paris, 1348 File:Saint George et le dragon, enluminure.jpg, Book of Hours (?) File:St George Royal19BXVII 109.jpg, Miniature from a manuscript of ''Legenda Aurea'', Paris, 1382 File:De Grey Hours f.31.v St. George and the dragon.png, De Grey Hours () File:Anga kyrka-Mural painting02.jpg, Fresco of the full legend,

Anga Church, Gotland Anga Church () is a 13th century church in Anga on the Swedish island of Gotland. It is one of the most well-preserved Romanesque churches on Gotland, and was possibly preceded by a stave church. Inside, the church is decorated with medieval mural ...

, Sweden (mid 15th century) File:Heures Ch d'Angoulême Saint Georges XVe.jpg, Miniature from

Heures de Charles d'Angoulême The Heures de Charles d'Angoulême is a book of hours commissioned in the late 15th century, probably around 1480, by Charles, Count of Angoulême, father of king Francis I of France. It is now in the Bibliothèque nationale de France in Paris, und ...

Cognac Cognac ( , also , ) is a variety of brandy named after the Communes of France, commune of Cognac, France. It is produced in the surrounding wine-growing region in the Departments of France, departments of Charente and Charente-Maritime. Cogn ...

, France, f.53v (1475–1500) File:Saint George and the Dragon alabaster sculpture.jpg, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', tinted alabaster, English, –1420 (

National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...

, Washington) File:St Georgsgruppe, um 1500.jpg, Wooden sculpture, ,

Gottorf Castle Gottorf Castle (, , Low German: ''Slott Gottorp'') is a castle and estate in the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is one of the most important secular buildings in Schleswig-Holstein, and has been rebuilt and expanded severa ...

Renaissance

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...

Saint George
.

Bargello The Bargello, also known as the or ("Palace of the People"), is a former public building and police headquarters, later a prison, in Florence, Italy. Mostly built in the 13th century, since 1865 it has housed the , a national art museum. It ...

, Florence, Italy. *

Paolo Uccello Paolo Uccello ( , ; 1397 – 10 December 1475), born Paolo di Dono, was an Italian Renaissance painter and mathematician from Florence who was notable for his pioneering work on visual Perspective (graphical), perspective in art. In his book ''Liv ...

, ''

Saint George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianity—defeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a huma ...

'', .

National Gallery, London The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current dire ...

. *

Giovanni Bellini Giovanni Bellini (; c. 1430 – 29 November 1516) was an Italian Renaissance painter, probably the best known of the Bellini family of Venetian painters. He was raised in the household of Jacopo Bellini, formerly thought to have been his father, ...

, ''Saint George Fighting the Dragon'', . Pesaro altarpiece. *

Lieven van Lathem Lieven van Lathem (1430–1493) was an Early Netherlandish painter and manuscript illuminator. Career He was born in Ghent.Saint George and the Dragon In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianity—defeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a huma ...

'' () *

Bernt Notke Bernt Notke (; – before May 1509) was a late Gothic artist from the Baltic region. He has been described as one of the foremost artists of his time in northern Europe. Life Very little is known about the life of Bernt Notke. The Notke fa ...

, ''

'', Storkyrkan in Stockholm, –1489. *

Andrea della Robbia Andrea della Robbia (20 October 14354 August 1525) was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, especially in ceramics. Biography Born in Florence, Robbia was the son of Marco della Robbia, whose brother, Luca della Robbia, popularized the use of g ...

terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...

, *

Albrecht Dürer Albrecht Dürer ( , ;; 21 May 1471 – 6 April 1528),Müller, Peter O. (1993) ''Substantiv-Derivation in Den Schriften Albrecht Dürers'', Walter de Gruyter. . sometimes spelled in English as Durer or Duerer, was a German painter, Old master prin ...

woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

, 1501/4 *

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino (; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), now generally known in English as Raphael ( , ), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of paintings by Raphael, His work is admired for its cl ...

(Raffaello Santi), ''Saint George'', 1504. Oil on wood.

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, France. * Raphael (Raffaello Santi), ''Saint George and the Dragon'', 1504–1506. Oil on wood.

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, United States. *

Albrecht Altdorfer Albrecht Altdorfer ( – 12 February 1538) was a German painter, engraver and architect of the Renaissance working in Regensburg, Bavaria. Along with Lucas Cranach the Elder and Wolf Huber he is regarded to be the main representative of the Da ...

, '' Forest Landscape with Saint George Fighting the Dragon'', 1510 *

Tintoretto Jacopo Robusti (late September or early October 1518Bernari and de Vecchi 1970, p. 83.31 May 1594), best known as Tintoretto ( ; , ), was an Italian Renaissance painter of the Venetian school. His contemporaries both admired and criticized th ...

(Jacopo Robusti), ''

'', 1555. File:Bernat Martorell - Saint George Killing the Dragon - Google Art Project.jpg, ''

,'' painting by

Martorell Martorell () is a municipality, county, and city that forms part of the Baix Llobregat Comarques of Catalonia, comarca, in Catalonia, Spain, primarily known for its medieval Pont del Diable, Devil's bridge. It lies at the confluence of the Llobr ...

in the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...

(1435) File:Stockholm-Storkyrkan (St.Georg).jpg, ''

'',

wood carving Wood carving (or woodcarving) is a form of woodworking by means of a cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculpture, ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

Storkyrkan Storkyrkan (, ), also called Stockholms domkyrka (Stockholm Cathedral) and Sankt Nikolai kyrka (Church of Saint Nicholas), is the oldest church in Stockholm. Storkyrkan lies in the centre of Stockholm in Gamla stan, between Stockholm Palace and ...

(1470s) File:1512 Meister des Döbelner Hochaltars Hl. Georg zu Pferde anagoria.JPG, ''Saint George on Horseback'', Master of the Döbeln Altarpiece, 1511/13,

Hamburger Kunsthalle The Hamburger Kunsthalle is the art museum of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, Germany. It is one of the largest art museums in the country. It consists of three connected buildings, dating from 1869 (main building), 1921 (Kuppelsaal) and ...

File:St GeorgeEnglish.JPG, Woodcut frontispiece of Alexander Barclay, ''Lyfe of Seynt George'' (Westminster, 1515) File:Gillis Coignet - St George the Great.jpg,

Gillis Coignet Gillis Coignet, Congnet or Quiniet (c. 1542 – 1599) was a Flemish Renaissance painter, who was strongly influenced by the Italian style. He painted historical and mythological subjects of an easel size, but was more successful in landscapes, ...

– ''Saint George the Great'' (1581)

Early modern and modern art

Paintings *

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

, ''

'', 1620. *

Salvator Rosa Salvator Rosa (1615 – March 15, 1673) is best known today as an Italian Baroque painter, whose romanticized landscapes and history paintings, often set in dark and untamed nature, exerted considerable influence from the 17th century into the ...

, ''

'' *

Mattia Preti Mattia Preti (24 February 1613 – 3 January 1699) was an Italian Baroque artist who worked in Italy and Malta. He was appointed a Member of the Order of Saint John. Life Born in the small town of Taverna in Calabria, Preti was called ''Il Ca ...

, ''Saint George Triumphant over the Dragon'', 1678, at St. George's Basilica, Malta in Victoria,

Gozo Gozo ( ), known in classical antiquity, antiquity as Gaulos, is an island in the Malta#The Maltese archipelago, Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the Malta Island, island of Malta ...

. *

, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', 1866. *

Gustave Moreau Gustave Moreau (; 6 April 1826 – 18 April 1898) was a French artist and an important figure in the Symbolist movement. Jean Cassou called him "the Symbolist painter par excellence".Cassou, Jean. 1979. ''The Concise Encyclopedia of Symbolism ...

, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', . Oil on canvas. The National Gallery, London. *

Briton Rivière Briton Rivière (14 August 1840 – 20 April 1920) was a British artist of Huguenot descent. He exhibited a variety of paintings at the Royal Academy, but devoted much of his life to animal paintings. Biography Briton's father, William Rivi� ...

, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', . *

Uroš Predić Uroš Predić ( sr-Cyrl, Урош Предић, ; Orlovat, 7 December 1857 – Belgrade, 12 February 1953) was a Serbian Realism (visual arts), Realist painter. Along with Paja Jovanović and Đorđe Krstić, he is considered the most important ...

, ''St George Killing the Dragon'', 1930. *

Giorgio de Chirico Giuseppe Maria Alberto Giorgio de Chirico ( ; ; 10 July 1888 – 20 November 1978) was an Italian artist and writer born in Greece. In the years before World War I, he founded the art movement, which profoundly influenced the surrealists. His ...

, ''Saint George Killing the Dragon'', 1940. Sculptures * The sculptures which form part of the clock of Liberty's store in

Regent Street Regent Street is a major shopping street in the West End of London. It is named after George IV of the United Kingdom, George, the Prince Regent (later George IV) and was laid out under the direction of the architect John Nash (architect), J ...

, London (19th century). * Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', bronze,

State Library of Victoria State Library Victoria (SLV) is the state library of Victoria, Australia. Located in Melbourne, it was established in 1854 as the Melbourne Public Library, making it Australia's oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in th ...

, 1889 *

Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...

, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', Open Air Museum in

Cosenza Cosenza (; Languages of Calabria#Northern Calabrian (Cosentian), Cosentian: ''Cusenza'', ) is a city located in Calabria, Italy. The city centre has a population of approximately 70,000, while the urban area counts more than 200,000 inhabitants. ...

, 1947 *

Edward Seago Edward Brian Seago, RBA, ARWS, RWS (31 March 1910 – 19 January 1974) was an English artist who painted in both oils and watercolours. Early life The son of a coal merchant, Seago was born in Norwich and attended Norwich School. He was a se ...

, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', silver, automobile mascot used for the British monarch's cars, 1952. *

Zurab Tsereteli Zurab Konstantinovich Tsereteli ( ka, ზურაბ კონსტანტინეს ძე წერეთელი, tr'';'' 4 January 1934 – 22 April 2025) was a Georgian painter, sculptor and architect known for large-scale and at ti ...

, sculpture in front of the at , Moscow, 1995 * Zurab Tsereteli, '' Saint George Statue'', Tbilisi, 2005 * Marcus Canning and

Christian de Vietri Christian de Vietri (born 14 July 1981) is an Australian artist known for his large-scale public sculptures and traditional artwork based in Śilpaśāstra. In 2024, he published ''Trika Maṇḍala Prakāśa'', the first comprehensive exposit ...

, ''Ascalon'', abstract sculpture in front of St George's Cathedral,

Perth Perth () is the list of Australian capital cities, capital city of Western Australia. It is the list of cities in Australia by population, fourth-most-populous city in Australia, with a population of over 2.3 million within Greater Perth . The ...

, 2011 Mosaic *

Edward Poynter Sir Edward John Poynter, 1st Baronet (20 March 183626 July 1919) was an English painter, designer, and Drawing, draughtsman, who served as President of the Royal Academy. Life Poynter was the son of architect Ambrose Poynter. He was born in P ...

, ''Saint George for England'', 1869. Central Lobby in the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

. * Sergey Chekhonin,

Sergey Vasilyevich Gerasimov Sergey Vasilyevich Gerasimov (; – 20 April 1964) was a Soviet and Russian painter. Gerasimov was a student of artist Konstantin Korovin, and as a young artist he later went on to join the Makovets group. His early watercolors are conside ...

, Central maiolica panel about the battle of Saint George the Victorious with the Serpent 1911–1913, Moscow, Russia. * Anatoly Alexandrovich Ostrogradsky, A small image of Saint George, with the plot of the fresco of the Church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga in a stylized icon case on the façade, above the main porches, the maiolica was made in 1911–1913, Moscow, Russia. Engravings *

Benedetto Pistrucci Benedetto Pistrucci (29 May 1783 – 16 September 1855) was an Italian gem-engraver, medallist and a coin engraver, probably best known for his Saint George and the Dragon design for the British sovereign coin. Pistrucci was commissioned ...

, engraving for coin dies, 1817. * On

kopeck The kopeck or kopek is or was a coin or a currency unit of a number of countries in Eastern Europe closely associated with the economy of Russia. It is usually the smallest denomination within a currency system; 100 kopeks are worth 1 ruble o ...

s issued by the

Central Bank of Russia The Central Bank of the Russian Federation (), commonly known as the Bank of Russia (), also called the Central Bank of Russia (CBR), is the central bank of the Russia, Russian Federation. The bank was established on 13 July 1990. It traces its ...

. Prints * On banknotes issued by the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

: ** £1 note, 1917 until 1933, on obverse, with portrait of

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

; 1928 until 1960, on reverse, duplicated. ** £5 note, 1957 until 1967, on obverse, with portrait of

Britannia The image of Britannia () is the national personification of United Kingdom, Britain as a helmeted female warrior holding a trident and shield. An image first used by the Romans in classical antiquity, the Latin was the name variously appli ...

. ** £20 note, 1970 until 1993, on obverse, with portrait of

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. File:Châtenois StGeorges25.JPG, 17th-century statue in

Église Saint-Georges de Châtenois Église Saint-Georges de Châtenois is the Catholic parish church of Châtenois, in the Bas-Rhin department of France. The current church was built from 1759 until 1761 by the local architect Martin Dorgler, but retains a Romanesque steeple from ...

, France File:Châtenois StGeorges30.JPG, 18th-century statue in Église Saint-Georges de Châtenois, France File:Mattia Preti - St. George Victorious over the Dragon - WGA18398.jpg, ''Saint George and the Dragon'', by

(1678), in

Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...

File:St. George the Victorious - Google Art Project.jpg, Unknown painter from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, 18th century File:Pendant with Saint George.jpg,

Pendant with Saint George The Pendant with Saint George is a gold and enamel pendant designed and created by Lluís Masriera i Rosés, now in the permanent collection of the National Art Museum of Catalonia in Barcelona. Description Masriera created this piece depicting ...

Lluís Masriera i Rosés Lluís Masriera i Rosés (1872–1958) was a Spanish jewellery designer. Biography He was born in Barcelona in 1872 to the painter Josep Masriera, who was also a well-known silversmith and, along with his brother Francesc Masriera, ran the f ...

(1902), Barcelona File:St. George and the Dragon - Briton Riviere.jpg, ''St. George and the Dragon'' by Briton Reviere () File:1914 Sydney Half Sovereign - St. George.jpg, 1914 sovereign with

's engraving File:Britain Needs You at Once - WWI recruitment poster - Parliamentary Recruiting Committee Poster No. 108.jpg, WWI British recruitment poster File:2002 Bentley State Limousine ornament.jpg,

's ''St. George and the Dragon'' automobile mascot used by the British monarch (1952) File:MBF20160630.jpg, Central maiolica panel about the battle of St. George the Victorious with the Serpent 1911–1913, artists Sergey Chekhonin,

File:Wiki tile murals bolshaya pirogovskaya 9 moscow.jpg, A small image of St. George, with the plot of the fresco of the Church of St. George in Staraya Ladoga in a stylized icon case on the facade, above the main porches, the maiolica was made in 1911–1913 by Anatoly Alexandrovich Ostrogradsky. File:Манежная площадь - panoramio (1).jpg, Zurab Tsereteli's ''St. George and the Dragon'' on the top of the shopping center (1997) in Moscow, Russia

Literary adaptations

expands on the Saint George and the Dragon story in Book I of the '' Fairy Queen'', initially referring to the hero as the ''Redcross Knight''.

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

refers to Saint George and the Dragon in ''

Richard III Richard III (2 October 1452 – 22 August 1485) was King of England from 26 June 1483 until his death in 1485. He was the last king of the Plantagenet dynasty and its cadet branch the House of York. His defeat and death at the Battle of Boswor ...

'' ( ''Advance our standards, set upon our foes Our ancient world of courage fair St. George Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons'' act V, sc. 3), ''

Henry V Henry V may refer to: People * Henry V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1026) * Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor (1081/86–1125) * Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161) * Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (–1227) * Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (1216–1281 ...

'' ( ''The game's afoot: follow your spirit, and upon this charge cry 'God for Harry, England, and Saint George! act III, sc. 1), and also in ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'' (act I). A 17th-century broadside

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

paid homage to the feat of George's dragon slaying. Titled "St. George and the Dragon", the ballad considers the importance of Saint George in relation to other heroes of epic and Romance, ultimately concluding that all other heroes and figures of epic or romance pale in comparison to the feats of George. ''The Banner of St George'' by

Edward Elgar Sir Edward William Elgar, 1st Baronet, (; 2 June 1857 – 23 February 1934) was an English composer, many of whose works have entered the British and international classical concert repertoire. Among his best-known compositions are orchestr ...

is a ballad for chorus and orchestra, words by

Shapcott Wensley Shapcott Wensley was the pseudonym of the English author and poet Henry Shapcott Bunce (1854 – 1 June 1917). Life He was born in Bristol in the summer of 1854. He died in Bristol on 1 June 1917. He married a singer, Alice Mary Wensley, an ...

(1879). The 1898 ''Dream Days'' by

Kenneth Grahame Kenneth Grahame ( ; 8 March 1859 – 6 July 1932) was a British writer. He is best remembered for the classic of children's literature ''The Wind in the Willows'' (1908). Born in Scotland, he spent most of his childhood with his grandmother in ...

includes a chapter entitled " The Reluctant Dragon", in which an elderly Saint George and a benign dragon stage a mock battle to satisfy the townsfolk and get the dragon introduced into society. Later made into a

film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

, and set to music by

John Rutter Sir John Milford Rutter (born 24 September 1945) is an English composer, conductor, editor, arranger, and record producer, mainly of choral music. Biography Born on 24 September 1945 in London, the son of an industrial chemist and his wife, R ...

as a children's

operetta Operetta is a form of theatre and a genre of light opera. It includes spoken dialogue, songs and including dances. It is lighter than opera in terms of its music, orchestral size, and length of the work. Apart from its shorter length, the oper ...

. In 1935

Stanley Holloway Stanley Augustus Holloway (1 October 1890 – 30 January 1982) was an English actor, comedian, singer and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles Stanley Holloway on stage and screen, on stage and screen, especially t ...

recorded a humorous retelling of the tale as ''St. George and the Dragon'' written by Weston and Lee. In the 1950s,

Stan Freberg Stan Freberg (born Stanley Friberg; August 7, 1926 – April 7, 2015) was an American actor, author, comedian, musician, puppeteer, radio personality and advertising creative director. His best-known works include " St. George and the Dragonet ...

and

Daws Butler Charles Dawson Butler (November 16, 1916May 18, 1988) was an American voice actor. He worked mostly for the Hanna-Barbera animation production company and the Walter Lantz cartoon studio. He originated the voices of many familiar Hanna-Barbera ...

wrote and performed '' St. George and the Dragon-Net'' (a spoof of the tale and of '' Dragnet'') for Freberg's radio show. The story's recording became the first comedy album to sell over a million copies.

Margaret Hodges Sarah Margaret Hodges née Moore (July 26, 1911 – December 13, 2005) was an American writer of children's books, librarian, and storyteller. Life and career Sarah Margaret Moore was born in Indianapolis, Indiana to Arthur Carlisle Moore a ...

retold the legend in a 1984 children's book (''

'') with

Caldecott Medal The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...

-winning illustrations by

Trina Schart Hyman Trina Schart Hyman (April 8, 1939 – November 19, 2004) was an American illustrator of children's books. She illustrated over 150 books, including fairy tales and Arthurian legends. She won the 1985 Caldecott Medal for U.S. picture book illustra ...

. The cover art to the album ''Forward into War'' by British

Rock Against Communism Rock Against Communism (RAC) was the name of white power rock concerts in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s and early 1980s; it has since become the catch-all term for music with racist lyrics as well as a specific genre of rock music derived ...

band Vengeance is a depiction of Saint George and the dragon, depicting the saint as a neo-Nazi skinhead. The Forever Knights that serve as a recurring antagonist faction in the ''

Ben 10 ''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise conceived by Man of Action and owned by The Cartoon Network, Inc. The franchise, mainly consisting of animated series produced by Cartoon Network Studios, revolves around a young boy named Ben Tennys ...

'' are revealed in the third series '' Ben 10: Ultimate Alien'' to have been founded by Sir George from the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, with the tale directly referenced by name. The dragon that George fought is depicted as a shapeshifting extradimensional demon named Dagon, worshipped by a cult called the Flame Keepers’ Circle that goes to war against the Forever Knights. Series main antagonist Vilgax takes advantage of his true form's coincidental resemblance to Dagon's true appearance to manipulate the Flame Keepers’ Circle into helping him find the heart of Dagon, which George had cut out and sealed with the Ascalon, depicted here as a sword of alien origin created by Azmuth prior to inventing the Omnitrix. Samantha Shannon describes her 2019 novel ''

The Priory of the Orange Tree ''The Priory of the Orange Tree'' is a 2019 fantasy novel by writer Samantha Shannon. The novel was published on 26 February 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing. Shannon describes the novel as a "feminist retelling of Saint George and the Dragon." ''A ...

'' as a "feminist retelling" of Saint George and the Dragon.Archived a
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine

Heraldry and vexillology

Coats of arms

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria (; ), commonly and officially referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the List of cities in Italy, largest city in Calabria as well as the seat of the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria. As ...

used Saint George and the dragon in its since at least 1757, derived from earlier (15th-century) iconography used on the city seal. Saint George and the dragon has been depicted in the

coat of arms of Moscow The coat of arms of Moscow depicts a horseman with a spear in his hand slaying a basilisk and is identified with Saint George and the Dragon. The heraldic emblem of Moscow has been an integral part of the coat of arms of Russia since the 16th cen ...

since the late 18th century, and in the

coat of arms of Georgia The coat of arms of Georgia is one of the national symbols of Georgia. The coat of arms is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house and features Saint George, the traditional patron saint of Georgia. In addition to St. ...

since 1991 (based on a coat of arms introduced in 1801 for Georgia within the

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

). File:S. Giorgio di Cappadocia e lo stemma della città di Reggio - Stemma di Reggio Calabria.png, Coat of arms of

(1896) File:Moscow COA 1781.png,

Coat of arms of Moscow The coat of arms of Moscow depicts a horseman with a spear in his hand slaying a basilisk and is identified with Saint George and the Dragon. The heraldic emblem of Moscow has been an integral part of the coat of arms of Russia since the 16th cen ...

(1781) File:Coat of arms of Moscow.svg, Coat of arms of Moscow (1993 design) File:Coat of Arms of the Russian Federation.svg,

Coat of arms of Russia The coat of arms of Russia derives from the earlier coat of arms of the Russian Empire. Though modified more than once since the reign of Ivan III (1462–1505), the current coat of arms is directly derived from its medieval original, with the d ...

(1993) File:COA of Kyiv Oblast m.svg, Coat of arms of

Kyiv Oblast Kyiv Oblast (, ), also called Kyivshchyna (, ), is an Administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is administered as a city with special sta ...

(1999) File:Lesser coat of arms of Georgia.svg,

Coat of arms of Georgia The coat of arms of Georgia is one of the national symbols of Georgia. The coat of arms is partially based on the medieval arms of the Georgian royal house and features Saint George, the traditional patron saint of Georgia. In addition to St. ...

(2004)

Aragonese Royal Arms with the Crest of the Chivalry of Saint George

Provincial coats of arms *

, Ukraine (1999) *

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast (, , informally known as , ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). With a population of 8,524,665 (Russian Census (2021), 2021 Census) living in an area of , it is one of the most densely populate ...

, Russia () Municipal coats of arms * Australia:

Hurstville Hurstville is a suburb in Southern Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is south of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD and is part of the St George, New South Wales, St George area. Hurstville is the administrative centre of ...

* Austria:

Pitten Pitten is a Market Municipality in the district of Neunkirchen in the Austrian federal state of Lower Austria Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. ...

Sankt Georgen an der Gusen Sankt Georgen an der Gusen (also ''St. Georgen an der Gusen'' and ''St. Georgen/Gusen''; lit.: "Saint George's town on the Gusen River") is a small market town in Upper Austria, Austria, between the municipalities of Luftenberg and Langenste ...

Sankt Georgen an der Leys Sankt Georgen an der Leys (Central Bavarian: ''Sankt Geoang'') is a municipality in the district of Scheibbs in Lower Austria, in northeast Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lyin ...

Sankt Georgen an der Stiefing Sankt Georgen an der Stiefing (Central Bavarian: ''Sankt Georgen on da Stiefing'') is a municipality in the district of Leibnitz in Styria, Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying ...

, Sankt Georgen im Attergau,

Sankt Georgen ob Murau Sankt Georgen ob Murau is a former municipality in the district of Murau in Styria, Austria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Sankt Georgen am Kreischberg Sankt Georgen am Kreischberg is since 2015 ...

. * Croatia:

Kaštel Sućurac Kaštel Sućurac () is a Settlement (Croatia), settlement within the town of Kaštela in Dalmatia, Croatia. Kaštel Sućurac is the first of the 7 Kaštels from the East. Patron saint of the town is Saint George (Croatian: ''Sveti Jure''). Histor ...

Vis Vis, ViS, VIS, and other capitalizations may refer to: Places * Vis (island), a Croatian island in the Adriatic sea ** Vis (town), on the island of Vis * Vis (river), in south-central France * Vis, Bulgaria, a village in Haskovo Province * Visa ...

. * Czech Republic: Brušperk. * Denmark:

Holstebro Holstebro is the main town in Holstebro Municipality, Denmark. The town, bisected by Storå, Denmark, ''Storåen'' ("The Large Creek") and has a population of 37,487 (1 January 2025).Aydoilles Aydoilles () is a commune in the Vosges department in Grand Est in northeastern France. See also *Communes of the Vosges department The following is a list of the 506 communes of the Vosges department of France. Intercommunalities The c ...

Couilly-Pont-aux-Dames Couilly-Pont-aux-Dames () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Population The inhabitants are called ''Colliaciens'' in French. See also * Communes of the Seine-et-Marne departme ...

, Ligsdorf,

Maulan Maulan () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department The following is a list of the 499 Communes of France, communes of the Meuse (department), Meuse Departments of ...

Mussidan Mussidan (; ) is a commune in the Dordogne department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. Mussidan station has rail connections to Bordeaux, Périgueux, Brive-la-Gaillarde and Limoges. Population Roundup of 16 January 1944 On 16 ...

, Saint-Georges (Moselle),

Saint-Georges-Armont Saint-Georges-Armont () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France. Geography The commune liest east of Clerval. Population See also * Communes of the Doubs department The following i ...

Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche Saint-Georges-d'Espéranche () is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. History The medieval architect and castle builder for Edward I of England, Master James of Saint George, also known as Jacques de Saint-Georges d'Es ...

Saint-Georges-d'Oléron Saint-Georges-d'Oléron (, literally ''Saint-Georges of Oléron'', before 1962: ''Saint-Georges'')Saint-Georges-d'Orques,

Saint-Georges-de-Reintembault Saint-Georges-de-Reintembault (; ) is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Saint-Georges-de-Reintembault are called ''reintembaultois'' in French. See also *Communes of t ...

, Saint-Georges-du-Bois, Saint-Georges-du-Vièvre, Saint-Georges-sur-Baulche, Saint-Georges-sur-Loire,

Saint-Jurs Saint-Jurs is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department The following is a list of the 198 communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence ...

Saorge Saorge (; ; ; standard ; ; ) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France. It is a member of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France (The Most Beautiful Villages of France) Association. Highway E74 which runs north from Me ...

Sospel Sospel (; Mentonasc: ''Sospèl''; ) is a commune (municipality) and former schismatic episcopal seat (1381-1418) in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo. And, from 1912 t ...

Villeneuve-Saint-Georges Villeneuve-Saint-Georges () is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. People from Villeneuve-Saint-Georges are called ''Villeneuvois'' in French. Hi ...

. * Germany:

Bürgel Bürgel () is a town in the Saale-Holzland district, in Thuringia, Germany. It is situated 12 km east of Jena. It contains the Benedictine monastery of Bürgel Abbey. History Within the German Empire (1871-1918), Bürgel was part of the Gra ...

Hattingen Hattingen is a town in the northern part of the Ennepe-Ruhr-Kreis district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. History Hattingen is located on the south bank of the River Ruhr in the south of the Ruhr region. The town was first mentioned in 13 ...

Mansfeld Mansfeld (), sometimes also unofficially Mansfeld-Lutherstadt, is a town in the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Protestant reformator Martin Luther grew up in Mansfeld, and in 1993 the town became one of sixteen places ...

, Rittersbach, St. Georgen im Schwarzwald, Schwarzenberg. * Hungary:

Bácsszentgyörgy Bácsszentgyörgy ( sh-Latn, Đurić) is a border village and municipality in Bács-Kiskun county, in the Southern Great Plain region of southern Hungary towards Serbia. Geography It covers an area of and has a population of 207 people (2005). ...

Balatonszentgyörgy Balatonszentgyörgy is a village in Somogy county, Hungary. It is near to the village of Balatonberény. The village is next to Lake Balaton. Etymology The village got its name after Saint George (), the patron of its church. Geography Csücsk� ...

, Borsodszentgyörgy,

Dunaszentgyörgy Dunaszentgyörgy is a village in Tolna County Tolna (, ; ) is an administrative county (Comitatus (Kingdom of Hungary), comitatus or vármegye) in present-day Hungary as it was in the former Kingdom of Hungary. It lies in central Hungary, on th ...

Homokszentgyörgy Homokszentgyörgy () is a village in Somogy county, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Roma ...

Pécsvárad Pécsvárad (; ) is a town in Baranya County, southern Hungary. Geography Pécsvárad is on the southern slope of the Mecsek mountains, in particular the part called Kelet-Mecsek. It's at the foot of the Zengő, the highest peak of these mount ...

Szentgyörgyvár Szentgyörgyvár is a village in Zala County, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to ...

Szentgyörgyvölgy Szentgyörgyvölgy is a village in Zala County, Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania ...

, Tatárszentgyörgy. * Italy:

* Lithuania:

Marijampolė Marijampolė (; also known by Marijampolė#Names, several other names) is the Capital city, capital of Marijampolė County in the south of Lithuania, bordering Poland and Russian Kaliningrad Oblast, and Lake Vištytis. The city's population stood ...

Prienai Prienai () is a city in Lithuania situated on the Nemunas River, south of Kaunas. In 2023, the city had 8,894 inhabitants. The name of the city is a derivative from the surname ''Prienas''. Pociūnai Airport is associated with the city. Histor ...

Varniai Varniai (; Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Varnē'') is a city in the Telšiai County, western Lithuania. In the Middle Ages the city was known as Medininkai (Samogitian language, Samogitian: ''Medėninkā''). Etymology ''Medininkai'' or ''M ...

. * Netherlands:

Ridderkerk Ridderkerk () is a town and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality had a population of in and covers an area of of which is covered by water. The municipality of Ridderkerk also includes th ...

Terborg Terborg is a small city in the Dutch province of Gelderland, in the Achterhoek region in the east of the Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek. The city lies about 7 km southeast of Doetinchem. The population ...

. * Poland:

Brzeg Dolny Brzeg Dolny () is a town in Wołów County, Lower Silesian Voivodeship in south-western Poland. It is located north-west of Wrocław on the Oder River, and is the site of a large chemical plant complex, PCC Rokita SA. As of December 2021, the ...

Dzierżoniów Dzierżoniów (; until 1946 ; ) is a town located at the foot of the Owl Mountains in southwestern Poland, within the Lower Silesian Voivodeship. It is the seat of Dzierżoniów County, and of Gmina Dzierżoniów (although it is not part of the ...

Milicz Milicz () is a town in Lower Silesian Voivodeship, in west-central Poland. It is the seat of Milicz County and of Gmina Milicz, part of the larger Wrocław metropolitan area. Geography The town is situated in the historic Lower Silesia regi ...

Ostróda Ostróda (; Old Prussian language, Old Prussian: ''Austrāti'') is a town in northern Poland, in the historic region of Masuria. It is the seat of the Ostróda County within the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship and has approximately 33,191 inhabitant ...

. * Romania:

Suceava Suceava () is a Municipiu, city in northeastern Romania. The seat of Suceava County, it is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Bukovina and Western Moldavia, Moldavia, northeastern Romania. It is the largest urban ...

Sfântu Gheorghe Sfântu Gheorghe (; or ''Szentgyörgy'' ; ; English lit.: ''Saint George'') is a city that serves as the seat of Covasna County in Transylvania, Romania. Located in the central part of the country, it lies on the Olt River in a valley between ...

. * Russia:

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

* Serbia:

Srpski Krstur Srpski Krstur () is a village located in Serbia, in the Novi Kneževac municipality of the North Banat District, in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina. The village has a Serb ethnic majority (69.81%) with a present Romani (13.58%) and Hungaria ...

. * Slovakia:

Svätý Jur Svätý Jur (; ; ; ; formerly ''Jur pri Bratislave'') is a small historical town northeast of Bratislava, located in the Bratislava Region. The city is situated on the slopes of Little Carpathians mountains and surrounded by typical terraced vine ...

. * Slovenia:

Šenčur Šenčur (; in older sources also ''Šentjur'',''Intelligenzblatt zur Laibacher Zeitung'', no. 141. 24 November 1849, p. 7. ''Leksikon občin kraljestev in dežel zastopanih v državnem zboru,'' vol. 6: ''Kranjsko''. 1906. Vienna: C. Kr. Dvorna in ...

Šentjur Šentjur ( or ; ) is a town in eastern Slovenia. It is the seat, and largest settlement, of the Municipality of Šentjur. The town lies on the Voglajna River east southeast of Celje. The settlement, and the entire municipality, are included in th ...

* Spain:

Alcalá de los Gazules Alcalá de los Gazules is a city and municipality located in the province of Cádiz, Spain. According to the 2006 census, the town has a population of 5,633 inhabitants. Alcalá de los Gazules is situated in the Sierra de Cádiz. Although not ...

, Golosalvo, Puentedura. * Switzerland: Castiel,

Corminboeuf Corminboeuf (; , locally ) is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Sarine (district), Sarine in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Fribourg (canton), Fribourg in Switzerland. In 2017 the former municipality of Ch� ...

Kaltbrunn Kaltbrunn is a municipality in the ''Wahlkreis'' (constituency) of See-Gaster in the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. History Kaltbrunn was first mentioned in 940 as ''Chaldebrunna''. Geography Kaltbrunn has an area, , of . Of this area ...

Ruschein Ruschein (, ) is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. Its official language is the Sursilvan dialect of Romansh. On 1 January 2014 the former municipalities of Ruschein, Castrisch, Il ...

, Saint-George,

Schlans Schlans is a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the Swiss canton of Graubünden. The municipality of Schlans merged on 1 January 2012 into the municipality of Trun.Stein am Rhein Stein am Rhein (abbreviated as Stein a. R.) is a historic town and a municipality in the canton of Schaffhausen in Switzerland. It is located at the outfall of Lower Lake Constance on the High Rhine river, about halfway between the town of Scha ...

Waltensburg/Vuorz Waltensburg/Vuorz is a former municipality in the Surselva Region in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. On 1 January 2018 the former municipalities of Andiast and Waltensburg/Vuorz merged into the municipality of Breil/Brigels. History ...

. * Ukraine: Holoby,

Liuboml Liuboml ( Russian and , ; Polish and ; ) is a city in Kovel Raion, Volyn Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located close to the border with Poland. It serves as the administrative center of Liuboml urban hromada. Population: Overview Liuboml is ...

Nizhyn Nizhyn (, ; ) is a city located in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine along the Oster River. The city is located north-east of the national capital Kyiv. Nizhyn serves as the capital city, administrative center of Nizhyn Raion. It hosts the ...

, Taikury,

Volodymyr Volodymyr (, ; ) is a Ukrainian given name of Old East Slavic origin. The related Ancient Slavic, such as Czech, Russian, Serbian, Croatian, etc. form of the name is Володимѣръ ''Volodiměr'', which in other Slavic languages became Vladimi ...

Vyshneve Vyshneve () may refer to several places in Ukraine: * Vyshneve (city), city in Kyiv Oblast *, a village in Chernihiv Oblast * Vyshneve, Crimea, a village * Vyshneve, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, urban-type settlement in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast *Vyshneve, P ...

Zbarazh Zbarazh (, ; ; ) is a small city in Ternopil Raion, Ternopil Oblast, western Ukraine. It is located in the historic region of Galicia (Central Europe), Galicia. Zbarazh hosts the administration of Zbarazh urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukr ...

Flags

Military insignia

* Regimental flags of the

Hellenic Army The Hellenic Army (, sometimes abbreviated as ΕΣ), formed in 1828, is the army, land force of Greece. The term Names of the Greeks, '' Hellenic'' is the endogenous synonym for ''Greek''. The Hellenic Army is the largest of the three branches ...

(1864) * Badge of the

Royal Regiment of Fusiliers The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers (often referred to as, "The Fusiliers") is an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Queen's Division. Currently, the regiment has two battalions: the 1st Battalion, part of the Regular Army, is an ...

(1968) * Flag of the Russian Orthodox Army (2014)

Explanatory notes

References

Citations
Sources * * * Bibliography
* * * Loomis, C. Grant, 1949. ''White Magic, An Introduction to the Folklore of Christian Legend'' (Cambridge: Medieval Society of America) * Online version
(transliterates Greek text, etc.)--> * . * . * Whatley, E. Gordon, editor, with Anne B. Thompson and Robert K. Upchurch, 2004. ''St. George and the Dragon in the South English Legendary (East Midland Revision, c. 1400)'' Originally published in ''Saints' Lives in Middle English Collections''

.

External links

Saint George Legend explained in Javascript
by Tomás Corral
St George and the Dragon Events and Ideas – Official Website for Tourism in England

St George Unofficial Bank Holiday
''St. George and the Dragon'', free illustrated book based on 'The Seven Champions' by Richard Johnson (1596)
St George's Bake and Brew
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint George And The Dragon Christian folklore Medieval legends Christian iconography Saint George (martyr) Tiamat