Saint George in devotions, traditions and prayers

The tomb of Saint George in Lydda, just south of Tel Aviv.

Saint George is one of Christianity's most popular saints, and is highly honored by both the Western and Eastern Churches.[1] A wide range of devotions, traditions, and prayers to honor the saint have emerged throughout the centuries. He has for long been distinguished by the title of "The Great Martyr" and is one of the most popular saints to be represented in icons.[2] Devotions to Saint George have a large following among Christians, and a large number of churches are dedicated to him worldwide.

Since the Middle Ages, the story of the life of Saint George, both as fact and legend, has come to symbolize the victory of good over evil, and become part of local Christian traditions, festivals and celebrations that continue to date. Saint George has been widely represented in Christian art in multiple media and forms, from paintings and sculptures to stained glass and reliefs, through the ages, and has become the subject of multiple prayers and devotions.[3][4][5][6][7] This article traces the origins, development and growth of the Christian devotions, traditions, and prayers to Saint George.

  1. ^ Christian Roy, 2005, Traditional Festivals ISBN 978-1-57607-089-5 page 408
  2. ^ Robin Cormack, Icons, Harvard University Press, 2007 ISBN 0-674-02619-5 page 69
  3. ^ Fred Kleiner, 2008, Art Through the Ages: A Global History Wadsworth Press ISBN 0-495-41060-8 page 546
  4. ^ Jack Finegan, 1981, The archeology of the New Testament, Taylor & Francis, ISBN 0-7099-1006-1 page 84
  5. ^ Thomas Dale, Relics, prayer, and politics in medieval Venetia Princeton University Press, 1997 ISBN 0-691-01175-3 page 115
  6. ^ Dorothy Spicer, Festivals of Western Europe, Published by BiblioBazaar, 2008 ISBN 1-4375-2015-4, page 67
  7. ^ Robert Pateman, 2006, Belgium, Published by Marshall Cavendish, ISBN 0-7614-2059-2 page 117