MARY AND THE SAINTS 81
SAINTGEORGE&THEDRAGON
A SOLDIER IN
CHRIST
A mythic military hero of the Roman era endured
hardship, torture, and a dragonT
he dragon was the least of it. By the time
George was executed in A.D. 303, he had not
only battled a fire-breathing beast but was
subjected to all manner of torture, imposed
by a Roman emperor. Or so the legend goes.
George, a soldier and Christian martyr, is one of the
most beloved saints in the world. Historians agree that
only a few facts are known about him, and some of his sup-
posed feats, including the battle with a dragon, are obvi-
ously fiction. The roots of Saint George and his legend do
lie in fact, however: It isgenerally agreed that he was born
around A.D. 280 in what is now the city of Lod, Israel—a
part of the Roman Empire at the time.
George came from a Christian military family; his fa-
ther, who died when George was just 14, was an official in
the Roman army and a favorite of the emperor, Diocletian.
George wished to follow in his footsteps. In his late teens,
George traveled to the eastern capital city of Nicomedia, in
what is now Turkey, to become a Roman soldier.
George soon distinguished himself,
rising to become an officer in the impe-
rial guard. Around this time, tales of his
deeds shade into legend. According to
some stories, he is said to have killed a
dragon in a Libyan city after making the
sign of the cross. In awe and gratitude,
the entire city converted to Christianity.Historians do agree that in A.D. 303, Diocletian, the
emperor of the eastern part of the Roman Empire, made
a decree. Wishing to restore the empire to its former glory,
Diocletian set about reestablishing the dominance of the
Roman gods. To do that, he had to eliminate all minor-
ity religions, including Christianity. He ordered churches
torn down, burned Christian texts, and fired Christian of-
ficials and soldiers, including George. When George pro-
tested, Diocletian ordered his execution.
The emperor went to truly gruesome lengths to de-
stroy George, according to lore. He had George stabbed
with swords, plunged into boiling water, and ripped with
hooks. The warrior’s wounds were rubbed with salt. He
was bashed in the head with a hammer, forced to drink
poison, and cut into little pieces that were tossed into a
well. But George would not die. According to legend, God
was on his side and told George that he would die three
deaths before finally getting to heaven.
So the torture continued. George had molten metal
poured into his mouth, nails pounded
into his head, and was cut in two, and still
he refused to denounce his religion. Ev-
ery time death was upon him, God would
preserve him until, finally, George was
decapitated. At last, God allowed him to
enter heaven. But before he went, George
prayed for his fellow Christians. ▪COURAGE AND PAIN
Saint George and the Dragonby
Raphael (c. 1505). Christian
soldier and martyr George
readied to slay the dragon that
stalked from behind. His first
weapon of choice, however,
was the sign of the cross.