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For England, Portugal and St George - Letter from the Algarve by Frances Ruddick
• 19 Apr 2007 •
 COMPARED to Irish festivities on St Patrick’s Day, St George is relatively uncelebrated. Yet for English residents and visitors to Portugal, April 23 should be a romping day of double fun.
You may wonder why I come to this conclusion but perhaps you didn’t know that St George is the patron saint of both England and Portugal?
Strange though it might seem, these two Christian countries have adopted a dragon slayer as their chosen saint, based upon a story that cannot possibly be true.
What’s more, St George is so popular he has been proclaimed as the patron saint of Germany, Armenia, Antioch, Constantinople, Barcelona and various other towns and cities. “St George for Holy Russia,” was the battle cry of the Tsar and even more surprising he is a mythical hero of Islam known as El Khedir.
As a reminder, he is the central figure in a tale about a dragon that lived beside a well. The city dwellers could only collect their water and placate the dragon by feeding him with a daily supply of people.
Lots were drawn each morning to decide who would be next. Many people perished before it was the turn of a Princess to be thrown into the dragon’s den. By good fortune St George came along and offered to slay the dragon if the city converted to a Christian way of life. The citizens agreed to the arrangement and George with his mighty sword, Ascalon, duly dispatched the fire-breathing beast.
Versions of the tale vary, some suggesting he went on to marry the Princess and others stating that the dragon was fed with sheep or eggs, rather than human beings.
No matter which you read the story is obviously an allegory, the dragon standing as a symbol for the devil and the city being saved by a newfound belief in Christianity.
That being the case, I can’t help wondering why several places claim to be the site of the encounter between the dragon and St George? The Danes are convinced the event took place on their soil and several places in England say it happened there.
The hamlet of St George in Derbyshire, Brinsop in Herefordshire and Dunsmore Heath in Warwickshire, all claim the honour. Meanwhile on Dragon Hill in Berkshire – close to the famous White Horse of Uffington – a bare patch is said to be the exact spot where St George spilt the dragon’s blood.
Ridiculous of course but not so according to King Edward III who adopted him as the patron saint of England in the middle of the 14th century.
Portugal’s involvement with the saint is linked to a peace treaty with the English and in 1371, Lisbon’s great castle was renamed the Castelo São Jorge (St George).
Twelve years later when Juan I of Castile invaded, the Portuguese found themselves allied with the Spanish kingdom of Catalonia and Aragon whose armies fought under the banner of St George.
The Castilians were defeated and St George was elevated to become Portugal’s patron saint. Nowadays, as in Britain, his feast day celebrations tend to be a low-key.
Only in Catalonia in Spain is he given full recognition with a public holiday. Traditionally lovers exchange roses and books as a reminder of the affection felt by the Princess for St George.
The real St George was born in Palestine and martyred there in 303AD because he would not give up his Christian faith. The first story that introduced the dragon was written around 900 years later. |  Return to Top
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