Editing Saint George (section)

==Patronages==
{{Main|Patronages of Saint George}}
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George is a highly celebrated saint in both the [[Western Christian|Western]] and [[Eastern Christian]] churches, and many [[patronages of Saint George]] exist throughout the world.<ref>{{citation | first = Graham | last = Seal | year = 2001 | title = Encyclopedia of folk heroes | isbn = 1-57607-216-9 | page = 85| publisher = Bloomsbury Academic }}.</ref>

George is the [[patron saint]] of England. His cross forms the national [[flag of England]], which overlaps with Scotland's [[St Andrew's flag]] to establish the [[Union Jack]], which is contained in other national flags, such as those of [[Flag of Australia|Australia]] and [[Flag of New Zealand|New Zealand]]. By the 14th century, the saint had been declared both the patron saint and the protector of the [[British royal family]].<ref>{{citation | first = Kathryn | last = Hinds | title = Medieval England | publisher = Marshall Cavendish | year = 2001 | isbn = 0-7614-0308-6 | page = 44}}.</ref>

[[File:Independence Day celebrations.jpg|thumb|right|Monument to Saint George on [[Freedom Square, Tbilisi]], Georgia]]

The [[country of Georgia]], where devotions to the saint date back to the fourth century, is not technically named after the saint, but is a well-attested [[back-formation]] of the English name. However, many towns and cities around the world are. George is one of the patron saints of Georgia. Exactly 365 Orthodox churches in Georgia are named after George according to the number of days in a year. According to legend, George was cut into 365 pieces after he fell in battle and every single piece was spread throughout the entire country.<ref name="Gabidzashvili">{{citation | last = Gabidzashvili | first = Enriko | year = 1991 | title = Saint George: In Ancient Georgian Literature | publisher = Armazi – 89 | place = Tbilisi, Georgia}}.</ref><ref>{{citation | first = FJ | last = Foakes-Jackson | title = A History of the Christian Church | publisher = Cosimo | year = 2005 | isbn = 1-59605-452-2 | page = 556}}.</ref><ref>{{citation | first = Antony | last = Eastmond | title = Royal Imagery in Medieval Georgia | publisher = Penn State Press | year = 1998 | isbn = 0-271-01628-0 | page = 119}}.</ref>

George is the patron saint of [[Ethiopia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Saint George, Patron Saint of Ethiopia |url=https://www.horniman.ac.uk/story/saint-george-patron-saint-of-ethiopia/ |access-date=4 June 2022 |website=Horniman Museum and Gardens }}</ref> He is also the patron saint of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Church]]; George slaying the dragon is one of the most frequently used subjects of [[icons]] in the church.'''<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jWLOtldQzOEC&q=saint+george+dragon+ethiopia+church&pg=PA2|title=The Origins of the New Churches Movement in Southern Ethiopia: 1927–1944|last=Fargher|first=Brian L.|date=1996|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-9004106611}}</ref>'''

George is also one of the patron saints of the Mediterranean island of [[Gozo]], part of the [[Maltese archipelago]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Vella|first1=George Francis|title=St George, the patron saint of Gozo|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090430/letters/st-george-the-patron-saint-of-gozo.254880|website=Times of Malta|date=30 April 2009 |access-date=26 January 2017}}
{{cite web|title=The patron saint and protector of Gozo|url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090416/letters/the-patron-saint-and-protector-of-gozo.252979|website=Times of Malta|date=16 April 2009 |access-date=26 January 2017}}</ref> In a battle between the Maltese and the [[Moors]], St. George was alleged to have been seen with [[St. Paul]] and [[St. Agatha]], protecting the Maltese. George is the protector of the island of Gozo and the patron of Gozo's largest city, [[Victoria, Gozo|Victoria]]. [[St. George's Basilica, Malta|St. George's Basilica]] in Victoria is dedicated to him.<ref>{{citation | first = Arthur | last = de Bles | year = 2004 | title = How to Distinguish the Saints in Art | isbn = 1-4179-0870-X | page = 86}}.</ref>

[[File:Britain Needs You at Once - WWI recruitment poster - Parliamentary Recruiting Committee Poster No. 108.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|English recruitment poster from World War I, featuring George and the Dragon]]

Devotions to George in [[Portugal]] date back to the 12th century. [[Nuno Álvares Pereira]] attributed the victory of the Portuguese in the [[battle of Aljubarrota]] in 1385 to George. During the reign of [[John I of Portugal]] (1357–1433), George became the patron saint of Portugal and the king ordered that the saint's image on the horse be carried in the [[Corpus Christi procession|''Corpus Christi'' procession]]. The flag of George (white with red cross) was also carried by the Portuguese troops and hoisted in the fortresses, during the 15th century. "Portugal and Saint George" ({{Langx|pt|Portugal e São Jorge}}) became the [[battle cry]] of the Portuguese troops, being still today the battle cry of the [[Portuguese Army]], with simply "Saint George" ({{Langx|pt|São Jorge}}) being the battle cry of the [[Portuguese Navy]].<ref>{{citation | title = Daily Life in Portugal in the Late Middle Ages | first1 = AH | last1 = de Oliveira Marques | first2 = Vítor | last2 = André | first3 = SS | last3 = Wyatt | publisher = University of Wisconsin Press | year = 1971 | isbn = 0-299-05584-1 | page = 216}}.</ref>

Devotions to Saint George in [[Brazil]] was influenced by the Portuguese colonisation. George is the unofficial patron saint of the city of [[Rio de Janeiro]] (the official patron being [[St. Sebastian]]) and of the city of {{Lang|pt|São Jorge dos Ilhéus|italic=no}} (Saint George of {{Lang|pt|Ilhéus|italic=no}}). Additionally, George is the patron saint of the Scouts and [[Brazilian cavalry|Cavalry]] of the [[Brazilian Army]]. In May 2019, he was made official as the patron saint of the [[State of Rio de Janeiro]], next to St. Sebastian.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://extra.globo.com/noticias/rio/governador-sanciona-lei-que-torna-sao-jorge-sao-sebastiao-padroeiros-do-estado-23649222.html| title = Governador sanciona lei que torna São Jorge e São Sebastião padroeiros do estado| date = 8 May 2019}}</ref> George is also revered in several [[Afro-Brazilian religions]], such as [[Umbanda]], where it is [[syncretised]] in the form of the [[orisha]] [[Ogun]]. However, the connection of George with the Moon is purely Brazilian, with a strong influence of African culture, and in no way related to the European saint. Tradition says that the spots at the Moon's surface represent the miraculous saint, his horse and his sword slaying the dragon and ready to defend those who seek his help.<ref>Santos, Georgina Silva dos.Ofício e sangue: a Irmandade de São Jorge e a Inquisição na Lisboa moderna.Lisboa: Colibri; Portimão: Instituto de Cultura Ibero-Atlântica, 2005</ref>

George, is also the patron saint of the region of [[Aragon]], in Spain, where his feast day is celebrated on 23 April and is known as "Aragon Day", or {{Lang|es|Día de Aragón}} in Spanish. He became the patron saint of the former [[Kingdom of Aragon]] and [[Crown of Aragon]] when King [[Pedro I of Aragon]] won the [[battle of Alcoraz]] in 1096. Legend has it that victory eventually fell to the Christian armies when George appeared to them on the battlefield, helping them secure the conquest of the city of [[Huesca]] which had been under the Muslim control of the [[Taifa]] of [[Zaragoza]]. The battle, which had begun two years earlier in 1094, was long and arduous, and had also taken the life of King Pedro's own father, King [[Sancho Ramirez]]. With the Aragonese spirits flagging, it is said that George descending from heaven on his charger and bearing a dark red cross, appeared at the head of the Christian cavalry leading the knights into battle. Interpreting this as a sign of protection from God, the Christian militia returned emboldened to the battle field, more energised than ever, convinced theirs was the banner of the one true faith. Defeated, the Moors rapidly abandoned the battlefield. After two years of being locked down under siege, Huesca fell and King Pedro made his triumphal entry into the city. To celebrate this victory, the cross of St. George was adopted as the personal coat of arms of Huesca and Aragon, in honour of their saviour. After the fall of Huesca, King Pedro aided the military leader and nobleman, Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, otherwise known as [[El Cid]], with a coalition army from Aragon in the long conquest of the [[Kingdom of Valencia]].

Tales of King Pedro's success at Huesca and in leading his expedition of armies with El Cid against the Moors, under the auspices of George on his standard, spread quickly throughout the realm and beyond the Crown of Aragon, and Christian armies throughout Europe quickly began adopting George as their protector and patron, during all subsequent Crusades to the [[Holy Land]]. By 1117, the military order of Templars adopted the Cross of St. George as a simple, unifying sign for international Christian militia embroidered on the left hand side of their tunics, placed above the heart.

The [[Cross of St. George]], also known in Aragon as the [[Cross of Alcoraz]], continues to emblazon the flags of all of Aragon's provinces.

The association of St. George with chivalry and noblemen in Aragon continued through the ages. Indeed, even the author [[Miguel de Cervantes]], in his book on the adventures of [[Don Quixote]], also mentions the [[jousting]] events that took place at the festival of St. George in [[Zaragoza]] in Aragon where one could gain international renown in winning a joust against any of the knights of Aragon.

Saint George ({{Langx|ca|Sant Jordi}}) is also the patron saint of [[Catalonia]]. His cross appears in many buildings and local flags, including the [[flag of Barcelona]], the Catalan capital, as well as in the ancient emblem of the [[Generalitat de Catalunya|Generalitat]]. The first references of devotion to Saint George in Catalonia came back to the 11th century. The legend of the saint spread throughout the [[Principality of Catalonia]] until, in 1456, he was officially named by the [[Catalan Courts]] (the parliament) as the patron saint of Catalonia, and the annual commemoration involving roses began. A Catalan variation to the traditional legend places George's life story as having occurred in the town of [[Montblanc, Tarragona|Montblanc]], near [[Tarragona]]. One of the highest civil distinctions awarded by the [[Generalitat de Catalunya|Government of Catalonia]] is the [[Creu de Sant Jordi Award|St. George's Cross]] (''Creu de Sant Jordi''). The [[Sant Jordi Awards]] have been awarded in Barcelona since 1957.

In Valencia, Catalonia, the Balearics, Malta, Sicily and Sardinia, the origins of the veneration of St. George go back to their shared history as territories under the [[Crown of Aragon]], thereby sharing the same legend.

In 1469, the [[Order of St. George (Habsburg-Lorraine)]] was founded in Rome by [[Frederick III, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Frederick III of Habsburg]] in the presence of [[Pope Paul II]] in honour of St. George. The order was continued and promoted by his son, [[Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor|Emperor Maximilian I of Habsburg]]. The later history of the order was eventful, in particular the order was dissolved by Nazi Germany. Only after the fall of the [[Iron Curtain]] and the collapse of communism in Central and Eastern Europe was the order reactivated as a European association in association with Saint George by the [[Habsburg family]].<ref>Manfred Hollegger "Maximilian I." (2005), p 150.</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.georgsorden.at/geschichte/?L=1| title = History of the St. Georgs-Orden}}</ref><ref>Roman Procházka "Österreichisches Ordenshandbuch" (1979), p 274.</ref>