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Saint George | |
23 April, Saint George
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Saint George lived in the Middle East during the
third century. Little factual information is known about his life,
but some information has been passed on to us. St. George was a
Christian living in Palestine before the reign of Constantine, the
emperor who legalized
Christianity. It is thought that he was arrested in connection with
one of the persecutions of Christians by the Roman emperor. George
suffered torture and prison for the Faith and was beheaded.
During the twelfth century crusades, an Italian legend about the
life of St. George gained wide popularity. It is from this legend
that we get the image of St. George fighting a dragon. This legend
also says that George saved the life of a princess and was the key
in converting Libya to Christianity. St. George was a popular patron
of the Crusaders and is held to be patron saint of England,
Portugal, Germany, Aragon, Genoa, and Venice. |
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