Saint George, Martyr

One day, when the Caesar Diocletian, very devoted to Apollo, was consulting the god on a matter concerning the government of the State, it is said that from the depths of his dark cavern, Apollo answered him: "The just who are upon the earth prevent me from speaking the truth; through them the inspiration of the sacred tripods is reduced to falsehood." Consternated to see himself thus the plaything of error, the unfortunate prince wished to know who these just ones on earth were. One of the god's priests answered him: "Prince, they are the Christians." This answer was a bait that the emperor seized with avidity; from that moment he became furious and cruel. The persecution against the Christians had slowed down; he reignited it more terrible than before.

From the very first day, the atrocious cruelties exercised against the Christians and the decree of the senate, the rigors of which nothing could soften, excited George's indignation: he openly condemned the more than violent measures to which his brothers in the faith were being subjected. In vain his friends recommended prudence and reminded him of the emperor's favors; George had seen more than once the prince's anger unleashed upon his favorites when they had the good fortune to be Christians: he understood that his hour might soon come. Consequently, he hastened to distribute his money and his clothes to the poor, restored freedom to the slaves he had with him; and as for those who were absent, he settled their fate in the manner he deemed most appropriate.

Thus prepared for death, George approached the emperor himself and pleaded in favor of the innocent Christians, demanding at least freedom for them, since this freedom harmed no one. — "Young man," Diocletian contented himself with replying, "think of your future." — George was then little more than twenty years old. — As the intrepid soldier of Jesus Christ was about to reply, the tyrant's feigned benevolence turned into fury. The guards received the order to lead him first to prison; there he was thrown to the ground, his feet were placed in shackles, and then his chest was burdened with an enormous stone; such had the despot ordered. But the Blessed one, always patient in the midst of torments, did not cease to give thanks to God.

The next day, he was again presented to Diocletian; but this prince, having been unable to gain anything from the constancy of this illustrious Martyr, had him placed on a wheel armed on all sides with steel spikes, in order to tear him into a thousand pieces: during this torture, he was consoled by a voice from heaven which addressed him, and said to him: "George, fear nothing, for I am with you." He was also consoled by the appearance of a man, brighter than the sun and dressed in a white robe, who reached out his hand to embrace him and encourage him in his sufferings. New tortures had no other result than to make the heroic firmness of the warrior shine even more; the Christians were delighted by it, the pagans confused. Some, nevertheless, were converted; Potoleus, among others, and Anatolius, both praetors, who lost their lives for Jesus Christ.

The emperor, seeing the constancy of George under the trial of his torments, employed gentleness to try to shake him. But this generous Confessor of the truth, no longer wishing to answer with words, but with deeds, asked him to go to the temple to see the gods he worshipped. Diocletian, believing that George was finally coming to his senses and was about to yield, had the senate and the people assembled so that they might be present at the famous sacrifice that George was to offer. With everyone's eyes upon him to see what he would do, he approached the idol of Apollo; then, extending his hand and making the sign of the cross: "Do you wish," he said to it, "that I offer you sacrifices as to God?" The demon, who was in the statue, replied: "I am not God, and there is no other God than the one you preach." At that very moment, mournful and horrible voices were heard coming from the mouths of these idols, and they all finally fell to the ground, reduced to pieces and dust. The priests of this temple exhorted the people to lay hands on the holy Martyr, telling the emperor that they must get rid of this magician and cut off his head to prevent the evil from increasing further. He was therefore led to the place of execution, where, after having said his prayer, he was beheaded on April 23 of the year 303.

Saint George is usually depicted as a horseman, attacking a dragon in defense of a young girl who implores his help; but this is a symbol rather than a history, meant to signify that this illustrious Martyr purged his province, represented by this girl, of idolatry, figured by this dragon risen from hell; or else that he conquered the demon by his faith, designated by the name of dragon in Scripture.

## RELICS AND CULT OF SAINT GEORGE.

His relics were divided and transported to many churches: in Rome, Ferrara, Venice, Paris, Amieux, Bordeaux, etc. The parish church of Chevrières, near Compiègne (Oise), still possesses today an illustrious relic of this Saint, who is its patron. It is one from a chest; its authenticity was recognized and the reliquary that contains it was sealed in 1859 by the diocesan bishop. He is the principal patron of Cerisy-Gailly, Hargicourt, Havercas, Massil-Saint-Georges, and Villers-Bocage. Chapels are erected to him in Applaincourt and Gomiécourt, where people go to invoke him for herpetic diseases. Some of his relics are kept in Cerisy-Gailly (two bones), at the Poor Clares of Amieux, in Saint-Riquier, in Picquigny, and in Villers-Bocage.

A connection, which lacks neither relevance nor importance, must find its place here. In 1339, Raoul, Duke of Lorraine, founded, in a part of his palace in Nancy, a collegiate church of canons which he placed under the patronage of the Blessed Virgin and Saint George. On January 10, 1401, René of Anjou had a precious re lic offered René d'Anjou Son-in-law of Margaret and heir to the throne of Lorraine. to the Chapter of this church, coming from the priory of Saint-Honoré d'Alichamps, which consisted of "the bone of one of Saint George's thighs from the top to the knee." This prince had obtained it from the Cardinal of Foix, legate of the Holy See, and had it encased in silver "in a greave made in the form and likeness of the thigh of an armed man, seated on a silver cushion adorned with his arms." Mention is made of this illustrious relic in the inventories of the collegiate church's treasury drawn up in 1552 and 1604. One even reads the mention of "a silver arm of Saint George." And another: "The head of Saint George with a gilded rosary."

It is unknown what became of almost all the relics and precious objects composing the treasury of Saint George. During the merger of the ducal Chapter with that of the primatial church in 1743, the canons of Raoul's foundation had a portion of their liturgical furniture transported to the church of their new destination. It is not known if Saint George's greave was included, if the canons disposed of it so as not to introduce it into a sanctuary of which the holy Martyr would not be the patron, or if it only left the country at the time of the revolutionary spoliation of '93. In any hypothesis, would it not be quite plausible that the "thigh bone" of Saint George that the "parish church of Chevrières, near Compiègne (Oise)" possesses today is none other than the "greave" brought to Lorraine by Duke René, and that a series of events caused it to arrive there!?

Warriors have chosen Saint George as their patron, and the Roman Church is accustomed to invoking Saint George, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Maurice as the principal protectors of the Church against its enemies, because they were both brave warriors and faithful Christians.

The devotion of military men to Saint George was mainly founded on the similarity of profession; it was also based on the authority of an account whose author asserted that the Saint had appeared to the army of the Christian crusaders before the battle of Antioch and that the infidels had been defeated by his protection. It was also said that the same Saint had appeared to Richard I, King of England, when he was marching against the Saracens, and that the troops of this prince, having been informed of it, felt animated with a new courage and cut the enemy to pieces. All these facts contributed greatly to making the name of Saint George famous among the military.

This Saint is honored in the churches of the East and West as one of the most illustrious Martyrs of Jesus Christ. The Greeks even long gave him the title of Great Martyr, and his feast is still of obligation among them. There were formerly five or six churches in his name in Constantinople, and it is claimed that the oldest was built by Constantine the Great. This prince is also credited with the foundation of the one that was on the Saint's tomb in Palestine. Whatever the case regarding the founder of these two churches, it is at least certain that they were built under the first Christian emperors. The emperors Justinian and Maurice also had two built under the invocation of Saint George: one was at Bizanes, in Lesser Armenia, and the other at Constantinople.

It is reported in the life of Saint Theodore of Sykeon that he served God for a long time in a chapel that bore the name of Saint George, that he had a particular devotion to this glorious Martyr, and that he recommended his cult to Count Maurice when he predicted the empire to him.

There was a great gathering of people at one of the Saint's churches in Constantinople: it was called Manganes and was adjacent to a monastery located on the side of the Propontis. It is from there that the Hellespont or the Strait of the Dardanelles took the name of the Arm of Saint George. The Saint is honored on this day by several churches in the East, mainly in Georgia, with the status of titular patron. We read in the Byzantine authors that a great number of miracles were performed through his intercession and that many battles were won thanks to him.

His cult was spread in the West by those who, during their pilgrimages to Jerusalem, often visited his church and his tomb, which were at Diospolis, in Palestine, where it is thought that one of his servants transported him after his martyrdom: according to the most probable opinion, this martyrdom took place at Nicomedia, in Bithyn ia. Diosp Nicomédie City of origin of Saint Nicarete. olis is today called Lydda: one can still see there a magnificent church built by Justinian and dedicated to Saint George. It is in the province of Damascus and has 2,000 inhabitants. We see from Saint Gregory of Tours that he was very famous in France as early as the 6th century. Saint Gregory the Great ordered the repair of an ancient church built in his honor, which was on the verge of falling into ruin. His office is found in the sacramentary of this holy Pope and in several others. Saint Clotilde, wife of King Clovis, erected altars in his name and wished that the church of the monastery of Chelles, of which she was the founder, should also be dedicated under his invocation. It is said in the ancient life of Saint Doctrovée that "relics of Saint George were brought to Paris and deposited in the church of Saint-Vincent, today Saint-Germain-des-Prés, when it was dedicated." Fortunatus of Poitiers composed a piece of verse about a church of the same Saint that was in Mainz. It follows from all these authorities that the cult of Saint George is very ancient in the West and especially in France.

He was the first Patron of the Republic of Genoa. The English, under their Norman kings, brought back from the Crusades a great devotion to Saint George and invoked him as Patron in war. The national council held at Oxford in 1222 ordered that his feast be a day of obligation throughout England. It was under his protection that Edward III placed the Order of the G arter, whic Édouard III King of England and founder of the Order of the Garter. h he instituted in 1330.

It is evident, from all that has just been said, that the name of Saint George has always been held in great veneration in the Church. The antiquity and universality of his cult are well established. The Acts that we have of him all agree in stating that he suffered at Nicomedia, under Diocletian. Mr. Assemani has proven, by the unanimous consent of the churches of the Christian world, that the martyrdom of Saint George took place on April 23 in Nicom edia, under Diocl cardinal Barunius Cardinal and hagiographer who fixed the feast day on October 8. etian.

Cardinal Baronius has researched very exactly, and collected with severe criticism, all the histories of Saint George found in the oldest libraries; we have believed we could follow, without any difficulty, such a serious author. — Mr. Jean Darche published in Paris in 1562, a *Life of Saint George*, in-12 of 499 pages, of which he devotes more than 100 to proving the reality of the dragon vanquished by Saint George. In principle, we are not at all opposed to the literal interpretation of legends; but the true history of Saint George is so difficult to trace; there reigns such great incoherence, such great uncertainty in his Acts, that we have believed we could here stick to the symbolic meaning: it is, moreover, the most generally accepted opinion. — See in the life of Saint Opportuna, p. 592, note 2, above, that we are far from being extreme partisans of the symbolic interpretation.