April: saint George

Saint George was an early Christian martyr. He was born to Christian parents in Cappadocia (in modern day Turkey). After his father’s death, George’s mother returned with him to her home town of Lydda in Palestine. He became an officer in the Roman army under Emperor Diocletian but he was arrested, tortured and beheaded for refusing to recant his Christian faith. Saint George was buried in Lydda (now Lod in Israel) where he was venerated as a martyr. He was canonised by Pope Gelasius I in 494. Later legends concerning Saint George include the well known story of his slaying a dragon which was terrorising the town of Silene in Libya. Saint George is the patron saint of England, Ethiopia, Malta, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia and Ukraine. His feast day is celebrated on 23 April.