St. George Fighting the Dragon Magnet

St. George is a symbol of courage and valor, and the triumph of Good over Evil. Renaissance Painting by Raphael, c 1505-1506. Saint George is the Patron Saint of soldiers, boy scouts, cavalry, chivalry, farmers, field workers, butchers, horses, riders, saddlers, and archers. He is also the patron of England, Aragon, Catalonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Moscow, Istanbul, Genoa and Venice. The most commonly held belief is that George was of noble birth and served as a tribune in the Roman army. It is believed that he protested against the persecution of the Christians by the Emporer Diocletion; an opinion for which he was beheaded, making him a martyr. Several sources propose that the legend of Saint George and the Dragon is just an allegory for this story as Diocletian is often referred to in ancient texts as "the dragon". Saint George became recognized as a saint in the 10th Century due to the many miracles attributed to him. He was officially named a Patron Saint by the Pope in the 14th Century but his feast day was removed in 1969.