{"id":3514,"date":"2020-04-23T17:53:02","date_gmt":"2020-04-23T17:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cultureaexperience.com\/?p=3514"},"modified":"2020-04-23T18:46:48","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T18:46:48","slug":"san-jorge-libros-rosas-y-sevilla","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cultureaexperience.com\/en\/blog\/san-jorge-libros-rosas-y-sevilla\/","title":{"rendered":"Saint George, books, roses and Seville."},"content":{"rendered":"

Saint George<\/h2>\n

The end of April brings us the colorful feast day of Saint George, or Sant Jordi, on April 23rd. This saint is the patron saint of Aragon and Catalonia, as well as England. Would you like to learn his story? Stay with us\u2026<\/p>\n

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The story and legend of Saint George<\/h2>\n

The saint is known as a warrior<\/strong> who fought for the expansion of Christianity and whose legend spread during the time of the Crusades.<\/p>\n

This saint, according to the Catholic Encyclopedia, would have suffered in Lydda<\/strong>, also known as Diospolis or Lod, a town in Palestine where there is currently a church dedicated to him.<\/p>\n

The same text states that\u00a0Most of the information known about the character comes from legends.<\/b>, As Father Delehaye, a scholar of the saint, also explains in his work 'Saints Militaires'. However, this does not eliminate the possibility that the stories arose around a historical figure, George of Cappadocia, who is identified as\u00a0a soldier <\/b>who lived in the 3rd century<\/b>.<\/p>\n

In the year 303, when Emperor Diocletian ordered the persecution of Christians, George would have officially declared his religious devotion.\u00a0Martyred for seven days<\/b>, The future saint is said to have achieved the conversion of Empress Alexandra, who joined him in his martyrdom.<\/p>\n

Some legends tell of how he managed to bring a dead man back to life, how he withstood a wizard's potions without dying, and how he was torn to pieces up to three times. Although his remains were burned and buried, on each occasion he supposedly managed to resurrect by the grace of God. However,\u00a0The most well-known story is that of his fight against the dragon<\/b>, which represents him as the victor of Good over Evil.<\/p>\n

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Textile relief of the legend of Saint George.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Saint George and the Dragon<\/h2>\n

This legend was popularized by the 'Golden Legend' or 'Legenda aurea', written by the Archbishop of Genoa, Jacobus de Voragine, around the 13th century. According to this story, the saint saved the king's daughter in Beirut, Lebanon, from the clutches of a dragon to which human sacrifices were offered daily.\u00a0After killing the creature, the locals embraced Christianity.<\/b>.<\/p>\n

History has\u00a0common elements with the legend of Perseus and Andromeda<\/b>. The mythical Greek hero also prevented a princess from being devoured by a monster, and in this case, his reward was to take her as his wife.<\/p>\n

The legend of Saint George and the dragon\u00a0It became popular in Europe during the Middle Ages<\/b>, During the time of the Crusades, its popularity has become so great that it has merged with legends from other parts of Africa or Asia, and often the action takes place not in Beirut, but in other parts of the world.<\/p>\n

Authors such as Father Delehaye have seen in this legend a\u00a0metaphor of the victory of Christianity over paganism<\/b>, identifying the dragon with Satan and the saint with another Christian mythological figure: the archangel Michael.<\/p>\n

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Painting of the rescue of the princess by Saint George.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Spanish celebrations of their day<\/h2>\n

Saint George and Aragon<\/h3>\n

The community of Aragon <\/b>The city celebrates its patron saint through its own legend. The veneration of the saint dates back to the 11th century. In 1096, the Battle of Alcoraz was fought, in which King Peter I of Aragon was trying to wrest Huesca from the Muslims. When the king of Saraquasta (present-day Zaragoza) came to the aid of the king of Huesca, Peter I prayed to heaven for help.<\/p>\n

According to legend, Saint George descended from heaven accompanied by a German crusader knight he had rescued in Antioch after his horse was thrown. Together, they inflicted heavy casualties on the Moorish ranks. This event is said to have sparked the devotion of the Kingdom of Aragon to the warrior saint.<\/p>\n

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San Jorge de Estella after its recent restoration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Saint George and Catalonia<\/h3>\n

April 23rd is also celebrated Saint George's Day in Catalonia<\/strong>, And in the community there is a version of the legend of the dragon that terrorized the town of Montblanc, in Tarragona. From the dragon's blood, a rosebush is said to have sprung forth, whose flowers are an essential element of the Catalan festival.<\/p>\n

The anniversary has been celebrated with great enthusiasm since the 19th century, framed within the political and cultural movement of the Renaixen\u00e7a. Since then, it has been a tradition. give a rose<\/strong> to the loved one on Sant Jordi's Day. This Catalan 'Valentine's Day' It joins forces with the Book Fair<\/strong>, resulting in the delivery of a book along with the aforementioned flower.<\/p>\n

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The rose and the book, typical on Saint George's Day in Catalonia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Saint George in Seville<\/h2>\n

We found mention of the figure of Saint George<\/strong> in the following heritage sites of the Andalusian capital:<\/p>\n