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Saint George statue can be seen in
numerous countries since the saint is venerated both by the
Orthodox religion and the Oriental Orthodox one. Saint George is
the patron saint of more than 13 countries and 7 cities. In
Egypt the Saint George statue is a part of the church-nunnery
that bears his name, situated in the Coptic Cairo. The name
George has its origins in the Greek word Georgios: geo (meaning
“earth”) and ergon (meaning “work”). Saint George was born in
275 AD (or 281 AD) in Nicomedia – Bithynia and died in Lydda –
Palestine, on April 23, 303. The date of his death is the date
of his annually celebration. The dates present Saint George as a
soldier in the Roman Empire, from Anatolia, the actual England.
When Emperor Galerius started a persecution against the
Christians, George received the order to fight against Christian
people but instead of doing that, he admitted that he was a
Christian too and he refused to comply the order. George was
tortured in many ways (he was even ripped on a wheel with
swords) but he didn’t give up his faith. He was decapitated at
the city wall of Nicomedia and he was brought in Lydda and since
then the Christians venerate him as a martyr. In all the icons,
frescos, mosaics and statues, Saint George is portrayed wearing
the armor of a Roman soldier, riding a white horse and fighting
with a dragon. The dragon has various symbols; in Sweden, for
example, the dragon from the Saint George picture represents the
invading army. In the Saint George church from Cairo – Egypt,
the statue of the Saint can be seen by visitors if they climb
the stairs that get to the tower on which the statue is carved. |
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