Saint George is the patron saint of several countries around the world which he never visited [Getty]
A saint, a prophet, a dragon-slayer. Saint George has made his mark on religion, folklore, and as a national symbol.
He is the patron saint of dozens of countries and cities, including England, Ethiopia, and Stockholm but Saint George probably never set foot in any of these places. He is also the patron saint of people suffering from syphilis and other diseases such as leprosy and bubonic plague.
One place he likely did visit, and in fact died in, is Palestine, where he is also patron saint.
This has led many people to claim that the saint, whose cross is increasingly used in far right protests in England, is Palestinian, but is that really true?
Saint George lived in the third century CE, long before modern borders and notions of nation states existed. That means we can’t point to a passport or internationally recognised borders to confidently answer the question of Saint George’s nationality.
To make things even harder, very little is known about the real Saint George, while fantastical myths, including one saying he slayed a dragon, have been written about him for millennia, making it a challenge to separate myth from reality.
Most historians do agree that Saint George was born in Cappadocia, which is in modern day Turkey, and fought in the Roman army. He was born into a Christian family in an era when the Roman Empire often persecuted Christians. Beyond these basic facts, Christian traditions and historians differ.
Many historians believe his mother was born in Lydda in Palestine, which was renamed Lod when it was invaded and taken over by Israel in 1948.
Some people claim that his mother was Syrian, which is also somewhat true, as modern-day Palestine was part of the province of Syria Palestina. Saint George lived long before the borders of the modern Middle East were drawn by colonial powers Britain and France.
As a soldier, it seems that Saint George served in his mother’s hometown Lydda, where he was ultimately executed for his Christian faith. The Church of Saint George in Lydda still contains a sarcophagus believed to be the saint’s tomb.
The traditional understanding of Saint George’s life certainly favours a strong connection to the Roman province of Syria Palestina, and specifically Palestine. As a result, Saint George is venerated by Palestine’s Christian community.
Beyond the Christian tradition, Saint George is linked to the figure of Al-Khidr, particularly in Druze tradition, which views Al-Khidr, John the Baptist, and Saint George as reincarnations of the same soul.
So was Saint George Palestinian? Though sources are murky, and ancient identities were different, Christian tradition typically points to yes, he was Palestinian his mother’s side, as well as Turkish by birth, Roman through his military service, and a Greek speaker.
While Palestinian Christians have a particular connection to Saint George, he is one of the most celebrated saints worldwide, venerated by Christians in Stockholm, Saõ Paolo and Scunthorpe.
