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Easter
St. George, Martyr
Also called: Patron of England, Georgia, and many other nations
April 23 (fixed)
AnglicanCatholicEastern Orthodox
St George — the soldier saint who slayed a dragon in legend — is patron saint of England, Georgia, Ethiopia, and many other places. His feast on 23 April is England's national day, with flags, morris dancing, and church services, though it is not a bank holiday.
The red cross on England's flag is St George's Cross. Eden lists UK pilgrimage routes including St George's Way and Celtic Christian trails.
At a glance
- Type
- national feast
- Date type
- Fixed (same date every year)
- Regions
- Global
- Themes
- Saints & Martyrs
- Liturgical colour
- Red
Common questions
St. George, Martyr is observed on April 23 (fixed). Moveable feasts shift each year; fixed feasts stay on the same calendar date.
The feast of St. George (c. 280–303 AD), Patron Saint of England, Georgia, Ethiopia, Portugal, Catalonia, and many other nations, believed to have been a Roman soldier martyred under Emperor Diocletian. The dragon-slaying legend is a later medieval allegory (George's faith conquering evil). St. George's Day (April 23) is England's national day, observed with red-cross flag displays, special servic
It is associated with Anglican, Catholic, Eastern Orthodox. It falls in the Easter season of the liturgical year.