In the Christian religion, George the Victorious is a symbol of justice and courage. There are many legends describing his many deeds for the sake of the people. Prayer addressed to the Victorious is considered a strong protection from troubles and an assistant in various problems.

How does Saint George help?

The victorious is the personification of male power, therefore he is considered the patron saint of all military personnel, but other people also pray to him.

  1. Men who are at war ask for protection from injury and victory over the enemy. In ancient times, before each campaign, all the soldiers gathered in the temple and read a prayer.
  2. The saint helps people save livestock from various misfortunes.
  3. They turn to him before long trips or business trips, so that the road is easy and without any trouble.
  4. It is believed that Saint George can overcome any disease and witchcraft. You can pray to him to protect your home from thieves, enemies and other problems.

Life of St. George the Victorious

George was born into a rich and noble family, and when the boy grew up, he decided to become a warrior, and he showed himself exemplary and courageous. In battles, he showed his determination and considerable intelligence. After the death of his parents, he received a rich inheritance, but decided to give it to the poor. The life of St. George took place at a time when Christianity was not recognized and was persecuted by the emperor. The victorious believed in the Lord and could not betray him, so he began to defend Christianity.

The emperor did not like this decision, and he ordered to subject him to torment. Saint George was thrown into prison and tortured: they beat him with whips, put him on nails, used quicklime, and so on. He endured everything steadfastly and did not give up on God. Every day he was miraculously healed, calling for help from Jesus Christ. This only angered the emperor even more, and he ordered the head of the Victorious to be cut off. It happened in 303.

George was canonized as a great martyr who suffered for the Christian faith. The Victorious received his nickname for the fact that during the torture he showed invincible faith. Many of the saint's miracles are posthumous. George is one of the main saints of Georgia, where he is considered the heavenly protector. In ancient times, this country was called Georgia.


Icon of St. George the Victorious - meaning

There are several images of the saint, but the most famous is where he is on horseback. Often the icons also depict a snake, which is associated with paganism, and George symbolizes the Church. There is also an icon on which the Victorious is written by a warrior in a cloak over a tunic, and in his hand he has a cross. As for the appearance, they represent him as young men with curly hair. The image of St. George is usually perceived as a protection from various evils, so it is often used by warriors.

Legend of Saint George

In many paintings, the Victorious is shown fighting with a snake, and this is the plot of the legend "The Miracle of St. George about the Serpent." It tells that a snake wound up in a swamp near the city of Lasia, which attacked the local population. People decided to rebel so that the governor could somehow deal with this problem. He decided to pay off the snake by giving him his daughter. At this time, George was passing by and he could not allow the death of the girl, so he fought with the snake and killed him. The feat of St. George the Victorious was marked by the construction of a temple, and the people of this area converted to Christianity.

Prayer to St. George the Victorious for victory

There are some rules for reading prayer texts that should be considered in order to get what you want.

  1. Prayer to St. George the Victorious should come from a pure heart and be pronounced with great faith in a positive result.
  2. If a person will pray at home, then you must first acquire the image of a saint and three. It is also recommended to take holy water.
  3. Light candles in front of the image, place a jug of holy water next to it.
  4. Looking at the flame, imagine how the desired becomes a reality.
  5. After this, a prayer is read to St. George, and then, it is necessary to cross yourself and drink holy water.

The Great Martyr George was the son of rich and pious parents who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in ancient times - Berit), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.
Having entered the military service, the Great Martyr George stood out among other soldiers with his mind, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Having soon reached the rank of commander, Saint George became the favorite of the emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical follower of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of Christians.
Having once heard an inhuman verdict on the extermination of Christians at the trial, Saint George was inflamed with compassion for them. Foreseeing that he, too, would suffer, George distributed his property to the poor, set his slaves free, appeared to Diocletian and, declaring himself a Christian, denounced him of cruelty and injustice. George's speech was full of strong and convincing objections to the imperial order to persecute Christians.
After futile persuasion to renounce Christ, the emperor ordered the saint to be subjected to various torments. Saint George was imprisoned, where he was laid on his back on the ground, his feet were put in stocks, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest. But Saint George courageously endured suffering and glorified the Lord. Then the tormentors of George began to excel in cruelty. They beat the saint with ox sinews, wheeled him, threw him into quicklime, forced him to run in boots with sharp nails inside. The holy martyr endured everything patiently. In the end, the emperor ordered that the head of the saint be cut off with a sword. So the holy sufferer went to Christ in Nicomedia in the year 303.
Great Martyr George for courage and for the spiritual victory over the tormentors who could not force him to renounce Christianity, as well as for miraculous help to people in danger - is also called the Victorious. The relics of St. George the Victorious were laid in the Palestinian city of Lydda, in a temple that bears his name, while his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.
On the icons, the Great Martyr George is depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a serpent with a spear. This image is based on tradition and refers to the posthumous miracles of the Holy Great Martyr George. They say that not far from the place where St. George was born in the city of Beirut, a snake lived in the lake, which often devoured the people of that area.
The superstitious inhabitants of that area, in order to quench the fury of the serpent, began regularly by lot to give him a young man or a girl to be eaten. Once the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that area. She was taken to the shore of the lake and tied, where she waited in horror for the appearance of a snake.
When the beast began to approach her, a bright young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, who struck the snake with a spear and saved the girl. This young man was the holy Great Martyr George. With such a miraculous phenomenon, he stopped the destruction of young men and women within the boundaries of Beirut and converted to Christ the inhabitants of that country, who had previously been pagans.
It can be assumed that the appearance of St. George on a horse to protect the inhabitants from a snake, as well as the miraculous revival of a farmer’s only ox described in his life, served as a reason for the veneration of St. George as the patron of cattle breeding and a protector from predatory animals.
In pre-revolutionary times, on the day of memory of St. George the Victorious, the inhabitants of Russian villages for the first time after a cold winter drove their cattle to pasture, performing a prayer service to the holy great martyr with sprinkling houses and animals with holy water. The day of the Great Martyr George is also popularly called “St. George's Day,” on this day, until the reign of Boris Godunov, peasants could move to another landowner.
Great Martyr George is the patron saint of the Christ-loving army. The image of George the Victorious on a horse symbolizes the victory over the devil - the "ancient serpent" (Rev. 12:3, 20:2). His image was included in the ancient coat of arms of the city of Moscow.

The Great Martyr George was the son of rich and pious parents who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in ancient times - Belit), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.

Having entered the military service, the Great Martyr George stood out among other soldiers with his mind, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Having soon reached the rank of commander, St. George became the favorite of Emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical follower of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of Christians.

Having once heard an inhuman verdict on the extermination of Christians at the trial, St. George was inflamed with compassion for them. Foreseeing that he, too, would suffer suffering, George distributed his property to the poor, set his slaves free, appeared to Diocletian and, declaring himself a Christian, denounced him of cruelty and injustice. Speech of St. George was full of strong and convincing objections to the imperial order to persecute Christians.

After futile persuasion to renounce Christ, the emperor ordered the saint to be subjected to various torments. St. George was imprisoned, where they laid him on his back on the ground, put his feet in stocks, and placed a heavy stone on his chest. But St. George courageously endured suffering and glorified the Lord. Then the tormentors of George began to excel in cruelty. They beat the saint with ox sinews, wheeled him, threw him into quicklime, forced him to run in boots with sharp nails inside. The holy martyr endured everything patiently. In the end, the emperor ordered that the head of the saint be cut off with a sword. Thus the holy sufferer departed to Christ in Nicomedia in the year 303.

Great Martyr George for courage and for the spiritual victory over the tormentors who could not force him to renounce Christianity, as well as for miraculous help to people in danger - is also called the Victorious. The relics of St. George the Victorious were laid in the Palestinian city of Lida, in the temple that bears his name, while his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.

On the icons of St. George is depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a serpent with a spear. This image is based on tradition and refers to the posthumous miracles of the Holy Great Martyr George. They say that not far from the place where St. George in the city of Beirut, a snake lived in the lake, which often devoured the people of that area. What kind of animal it was - a boa constrictor, a crocodile or a large lizard - is unknown.

The superstitious people of that area, in order to quench the fury of the serpent, began regularly by lot to give him a young man or a girl to be eaten. Once the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that area. She was taken to the shore of the lake and tied, where she waited in horror for the appearance of a snake.

When the beast began to approach her, a bright young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, who struck the snake with a spear and saved the girl. This young man was the holy Great Martyr George. With such a miraculous phenomenon, he stopped the destruction of young men and women within the boundaries of Beirut and converted to Christ the inhabitants of that country, who had previously been pagans.

It can be assumed that the appearance of St. George on a horse to protect the inhabitants from a snake, as well as the miraculous revival of a farmer’s only ox described in his life, served as a reason for the veneration of St. George as the patron of cattle breeding and a protector from predatory animals.

In pre-revolutionary times, on the day of memory of St. George the Victorious, the inhabitants of Russian villages for the first time after a cold winter drove their cattle to pasture, performing a prayer service to the holy great martyr with sprinkling houses and animals with holy water. The day of the Great Martyr George is also popularly called "St. George's Day", on this day, until the reign of Boris Godunov, peasants could move to another landowner.

St. George is the patron saint of the army. The image of George the Victorious on a horse symbolizes the victory over the devil - the "ancient serpent" (Rev. 12, 3; 20, 2). This image was included in the ancient coat of arms of the city of Moscow.

On May 6 (April 23, old style), the Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious, born in the Lebanese mountains.

Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious: history

The Great Martyr George was the son of rich and pious parents who raised him in the Christian faith. He was born in the city of Beirut (in ancient times - Berit), at the foot of the Lebanese mountains.

Having entered the military service, the Great Martyr George stood out among other soldiers with his mind, courage, physical strength, military posture and beauty. Having soon reached the rank of commander, Saint George became the favorite of the emperor Diocletian. Diocletian was a talented ruler, but a fanatical follower of the Roman gods. Having set himself the goal of reviving the dying paganism in the Roman Empire, he went down in history as one of the most cruel persecutors of Christians.

Having once heard an inhuman verdict on the extermination of Christians at the trial, Saint George was inflamed with compassion for them. Foreseeing that he, too, would suffer, George distributed his property to the poor, set his slaves free, appeared to Diocletian and, declaring himself a Christian, denounced him of cruelty and injustice. George's speech was full of strong and convincing objections to the imperial order to persecute Christians.

After futile persuasion to renounce Christ, the emperor ordered the saint to be subjected to various torments. Saint George was imprisoned, where he was laid on his back on the ground, his feet were put in stocks, and a heavy stone was placed on his chest. But Saint George courageously endured suffering and glorified the Lord. Then the tormentors of George began to excel in cruelty. They beat the saint with ox sinews, wheeled him, threw him into quicklime, forced him to run in boots with sharp nails inside. The holy martyr endured everything patiently. In the end, the emperor ordered that the head of the saint be cut off with a sword. So the holy sufferer went to Christ in Nicomedia in the year 303.

Great Martyr George for courage and for spiritual victory over the tormentors who could not force him to renounce Christianity, as well as for miraculous help to people in danger - is also called the Victorious. The relics of St. George the Victorious were laid in the Palestinian city of Lydda, in a temple that bears his name, while his head was kept in Rome in a temple also dedicated to him.

On the icons, the Great Martyr George is depicted sitting on a white horse and striking a serpent with a spear. This image is based on tradition and refers to the posthumous miracles of the Holy Great Martyr George. They say that not far from the place where St. George was born in the city of Beirut, a snake lived in the lake, which often devoured the people of that area. What kind of animal it was - a boa constrictor, a crocodile or a large lizard - is unknown.

The superstitious inhabitants of that area, in order to quench the fury of the serpent, began regularly by lot to give him a young man or a girl to be eaten. Once the lot fell on the daughter of the ruler of that area. She was taken to the shore of the lake and tied, where she waited in horror for the appearance of a snake.

When the beast began to approach her, a bright young man suddenly appeared on a white horse, who struck the snake with a spear and saved the girl. This young man was the holy Great Martyr George. With such a miraculous phenomenon, he stopped the destruction of young men and women within the boundaries of Beirut and converted to Christ the inhabitants of that country, who had previously been pagans.

It can be assumed that the appearance of St. George on a horse to protect the inhabitants from a snake, as well as the miraculous revival of a farmer’s only ox described in his life, served as a reason for the veneration of St. George as the patron of cattle breeding and a protector from predatory animals.

In pre-revolutionary times, on the day of memory of St. George the Victorious, the inhabitants of Russian villages for the first time after a cold winter drove their cattle to pasture, performing a prayer service to the holy great martyr with sprinkling houses and animals with holy water. The day of the Great Martyr George is also popularly called “St. George's Day,” on this day, until the reign of Boris Godunov, peasants could move to another landowner.

The Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious is the patron saint of the army. The image of George the Victorious on a horse symbolizes the victory over the devil - the “ancient serpent” (Rev. 12:3, 20:2), this image was included in the ancient coat of arms of the city of Moscow.

Troparion to the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious

Troparion: Like a captive liberator and a protector of the poor, a weak doctor, champion of kings, victorious Great Martyr George, pray to Christ God that our souls be saved.

Life of Great Martyr George the Victorious

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How to be-di-tel in the spirit of the bra-no name-well-yet-sya Po-be-to-nos-tsem. Later, this epithet was re-re-os-mys-len in connection with the beating of St. George the Victorious over the snake (compare the plot of the legend “Wonder about the snake” ).

Especially in-chi-ta-ni-em George the Victorious about-words-le-but-whether there are more-sho-th-la va-ri-an-tov of his life - “Mu-che -no-che-st-va ”, races-pa-da-yu-shchi-sya into the main 2 groups: ka-no-no-che-sky and apok-ri-fi-che-sky. The text of the apo-critical “Mu-che-ni-che-st-va” is preserved in 6 re-dak-qi-yah, sis-te-ma-ti-zi-ro-van- nykh K. Krum-bahe-rum. According to the apok-ri-fichkim zhi-ti-yam, George the Victorious pre-ter-sang mu-che-niya under the legendary Persian tsar Da-dia-ne (Da-kia- no, Da-tia-no) in the city of Lid-da (Di-os-po-le Pa-le-stin-skom). When re-re-ho-de from the early-ne- to the middle-byzantine era, a series of su-sche-st- veins from me-not-ny: the Persian king Da-di-an turned into the Roman emperor Di-ok-le-tia-na, Lid-da for-me-not-na on Ni-ko -mi-dyu. According to the Middle Byzantine hagio-graphic tradition, George the Victorious was born in Cap-pa-do-kii in the family of christi-an-ki Po-li -chro-nii and language-no-ka Geron-tiya, so-qi-al-noe pro-is-ho-zh-de-nie-ko-ro-go vari-and-ru-et-sya in different life re-dak-qi-yah from the Persian warrior to se-na-to-ra-stra-ti-la-ta from Se-va-sto-po-li-sa Ar -myang-sko-go (in the northern part of Lesser Asia). At a young age, George the Victorious entered the military service in the Roman army and retired from the war with the Persians (296-297) ; later it became three-boo-nom and co-mi-tom. Under the emperor Di-ok-le-tia-ne, when they started going-not-niya to hri-sti-an, George the Victorious, vi-di-mo, os-ta-vil service-bu, gave them to the poor and appeared at the imperial council in Ni-ko-mi-dia, where niya im-pe-ra-to-ra. Further history of St. George the Victorious, own-st-ven-but is-to-riya of his witness-de-tel-st-va and suffering for Christ, co-der- there are three plot blocks: the first torture and the key to prison - miraculous salvation and the healing of the holy go according to the will of God; about-whether-th-th-languages-che-st-va under the emperor sacrifice-in-with-but-she-nii, asser-tion of relatives and near-wives-of-them-pe-ra- then-ra, new tortures - miraculous spa-se-nie and healing of the saint; ug-in-ry from them-pe-ra-to-ra brought sacrifices to the pagan gods, resurrection by the will of God-she-not-something dead -she-go as before-ka-for-tel-st-vo is-tin-no-sti of hri-sti-en-sky faith, co-de-yan-noe ra-di of the holy, in-shame-le-ni-im-pe-ra-to-ra, after-her-key-che-in-prison, nis-pro-verification of the saints of the pagan gods , mu-che-no-che-kon-chi-on the holy-tho (from-se-che-go-lo-you by order of them-pe-ra-to-ra).

On the right-in-glorious Vos-to-ke, the cult of St. George the Victorious for-swi-de-tel-st-vo-van since the 4th century. In addition to the main center for the chi-ta-niya of the saint in the city of Lid-da, the churches of St. -dah Pa-le-sti-ny, Kap-pa-do-kii, in other areas of Asia Minor, in Georgia, on the Pe-lo-pon-nes peninsula, in Con-stan- ti-no-po-le, as well as in christ-an-sky Egypt. In the South Slavic lands (Bolgaria, Ma-ke-do-nia, Serbia), the cult of St. George the Victorious was established under the not-medium-old Byzantine influence-no-eat; in the 1st half of the 11th century, he also approved in Ki-ev-skaya Rus-si bla-go-da-rya deed-tel-no-sti of Prince Yaro-slav-va Vla -di-mi-ro-vi-cha Mud-ro-go. At the same time, since the 11th century, in the South Slavic lands and in Kievan Rus, the cult of the saint, as pra-vi-lo, bu-du-chi as-so- tsii-ro-van-nym with the princely, royal or ro-ro-left-authority, not-break-break-but connected with the mill-nov-le-ni-go -su-darst-ven-no-sti, co-bi-ra-ni-em and for-shchi-that lands, be-doy in clan-new and di-na-stic inter-do -uso-bi-tsakh (compare, direction, Ne-ma-ni-chi). In the 4th-6th centuries, the cult of the holy race-pro-country-nya-is-sya and in the Latin Za-pa-de, where already at the end of the 6th century Gri-go-ri-em Tur-sky and Ve- on-chi-em For-tu-on-tom (who died around 600) would we create the first literary pro-from-ve-de-nia according to mo-ti-you life- Togo. In the 12th - early 8th centuries, from Arab-bov-hri-sti-an in-chi-ta-nie of St. ma-nam; at the beginning of the 8th century, the life of the saint - one of the main non-ko-ra-nic fi-gur - was-lo re-re-ve-de-no into Arabic and in apok-ri- physical edition included in the “Is-to-riyu pro-ro-kov and kings” at-Ta-ba-ri (died in 923). According to him, Jird-jis, not-one-but-times-but under-performed-gav-shey-sya torture-cams and executions on the orders of Tsar Mo-su-la , but every time he returned to life according to the will of Al-la-ha, he was one of the disciples of the apostles of Isa (Ii-su- sa). In the Middle Vos-to-ke, Saint Ge-or-giy is not-rarely as-so-ci-ru-et-sya and from-wait-st-in-la-et-sya so with al -Ha-drom - one of the 4 immortals (along with Isa-Ii-su-som, Il-ya-som-Eliya pro-ro-com and Id-ri-som, ot -wait-st-in-lyay-mym with the bible pro-ro-com Eno-hom). In the Byzantine hagio-graphic tradition to St. George the Victorious, a sacred but significant number of tales, among some of the most -Vest-ny “Chu-do about the snake”, “Chu-do about the co-lon-not the widow”, “Chu-do about the ob-ra-sche-nii sa-ra-qi-na”, etc. Pa-my-ty day - April 23 (May 6).

The iconography of St. George the Victorious in the main variants developed by the 6th century. He is portrayed as young, with short-ki-mi wind-shi-mi-sya in-lo-sa-mi, sometimes in a long hi-to-not and raincoat, like mu-che-ni-ka (en-kau-sti-che-sky icon-on “Bo-go-mother on the pre-hundred-le, with ar-khan-ge-la-mi and standing-schi -mi saints Theo-do-rum and Ge-or-gi-em ”, VI century, the monastery of Saint Eka-te-ri-ny on Sin-nai), sometimes - in a ko-mouth tu-ni-ke, dos-pe-hah and raincoat, like warriors-on (fres-ska on the table-pe of the Northern Church in Bau-te, Egypt). In the first case, its icon-no-graphic at-ri-bu-ta-mi is a cross or a palm branch, in the second - a ko-pyo, a sword, a shield , later known. The life cycles of St. George the Victorious, appearing in the mi-nia-ty-rahs of the Byzantine mi-no-lo-gi-ev in the 11th century, in a lu-chi-li know -chitative dis-pro-country in mo-nu-men-tal-noy zhi-vo-pi-si (fres-ski Ge-or-gi-ev-sko-go with-de-la So- fiy-so-so-bo-ra in Kiev, 1040s) and in iko-no-pi-si (icon of “St. max”, XIII century, the monastery of St. Eka-te-ri-ny on Sinai). Since the 12th century, we have known the image of the marriage of St. George the Victorious sitting on the throne-not-pre-hundred-le and you-no-may-shimming a sword from but-wives (reli-ef from co-bo-ra of St. Mark, Ve-net-tion), as well as St. George the Victorious - rider-no-ka, ska-chu-shche-go on a ko-ne (sometimes with a spa-sen- nym from-ro-com) or in-ra-zhayu-go-go-dra-ko-na. In the is-kus-st-ve of the Byzantine circle of the holy ob-la-chen in the conditional anti-tic dos-pe-khi; chu-do-vi-shche has the appearance of as-pi-yes with two la-pa-mi and a serpent to-lo-vi-sch. The last plot, which is better in the Russian tradition, is called the “Chu-do Ge-or-gy about the snake”, the use of keys-tel-noy in a popular way in the art of Asia Minor, Rus-si and Western Europe. Kom-po-zi-qi-on-naya scheme used-pol-zo-va-las almost without iz-me-no-ny up to our days (a rare example of re-re -com-on-new-ki - with a tsa-rev-noy on the first plan - on a car-ti-ne Ya Tin-to-ret-to, about 1560, National gallery, London). In the Western European painting of St. George the Victorious, it is usually depicted in knight-royal la-tah, fighting with the monster dra-ko-nom: “The battle of St. Ge-or-gy with the dra-ko-nom” by P. Uch-chel-lo (circa 1470, National Gallery, London-don), a cycle of car- tin V. Car-pach-cho for Scuo la San Jorge-jo-de-gli-Schia-vo-not in Ve-ne-tion (1502-1507), “The Battle of St. Geor- gia with a dragon" by Ra-fa-el (1505-1506, National Gallery of Arts, Washington), "St. shchy dra-ko-on "P.P. Ruben-sa (1606-1607, Pra-do, Mad-rid), "The battle of St. George with the dragon" G. Mo-ro (1889-1890, National Gallery, London-don).

In the sculpt-tu-re, there are growing-up reli-e-fs and statues of Ge-orgy-warriors (a relict wooden icon from the church St. George in Omor-fok-li-sya, Kas-to-ria, XIII century; statues of Do-na-tel-lo in the church of Or-san-mi-ke-le, Floren- tion, etc.), re-same - Ge-or-gy-sad-ni-ka (statues from the Spas-sky gates of the Moscow Kremlin, 1464, fragments-men-you - in the museum -yakh of the Moscow Kremlin, State Tretyakov Gallery, etc.). In a small pla-sti-ke of St. George the Victorious, they were depicted on on-tel-nyh images, crosses, mo-not-tah, pe-cha-tyah, etc.