According to Christian tradition, St. George the Great Martyr (St. George) was a Roman soldier. St. George is one of the most celebrated saints in the Orthodox Church, however, it is also celebrated in Catholic countries.
Perpetuated in the story where he kills a dragon he is celebrated in Canada, Catalonia, England, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Montenegro, Portugal, Serbia, Republic of Srpska, as well as in the cities of Istanbul, Ljubljana and Moscow.
He is also the patron saint of professions, organizations and patients.
It is very celebrated with the Serbs and is most commonly referred to as Saint George. Many glorify it as baptismal glory or “slava”. The Slava is a Serbian Orthodox Christian tradition of the ritual glorification of one’s family’s patron saint. The family celebrates the Slava annually on the saint’s feast day. In November 2014 it was inscribed in UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists. The Serbian Orthodox Church celebrates it twice a year. The main feast is Đurđevdan and is celebrated on May 6th according to the Gregorian calendar (April 23rd according to the church), the second being the relict of the relics and the restoration of the Church of St. George – Đurđic, which is celebrated on November 16th (November 3rd according to the church).
On the icon related to St. George, St. George is shown on a horse killing a dragon. The second depiction is of St. George as a soldier with a spear in his hand. By Serbian belief, this kind of show is called Đurđic and it is related to slava Đurđic. Many monasteries are dedicated to him, the most famous being the Monastery of Đurđevi Stupovi. Saint George is revered as the patron saint of many states and cities in Europe.
He is also respected as the patron saint of cavalry, knights and chivalry and crusades. It is celebrated by Greeks, Russians, Bulgarians, Serbs, English, French, Germans, Italians, etc.
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