Patron saint of England. The story of St
George rescuing a woman by slaying a dragon,
evidently derived from the Perseus legend,
first appears in the 6th century. The cult of
St George was introduced into W Europe by the
Crusaders. His feast day is 23 Apr. He is
said to have been martyred at Lydda in
Palestine 303, probably under the Roman
emperor Diocletian, but the other elements of
his legend are of doubtful historical
accuracy.