Icon of St. George the Victorious: a story, what it means and what helps

In the Orthodox world there are many miraculous icons, among which is the icon of St. George the Victorious. She is   Is a kind of shield that protects every house. St. George is the patron of the army. In addition, he is considered the patron of livestock and farming. Prayer before his image helps those who carry military service, as well as those who are already in stock. St. George protects their families. Also before the icon pray for those who go to the emergency service, about that the young guy passed the big difficulties and other troubles. St. George prayed in the countryside about the good harvest, about protection of livestock from diseases, about protection against natural disasters.

Life of St. Great Martyr George

George was born in a Palestinian town called Lidda. His parents had a good income. Father, preaching Christianity, was killed for the faith, and the mother, in order to save her life and the life of the unborn child, fled to Syrian Palestine. From early childhood George differed from his peers by force. Then he served in the Emperor Diocletian, who was considered a good ruler, except that he was an adherent of paganism. The result was the persecution of Christians. This fate of Saint George did not pass. After seven days of torture, bullying and violence, his head was cut off.

Icon of St. George: description

On the icons he is depicted sitting on a white horse and killing a snake, symbolizing victory over the devil. Less commonly, one can find an icon on which St. George is depicted in a chiton and cloak holding a cross. There is also the image of George sitting on the throne with the angel laying down a martyr's crown. The image of this saint can be seen on the flags of Moscow and the Moscow region, he marks the memory of Yuri Dolgoruk, who is the patron and defender of this region.

To date, the miraculous icon of St. George is lost. According to an old description of the manuscripts of 1649 belonging to the Maiden's Maiden Monastery, its size was 5 arshins in height, and 15 versts wide. The image of George is fringed with silver, and the crown is gilded. The casket is carved, gilded. It contains three gilded stones the size of nine cents. The candle is mounted on a stand, which is framed from below by an icon. St. George the Victorious is crowned with a crown of rhinestones. He is wearing a belt of amethysts, and on the spear a cross of rhinestones. It is believed that the candle, installed before the icon, burned itself before the invasion of the Tatars. In the Vladychny monastery is now kept a modern copy, which since 2000 periodically myrrh.

"Miracle of St. George of the Dragon"

The icon of St. George the Victorious represents Saint in various images. As already mentioned above, the most common is the image on a horse with a spear, where he kills a snake. He is preceded by the following legend, according to which the action took place many years after the death of George. In the lake with drinking water, not far from Beirut, a terrible snake settled. So that the inhabitants could calmly recruit water, every month a young girl or boy was given to a snake to be eaten. This continued until the whole village was left with only one girl - the daughter of the ruler. When the girl stood and cried on the shore of the lake, St. George unexpectedly appeared before her, who killed this snake.

The meaning, which embodied the icon of St. George the Victorious, is extremely clear and symbolic: how the Saint defeated the serpent, and the Christian Church with the help of numerous miracles and all-consuming love for one's neighbor put an end to the centuries-old terror of paganism.