Product Description

Who was St George and how did he become patron saint not only of England but in many European countries? In this richly illustrated book, Samantha Riches explores the extraordinary wealth of myths and legends, art and inspiration that has grown up around this obscure fourth-century Christian martyr. The art of medieval and renaissance Europe bear eloquent testimony to the power of St George to inspire chivalry as a warrior-saint who could bear comparison with St Michael. All of this inspiration is captured by Samantha Riches, who has a unique wealth of knowledge of this fascinating legend. Beside his English role, George had a widespread following in medieval Europe and in Russia, where 'St George for Russia' was the battle-cry of the Czars. In his role as Christian hero and martyr, George was a symbol of chastity and fertility and his cult stressed the chivalric ideal. Using historical, art-historical and literary evidence Samantha Riches creates a vivid and compelling narrative, paying full attention to the image of St George and the dragon and its development as the most significant aspect of the legend and cult of St George. The complex medieval psychology revealed by a full study of the dragon motif reveals some astonishing results, including the presence of several female dragons. The book ends with a study of the post-medieval representation of St George and a reappraisal of the use of his image in patriotic and jingoistic contexts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #636132 in Books
• Published on: 2005-03-24
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

About the Author
Dr Sam Riches, Teaching Fellow at the School of Art History, of St Andrews, is a historian and art-historian who has made a special study of quasi-historical saints. She is a noted authority on St George and on the iconography of the dragon, of which she has made a radical reappraisal.

Customer Reviews

Excellent, reader friendly and vastly informative.
This is a book I would highly recommend. Samantha Riches writes in an accessable style that keeps the reader turning the page. The huge, colourful amount of illustrations makes this book stand out from the crowd and at least for me, shed new light on a subject that I had formerlly dismissed as a rather straight-forward English Saint story. Reading this book will teach you that this is far from the case and he is a character regarded highly throughout 17 centuries in many different countries. This is for me the most interesting book I have read in a long while and if i was given unlimited space I could write about it's merits possibly for hours!