The life of England's patron saint, shrouded in legend, is celebrated each year in the historic town of Salisbury with street theatre, pageantry, dancing, wandering minstrels and ferocious dragons!
The story we know today of Saint George and the Dragon dates from the troubadours of the 14th century. In the story, a dragon is terrorising the villages near Silena, in Libya. Lots are drawn in local villages, and maidens are fed to the dragon to keep the peace. Saint George kills the dragon with a single blow from his lance, and then converts the locals to Christianity.
Salisbury boasts numerous references to St George in and around the city, including The Old George Mall, the George and Dragon pub and Gilbert the Dragon - a flower dragon who comes out in the summer months. Salisbury Cathedral bears a statue of St George with a dragon's head, and he is even depicted in one of the cathedral's stained glass windows.
Salisbury boasts numerous references to St George in and around the city, including The Old George Mall, the George and Dragon pub and Gilbert the Dragon - a flower dragon who comes out in the summer months. Salisbury Cathedral bears a statue of St George with a dragon's head, and he is even depicted in one of the cathedral's stained glass windows.