SPAIN: Barcelona and St George the Dragon Slayer

A guide pointed out that there are a multitude of images of St George the Dragon Slayer throughout Barcelona.

After that, I used my astute skills of observation to start noticing them.

And sure enough, there are!

I’m a story teller so I had to learn the story behind it.

All good stories have some fact, fiction, chivalry, strife, evil and then invariably end with good prevailing. 

So here is the history, the legend and the legacy.

 Historically, George was a Roman soldier living in the late 3rd century. According to early Christian tradition, he refused to renounce his Christian faith and was executed.

This act of defiance made him a martyr and his reputation spread quickly throughout the Christian world. 

The dragon enters the story centuries later, in the medieval version. Dragons represented danger, chaos and power during medieval times. The legend goes that there is a town that is plagued by a dragon that demands human sacrifices. 

When the king’s daughter—the princess—is chosen, George appears. He wounds the dragon and saves the princess.

The princess then leads the wounded dragon back to the city. And then, only after the people agree to convert to Christianity, George slays the dragon.

Legend has it that from the dragon's spilled blood, a rose grows, which George gives to the Princess. The princess is spared, the town is saved, and order is restored. (Ironically, that’s the last we hear of the princess.)

By the 14th and 15th centuries, Sant Jordi was officially recognized as the patron saint of Catalonia. Barcelona, as the region’s capital, embraced him.

His image began appearing not only in churches but in civic spaces.

Sculptures and reliefs of Saint George were placed in government buildings like the Palau de la Generalitat, symbolising that he also stood for justice, protection, and moral authority, not just religious devotion.

 

 Artists used the image of the knight and the subdued beast, carving it into stone, painting it onto tiles, and later shaping it in iron and stained glass.

In the 19th century, during the Catalan cultural revival, Saint George was consciously revived as a symbol of Catalan identity. Architects and artists drew on medieval legends to assert continuity with the past.

It actually became a fun challenge for me to look for the symbolism throughout the city. 

He is still incorporated into current art.

Over time, the story changed. The violent slaying of the dragon became less important and was replaced by the story of the blood that turned into a rose. 

By the early 20th century, April 23 became Sant Jordi’s Day, which coincides with International Book Day. Now it is a public celebration where roses and books are exchanged. 

The original legend about courage has changed into a current one about love and culture, as Saint George went from martyr, to dragon-slayer, to civic protector, to love and learning. 

"The Man, The Myth, The Legend."