Silver Pendant - St George Solid Silver Cross

SAINT GEORGE 'SOLID' SILVER CROSS - The Dragon Slayer

Direct from the Church of St. George in Cairo, Egypt, this stunning handcrafted Solid Silver Cross pays homage to the legendary dragon slayer, Saint George. Meticulously crafted, this beautiful cross features intricate embellishments, symbolising strength, protection, and faith.

The cross is paired with a stylish solid silver chain, complete with a secure lobster clasp. Whether worn as a meaningful accessory or a symbol of devotion, this piece brings a touch of elegance and history to your collection.

Key Features:

• Handcrafted in Egypt: Beautifully made with attention to detail and traditional craftsmanship.
• Solid Silver Cross: Featuring a size of 5.3 cm x 5.3 cm with a thickness of 2 mm, offering a bold yet refined look.
• Stylish Solid Silver Chain: 30 cm drop length, extendable to 60 cm, secured with a reliable lobster clasp.
• Symbol of Saint George: A tribute to the iconic dragon slayer, representing courage, protection, and faith.

Specifications:

• Total Silver Weight: 36.4 g
   

FREE Worldwide Delivery with secure packaging and insurance, ensuring your cross arrives safely.

Note: The image features two crosses to illustrate the difference in sizes. To view the smaller version, simply type “St George” in the search box at the top left corner of the page.

Legend: The Saint George and the Dragon legend describe the saint taming and slaying a dragon that demanded human sacrifices; the saint thereby rescues the princess chosen as the next offering. Only a kernel of the legend occurs in the ancient hagiography of Saint George dating to the 7th century or earlier. Here, a monarch referred to as "dragon of the abyss" persecutes the saint. The dragon-slaying may have been transferred from the legend attached to St. Theodore.

The earliest known narrative of the full dragon episode is an 11th-century Georgian text - "Iconographical" artistic depictions that match the story in its important elements occur in the contemporaneous period in Georgia, corroborating the legend's possible origin there. The dragon-slaying St. George (without the princess) existed much earlier. From its Eastern origins, it was introduced into Western Christian tradition, possibly by the Crusades. The earliest Latin text may be of the late 12th century, but the story was not popularized until the mid-13th century when the legend in appeared in Speculum Historiale and the Golden Legend, and thereafter became a favourite literary and pictorial subject in the Late Middle Ages. The legend has become part of the Christian traditions relating to Saint George.

Commonly known version: in the well-known version from Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea (The Golden Legend, 1260s), the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place somewhere he called "Silene", in Libya. Silene in Libya was plagued by a venom-spewing dragon dwelling in a nearby pond, poisoning the countryside. To prevent it from affecting the city itself, the people offered it two sheep daily, then a man and a sheep, and finally their children and youths, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king's daughter.

The king offered all his gold and silver to have his daughter spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon. Saint George by chance arrived at the spot. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the pond while they were conversing. Saint George made the Sign of the Cross and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle (zona), and he put it around the dragon's neck. When she did so, the dragon followed the girl like a "meek beast" on a leash.

The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the populace. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptized. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity. George then killed the dragon, beheading it with his sword, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. The king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George on the site where the dragon died and a spring flowed from its altar with water that cured all disease.

Variants - In the tenth-century Georgian narrative, the place is the city of Lasia, and the idolatrous emperor who rules the city is called Selinus. The Greek text gives Lasia (Λασία) and the king is named Selbios (Σέλβιος). Only the Latin version involves the saint striking the dragon with the spear, before killing it with the sword.

Iconography - featured in the photos above is (Horus) on horseback spearing a crocodile (Set). Egypt. 4th century. Iconography of the horseman with spear overcoming evil was widespread throughout the Christian period. In Pharaonic mythology, the god Setekh murdered his brother Osiris. Horus, the son of Osiris, avenged his father's death by killing Setekh (Set). French researchers at the Louvre interpret a fourth century AD Coptic stone fenestrella of mounted hawk-headed figure fighting a crocodile, as Horus killing a metamorphosed Setekh, and they have considered this scene ancestral to later iconography of George killing a dragon.