Fun Facts About Sant Jordi, Catalunya's Patron Saint

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Impress your friends with these facts about Catalunya's patron saint.

Was He Really a Knight?

  • Sant Jordi (Saint George in English) was not a knight, but a roman soldier. He is said to have died a martyr's death on April 23rd in about 303 CE. His tomb is in the city of Lydda, Palestine (now Lod in Israel) in a church that bears his name.

What’s the Story with the Dragon?

  • The story of Sant Jordi and the dragon post-dates the real Jordi by several centuries. It comes from Jacob de Voragine’s Legenda aurea (1265–66) and takes place not in Europe, but in Silene—modern day Libya.
  • It is thought that Jordi's slaying of the dragon may be a Christian version of the legend of Perseus, who was said to have rescued Andromeda, the beautiful daughter of King Cepheus and Queen Cassiope of Joppa, from a sea monster near Lydda.

Sant Jordi, Patron Saint Of...

  • Sant Jordi is considered the patron of knights, soldiers, scouts, fencers and archers; he is also invoked against the plague, leprosy and venomous snakes. 
  • In Roman Catholicism, Sant Jordi is venerated as one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, a group of saints venerated together by Catholics because their intercession is believed to be particularly effective, especially against disease. 
  • In addition to being the patron saint of Catlaunya, Sant Jordi is also the patron saint of Aragon, England, Ethiopia, Georgia and Palestine as well as numerous cities.
  • Sant Jordi was named the patron of Catalunya by the Generalitat in 1456, although he had been venerated here from the eighth century.
  • The earliest record of the celebration of a rose fair on the day of Sant Jordi at the Palau de la Generalitat dates to the 15th century.

Where Do the Books Come In?

  • First celebrated in Spain in 1926 on October 7th (Cervantes' birthday), Spain's Día del Libro was moved in 1930 to April 23rd to commemorate Cervantes' and Shakespeare's death on that date. As it coincided with the Diada de Sant Jordi in honor of Catalunya's patron saint, Día del Libro merged with the original festivity where today it is also referred to as The Day of Books and Roses. 
  • In 1995, April 23rd was declared the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day to promote reading, publishing and copyright.

There are so many ways to celebrate Sant Jordi in Barcelona! Check out our article What to Do for Sant Jordi’s Day for a list of the activities and an interactive map of open houses on offer in celebration of this beloved Catalan holiday.

Catalunya’s Version of the Sant Jordi Legend

Sant Jordi was a Roman soldier in the third century CE, who was eventually killed for speaking out against the persecution of his fellow Christians. He has been adopted as the patron saint in many countries, regions and cities, which each give their own spin to his story. In England, his appearance at key moments of some of the Crusades in the Middle Ages sparked his original popularity there, whereas it was in Eastern Orthodox portrayals of the man that dragons and maidens are thought to have originated. There is also the work, The Golden Legend, a 13th-century collection of saints’ lives, which set a story of George and the dragon in Libya. Here in Catalunya, both Jordi’s role in helping embattled soldiers and his legendary dragon-slaying have found their place in local tales. The story of a town besieged by a fearsome dragon that has to keep the creature’s threats at bay by sacrificing its own inhabitants (eventually ending up with the daughter of the king, which is the moment that Jordi steps up to the plate) is, according to the Catalan version of events, not set across the Mediterranean but rather took place in the country town of Montblanc. Nowadays, the town makes the most of its famous association with Sant Jordi with a special medieval fair each April.

What Your Rose Says About You

  • Red: romance, true love and admiration
  • Yellow: friendship, joy
  • White: purity, innocence and virtue
  • Orange: passion, desire
  • Deep pink: gratitude, affection and admiration
  • Pale pink: grace and gentleness, admiration and happiness
  • Blue: mystery
  • Purple: enchantment and wonder
  • Green: growth and renewal