It was the last third of the restless XVIII century. Catherine II rules the Russian Empire for the eighth year. Russia's successful military campaigns on land and at sea are forcing Europe to add respect in relations with this boundless eastern country, which is gaining strength. Paying tribute to the Russian military glory and wishing at the same time to increase her influence on the army, the “All-Russian Empress and Autocrat” establishes a new military order in 1769.
“Like the Russian Empire, glory,” says the statute of the order, approved on November 23, 1769, “mostly spread and exalted Loyalty, Courage and Prudent behavior of the military rank: then from our special imperial mercy to those serving in our troops, to cancel and reward them for rendered from them in many cases to us and our ancestors, zeal and service, also to encourage them in the art of war, we wanted to establish a new military order ... This order will be called: the military of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George Order ... "
The signs of the new order included: a gold cross covered with white enamel with the image in the center of his St. George, striking a dragon with a spear; a quadrangular diamond-shaped gold star with the monogram of St. George in the center and with a short order motto "For Service and Bravery"; silk moire ribbon with three black and two yellow stripes, symbolically meaning the color of gunpowder and the color of fire.
When the order was established, its four degrees were determined. It was subdivided into the Grand Cross of the first and second classes and the Small Cross of the third and fourth classes. The star belonged to the first two degrees.
Further, the statute notes that "neither a high breed, nor wounds received before the enemy" give the right to be awarded this order. Worthy to receive it are those who, in addition to honest military service, "against the enemy, excellent courage or excellent military art was shown." Thus, it was the figure of St. George that was considered the most suitable for the role of patron and patron of purely military affairs.
This document already indirectly testifies that in the guise of St. George, the features of a suffering great martyr and a courageous victorious warrior miraculously combined. Here, the dissonance between the Christian dogma of forgiveness and the uncompromisingness of an active struggle to victory is remarkable in itself, lurking in the figure of the saint. Doesn't this combination look a little strange?
If we look more closely at the pages of history, then this involvement of the most glorious holy great martyr in military affairs does not turn out to be at all accidental. It was she who was singled out by Voltaire in an expressive characterization of the saint, similar to an aphorism: "George, the eternal friend of war."
For the first time in Russia, the figure of St. George appears in the X century, during the time of the Kiev prince Yaroslav. At baptism, the prince chooses this particular saint as his patron, takes his name and builds a chapel for George in the church of St. Sophia, which he founded. Subsequently, when in 1030 Yaroslav went to the Chud "and I won and set up the city of Yuryev", he, according to legend, founded the church of St. George there.
Later, the cult of this saint became widespread in Russia, in particular among the princely environment, where the militant saint acted as the patron of princes, especially in their military enterprises. It came in handy in those dramatic times when princely strife and the Tatar-Mongol invasion shook the Russian lands.
The founder of Moscow, Yuri Dolgoruky, who built numerous temples and settlements in his honor, most contributed to the glory of his patron. From the time of Prince Dmitry Donskoy, George became the patron of the growing Moscow.
At the same time that the cult of St. George was gaining strength, his images as a foot soldier with a spear or sword, or as an armed horseman, appear on the seals of Russian princes and on coins issued by some principalities. Starting from the 13th century, the plot with a rider holding a spear, sword or even a falcon in his hand is most widespread.
The most remarkable thing is that at the same time the image of the saint on these signs of power begins to be replaced by the personified image of the prince. At the same time, the name of George disappears from the seals, the figure of the saint loses the halo around his head and instead acquires a crown. The holy warrior turns into a secular horseman, who begins to be called in the annals "the rider in the crown." Only now such a rider is already depicting the prince himself.
An amazing example of such a transformation is the seals of Prince Yuri Danilovich, who ruled in Novgorod for only 4 years - from 1318 to 1322. In total, about a dozen of his seals are known, and in most cases on front side they depict a holy rider with a sword. However, the prince, being, obviously, a very vain person, over time introduces new seals, on which the image of the “rider in the crown”, that is, the prince himself, is placed. It is noteworthy that the reverse side of the seal retains its plot.
Over time, all these images of armed horsemen, differing in details, are reduced to one, reminiscent of the appearance of George the snake-fighter. It is in this form that Ivan III appears on the earliest monument depicting Russian state emblems - a double-sided red wax seal that fastens the letter of 1497. The inscription on the corresponding side of it reads: "Grand Duke John, by the grace of God, ruler of all Russia."
State seal of Grand Duke Ivan III 1497
Among the coins depicting a horseman with a sword minted in the Grand Duchy of Moscow, at the end of the 14th century, special specimens appeared. On them you can see a horseman holding a spear in his hands and hitting something with it under the horse's hooves. On some copies of the coins, this is something - the head of a dragon, on others - a wriggling dragon. Later, the plot with the dragon takes on a complete resemblance to the image on the red wax seal of Ivan III and becomes predominant on the coins of that time.
And after the reform of the monetary system carried out in 1534, new silver coins began to be issued. The chronicler did not fail to note this event, also mentioning the change in the symbol: “And under the Grand Duke Vasily Ivanovich, there was a banner on the money, the great prince on horseback, and having a sword in ore; and the great prince Ivan Vasilyevich set up a banner on the money, the great prince on horseback, and having a spear in his hand, and henceforth called the money money. And so the penny was born. Thus, our Russian penny in 1984 could well celebrate its 450th anniversary.
It is noteworthy that on the first kopecks, in such a militant form, a young baby, erected at that time to the throne, who only later became sovereign Ivan the Terrible, is presented. Moreover, on early issues of coins, he was portrayed as beardless, and only later, when Ivan IV was 20 years old, did the rider on the coins gain a beard.
Although the rider fighting the dragon on seals and coins of the 13th-14th centuries outwardly very much resembles the well-known image of George the serpent fighter, in official documents of that time he is definitely interpreted as the personification of the Grand Duke or Tsar. And only later, already in the 18th century, this duality was eliminated in the interpretation of the figure of the victorious horseman on the state emblems of Russia.
The heraldic commission established by Peter I finally decided to consider the horseman depicted on the state emblem as George the Victorious. By the highest decree of the Supreme Privy Council of July 10, 1728, the design of the coat of arms was determined: “The coat of arms of the state in the old way is a double-headed black eagle ... In the middle of that eagle is George on a white horse, defeating a snake, an epancha and a spear are yellow, the crown is yellow, the snake is black , the field is white all around ... ”In the time of Anna Ioannovna, the victorious horseman with a spear on the state emblems of Russia definitely becomes St. George the Victorious.
Such revival the old image, perhaps, was carried out consciously, with the aim of asserting one of the main political ideas of the Russian state - the idea of the continuity of power of the Moscow princes through Vladimir from Kiev. And, probably, it was impossible to find a better evidence of this continuity than the image of a single patron from God - St. George.
This is how he appears on the sign of the military order mentioned above: “... the coat of arms of the Moscow kingdom is depicted on enamel, that is: in the red field of Christmas time, George, armed with silver armor, with a gold overhead hanging cape, having a golden diadem on his head, sitting on a silver horse, on which the saddle and all the harness is golden, striking a black snake in the sole of the shield with a golden spear.
I must say that a similar plot with a rider has long been included in another pearl of Russian heraldry. As historical sources testify, the coat of arms of Moscow - a horseman, or rather, the “rider” mentioned above, has been known since the 14th century. When it was approved in 1856, it was no longer the faceless “rider”, but St. George that became the main detail of the coat of arms. His description read: “In the scarlet shield of St. the great martyr and victorious George in silver armor and azure drag (mantle) on a silver horse covered with crimson cloth with gold fringe, striking a golden, with green wings, a golden dragon, with an eight-pointed cross at the top, with a spear.
Such a sparkle of colors distinguishes the figure of St. George the Victorious not only on this official emblem. And on church icons, he appears before us in the radiance of bright and light colors, showing himself, so to speak, an elegant saint.
The writer E. Dorosh, conveying his impressions of the icon “The Miracle of George and the Serpent” from Shenkursk, admired “a slightly golden background, similar to the sand on the warm sea shore illuminated by the morning sun, and a young knight almost flying on a white horse ... a combination of advantage of yellow, white and red colors, forming, as it were, a stream of light emitted by the surface of a relatively small icon.
George's miracle about the snake. First half of the 15th century
This radiant color scheme, the proportionality of the parts and the extraordinary dynamics of the image, and finally, the drama of the plot, merging, give it the depth of the symbol. “The red cloak of George is a traditional attribute of a martyr who shed his blood ... But the red cloak flutters in the icon like a banner, trembles like a fiery flame - it clearly expresses the “fiery passion” of the hero, and in contrast to the cloak, the white horse looks as a symbol of spiritual purity. At the same time, with its silhouette, the horseman merges with the banner, and therefore his figure seems to be winged ... ”This is how a deep specialist and connoisseur, the famous Soviet scientist M.V. Alpatov, wrote about the icon“ The Miracle of George and the Serpent ”.
In the church calendar, the day of St. George - the spring St. George's Day - fell on April 23 (according to the old style). By this time in middle lane In Russia, and even more so in the south, the first grass is already appearing, and after a long winter, the peasant drove his cattle into the field. For a peasant, it was one of highlights its agricultural cycle. The cattle that survived the winter were, as it were, transferred on this day from the hands of man to the care of nature with all its good and evil forces.
And cattle for a peasant farmer meant a lot. Needless to say, a hundred years ago the horse constituted the entire energy base of agriculture in Russia (without which it is generally impossible), and the cow was indispensable in its own way, giving milk, meat, and finally, highly valued manure.
Many ancient folk rites, omens, charms, proverbs, and riddles were associated with the first pasture of cattle in the field. On Yegory, cows and other animals were driven out into the field with a willow cut on Palm Sunday, while sentencing good wishes his cattle and, as it were, passing it under the protection of the saint. After all, according to popular beliefs, he was not only the patron of livestock, but also the lord of wolves.
It was believed among the people that without the order of Yegori, the wolf could not touch either the sheep or the cow. “What a wolf has in its teeth, Yegoriy gave it!” says the proverb. At the same time, there was also a special protective ritual, during which, as they said, “carrying of cattle” was performed. This rite was to be performed earnestly and solemnly.
An interesting record of such a ritual is known, made by scientists in the Chukhlomsky district of the Kostroma region. Here is what an informant, who himself once witnessed such a rite, reports:
On Yegory, we always carry cattle around. In the morning, cows, sheep, calves, goats are driven out into the field with a sacred willow. They will bring and wait for the porter. Soldiers with guns also come. Here the grandfather will come, and they begin. In a sieve there is a living thing, the image of George the Victorious, a lock with a key, a cut. He starts walking towards the sun. He reaches the place where he left, stops, crosses himself, baptizes the flock with a sieve and an icon and reads to himself: “Lord, bless me, Vasily the servant, to encircle your dear bellies. I do not wear out, but I ask the Lord God Jesus Christ, Nicholas the Wonderworker and Yegor the Victorious. My holy apostles, encircle my dear bellies, encircle them with an iron cord, encircle them with copper wire, cover them with a shroud of holy, imperishable robe... Save, Lord, from fire, from water, from a fierce beast, from a creeping serpent and from magical verses, so that a fierce beast would not see with its keen eye, would not hear with its sensitive ear the roar of a cow, the bleating of a sheep, and would be afraid of a human voice. Amen!" How to say: "Amen!" - so the fighters shoot from guns. And so three times. As he says the third time, he sits down on the ground, and painted eggs are rolled up to him. They are afraid for the cattle: they feed, they feed the winter, but suddenly the wolf ate ...
Where, in what church instructions are such details of this amazing rite described? As if an ancient pagan sorcerer or shaman, conjuring the good and evil forces of nature, appears before us in the guise of a village grandfather-carrier. Individual signs of Christianity and even neologisms (copper wire, etc.) characteristic of the ritual of “carrying over cattle” cannot obscure its original pagan essence.
In other areas, where it has already been irretrievably lost, on Egoriev's Day, as other informants report, "they took out a table in the field, put an icon, and the priests served a prayer service." At present, all these rituals have completely disappeared, and perhaps some old woman, according to tradition, will drive her cow into the field with a willow.
From time immemorial, similar magical rituals have been developed and repeated annually for centuries, and the church fathers very skillfully connected such a turning point, significant day with the name of the victorious saint. Probably, it was impossible to find a more effective Christian patron and protector in this peasant cause, just as, having taken this step, it was impossible to contribute more subtly and unobtrusively to the glory and popularity of George the Victorious.
Therefore, it is natural that with the introduction of Christianity in Russia, the cult of St. George, as if grafted onto the wild growth of the fallen tree of paganism, quickly replaced the veneration of the most ancient pre-Christian patrons of the pagan farmer. Already the Sofia Chronicle under 1471 calls the saint not in a bookish way, but in a folk way Egor the Brave.
And what only glorious deeds were not counted for him! In conspiracies, Yegoriy, together with the Queen (i.e., the Mother of God), protects cattle with a tyn, together with Zosima and Savvaty patronizes beekeeping, protects plants from worms (for which the icon of the saint was to be placed on the eastern side of the verdant garden), is an assistant in hunting, guards in way from the thief.
V Ancient Russia George was revered as "captured liberator and protector of the poor", as an intercessor from thieves and robbers. Going on a long journey usually uttered "Egoryevsky conspiracy." N. Grinkevich, from whose book "Lines, Names, Fates ..." some of the facts mentioned here are gleaned, cites the text of such a conspiracy:
Yegory the brave rides on a white horse,
Decorated with a golden crown
Supported by a damask spear,
Meets with the tat at night,
He argues with him:
- Where, thief of the night, are you going?
- I'm going to kill people, to get merchants passing by.
- And Yegoriy was daring,
Didn't give him a way
Protects the Orthodox
Saves on the road!
All this is so. And a warlike ruler, and a humble farmer, and many others who need someone else's courage and protection, and even an art critic wise in science, can find in the image of St. George the Victorious some of their own, close to them facets. But isn't it time, however, to look at the figure of St. George through the eyes of its creator and creator - through the eyes of christian church? After all, it was she who, having taken such a colorful image under her protection and ranked it among the host of saints, laid the foundation for the flowering of the cult of this great martyr. What can Christian theologians tell about him?
The cult of George the Victorious was transferred to Russia (and indeed to European lands) along with Christianity from Byzantium. It is in this eastern center of the Roman Empire that the figure of the Holy Great Martyr George appears somewhere around the 4th century. The earliest legend about his life and exploits dates back to the 5th century AD. It is referred to in his "Eulogy" by the author of the "Great Canon" Andrei of Crete, it is also used by the famous collector and narrator of the ancient lives of the saints, the Greek patrician and master Simeon Metaphrastus. It is to Metaphrastus that the encyclopedia of Brockhaus and Efron refers in its brief biographical note about St. George.
The life of the saint tells that during the persecution of early Christians, the young military tribune George, originally from Cappadocia, appears at the court of Emperor Diocletian, and at a meeting of the highest imperial ranks declares himself a Christian. Verbal exhortations and attempts by the courtiers and the emperor himself to force the noble young man to backtrack from his decision are not successful. Then George, according to the mores of that cruel time, is subjected to torment, but he, as the legend tells, with god help strengthened in spirit and in practice proves the miraculous power of the Christian faith.
When they try to drive him into prison with spears, the tip of the spear bends like pewter, barely touching the body. In prison, they put fetters on George and put a huge stone on his chest. In vain... The next day they tied him to a wheel studded with swords, in order to rotate the latter, thus tearing his body. To no avail ... Then they put on burning sandals with nails sticking out inside, beat with sticks on the lips, scourge with ox sinews ...
George steadfastly endures all the torment, remains unharmed and continues to work miracles. According to the legend, he converts the wife of the emperor Alexander, the court magician Athanasius and several other less eminent personalities to Christianity. Entering the temple of Apollo, George forces him to confess that he is not a god, along the way heals the ox and performs many more such glorious deeds. Diocletian's patience, however, is exhausted, and he orders the execution of George and his newly-minted Christian comrades-in-arms. Although George succeeded in miracles, the execution, oddly enough, was more successful for Diocletian. According to the legend, this happened on April 23, 303 AD. e.
And then the legend comes to life, the famous "Miracle of George about the snake." It was this story that brought George the glory of the Victorious. One version of the legend says that one day George ended up in the city of Lasia, in the possession of King Selvius, an idolater, impious and persecutor of Christians. Near the city, in the lake, a monstrous serpent settled, which began to devour the townspeople. The military campaigns of Selvius against the terrible serpent were not successful, and the population began to grumble.
By decision of the king, the townspeople agreed to give their children to be eaten by the serpent day after day, with the fact that the last victim would be the daughter of the king. But now it's her turn...
At this time, George, who was passing by, decided to water his horse, saw a weeping maiden by the lake, talked to her and found out about her misfortune. Along the way, he diplomatically found out that the girl, the king - her father and all the inhabitants of the city worship idols, and, therefore, an opportunity presented itself, having performed a miracle, to convert the local inhabitants to Christianity. The divine voice approved his decision.
And when the serpent appeared, George with the words: “Lord my God, destroy the terrible serpent so that these infidels believe” - rushed towards the monster, and it fell at his feet. With the help of the girl, George tied the monster, brought it to the city, showed it to the people and invited everyone to believe in the true god, who gave man the miraculous power to defeat the serpent. When the townspeople shouted: “We believe in the father, the son and the holy spirit, in the consubstantial and inseparable trinity!” - the monster was killed, and the princess was returned to her father.
George, as the legend says, with the help of the archbishop of Alexandria, "in fifteen days baptized the king, his nobles and all the people, about two hundred and forty thousand people." How irresistible are these particular figures, and what a skillful hand has inserted them into the text of the legend! With their sober materiality, they seem to throw a veil of reality over the rest of the events of the legend. The miracle almost acquires some physical dimensions and therefore becomes more believable.
This legend in a strange way displaces all other miracles and episodes from the life of the great martyr in the future from the people's, and even the church's memory. Over time, it is freed from redundant details, outgrows the framework of Christianity and, having acquired the greatness of a symbol, becomes an integral part of human culture.
However, there may not be anything strange in this transformation. If you take a careful look at the entire biography of St. George consecrated by the church, then most of its constituent episodes are limited to the traditional framework for such biographies of Christian saints of martyrdom and miracles. Sometimes they seem to be borrowed from other Christian saints. And only the "miracle of the serpent" stands apart and belongs solely to this Christian saint.
Moreover, it seems that the life of St. George appeared separately from the legend of the battle of George with the serpent, simultaneously with it or even after it. And that the fathers of the Christian Church, in their own way, disposed of the figure of the serpent fighter inherited by Christianity from the pagan era, attributing to the already existing image a life befitting a Christian saint. According to some scholars, one way or another, the serpent fighter and victorious of pagan times became the holy great martyr George, a symbol of the victory of Christianity over paganism, and later a symbol of the victory of the church over heresy.
But, perhaps, there was such a real historical person who can and even should be identified with George the Victorious? Church historians and theologians have put in a lot of work, “trying to dispel the darkness surrounding the beginning of the notorious legend,” as the historian and literary critic of the last century A. Kirpichnikov said about these searches.
In the end, a suitable figure was found for Bishop George of Alexandria, who accepted a violent death from the pagans in the second half of the 4th century. But this candidacy aroused serious objections from historians. There were other, later rejected versions. The real historical predecessor of George the snake fighter was not found.
Voltaire, with his characteristic sobering irony, summed up these searches in his commentaries on The Virgin of Orleans. “Our Saint George the Cappadocian,” he wrote, “is a colonel in the service of Diocletian, martyred, as they say, in Persia, in the city of Diospolis. But since the Persians did not have such a city, they later began to believe that he was martyred in Armenia, in the city of Mytilene. There is no Mitylene in Armenia, just as there is no Diospolis in Persia. But, in any case, it has been established that George was a cavalry colonel, for his horse is with him and in paradise.
Many researchers in the past tried to find the earthly origins of the legend of George the Victorious, starting from the bizarre external outline of the current history of the saint. Various editions of the legend were scrupulously compared, outwardly similar twins of George were found in the mythology of different peoples, spectacular, but superficial parallels were drawn. The image of George was associated either with Perseus, or with the Persian Mithras, or with the hero of ancient Greek myths, Bellerophon, who tamed the winged Pegasus, and with many other deities and characters of myths.
The works of Soviet scientists (V. N. Lazarev, M. V. Alpatov and others) show how social relations changed with a change in the specific historical situation and, accordingly, a new shade, a new hypostasis of the popular image arose. So it was in Byzantium, so it was in Russia.
Meanwhile, according to one of the versions expressed by scientists about the origin of the "Miracle of the Serpent", the traces of the legendary George the snake-fighter from Byzantium lead us directly to the Egyptian Christians - the Copts. This name was established for the Egyptian Christians from the time of the conquest of Egypt by the Arabs. The conquerors marked with this name the Egyptians who remained faithful to Christianity, from the Egyptians who converted to Islam.
As you know, the Copts occupy a special place in the history of the Christian Church. Their rich and still insufficiently studied culture is, as it were, a transitional link between the cultural heritage of paganism ancient egypt, Greece, Rome and the culture of Christian Byzantium. There were historical reasons for this.
In 332 BC. e. the troops of Alexander the Great conquer Egypt, thereby opening a new page in the history of the ancient country. After the death of the great commander, Egypt was given to one of the Greek commanders - Ptolemy I and for three and a half centuries experienced a strong Greek influence. Then in 30 B.C. e. the country falls under the rule of Rome, and in 395 becomes part of the Byzantine Empire.
These seven centuries make up the period of Greco-Roman Egypt, an era when three great ancient cultures are mixed and melted down in the crucible of history. It was during this period that Christianity arose and absorbed the most attractive pagan examples into its emerging mythology.
As noted by the famous Russian historian B. A. Turaev, “the Copts have shown themselves to be worthy descendants of the hunters to write the Egyptians.” This is probably why the first Christian monasteries they founded in Egypt became centers for the production of Christian literature and emerging iconography. “The high development of Egyptian art,” wrote N.P. Kondakov, an outstanding researcher in the history of religion, “and in its place of the Hellenistic art in the first three centuries indicates itself where the first steps of Greek-Eastern Christian iconography should be looked for.”
From the walls of the monasteries come out and diverge throughout the Christian world not only translations of the Bible, apostolic decrees, works of the holy fathers, but also numerous works of original literature - apocrypha, acts of martyrs, stories about monks and acts of cathedrals. “The last three groups,” notes B. A. Turaev, “for the most part are no less apocryphal than the first, and all four are much closer to ancient Egyptian literature than to the Bible.”
It was then that images of Coptic equestrian saints appeared, among which the figure of a rider on a white horse slaying an animal with a spear was especially popular. “This theme,” V. G. Bock, a researcher of Christian Egypt, pointed out in his profound work “On Coptic Art,” “is very well known in the pagan worldview of the Egyptians and depicted Horus slaying Typhon, the murderer of his father.” The image of a victorious warrior slaying a snake is found not only in literary legends, but also in remarkable monuments of the material culture of that era, which are known to scientists as Coptic fabrics.
One of the most beautiful examples of these creations of Coptic masters is a fabric depicting St. George on horseback from the collection of the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Here is how the impression of this miracle, woven almost one and a half thousand years ago, is conveyed in the description-catalog of the collection: “Contrastingly composed colors reach dazzling brightness ... Shining tones: white, red, yellow, blue - literally stun with their joyful, unrestrained sound” . Isn't it true that the words of admiration cited above, expressed by E. Dorosh under the influence of the Russian icon "The Miracle of George about the Serpent" came to life here again?
The collections of the Hermitage and the Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts contain other similar examples of Coptic textiles. Although some details of the image of George on the fabrics and on the icon mentioned by E. Dorosh do not coincide, the continuity of the plot is beyond doubt.
The earliest and most curious image comes from the same Egyptian Christian sources, in which the features of George the Victorious are visibly manifested. This is an openwork bas-relief belonging to the collection of the Louvre Museum, which dates back to the 5th century. The bas-relief depicts a traditional plot with George the Victorious - a rider on horseback strikes a dragon with a spear.
However, the most remarkable thing is that the rider is shown with the head of a falcon, and the dragon is in the form of a crocodile. And, therefore, the bas-relief depicts the scene of the most popular myth in ancient Egypt about the battle of the falcon-headed god Horus with the bearer of all evil, Set, who was usually represented as a snake, crocodile or hippopotamus.
Copts. Relief depicting the god Horus spearing a crocodile.
A rock. 4th c. Louvre. Paris.
The emergence of the myth "The Tale of Mount Behdetsky, the winged sun" refers to the most distant times in the history of Ancient Egypt, when the North and South of the country were united into one state. Horus Bekhdetsky appears in this myth as the patron of the united country, the patron of the pharaohs. In the full title of the pharaohs, which consisted of five obligatory names, the third is the name of the pharaoh as the golden Horus.
Since in the religious ideas of the Egyptians the pharaohs were considered the sons of the supreme god of Egypt - the solar Ra, Horus is declared the eldest son of Ra and becomes a faithful and formidable protector of the solar god from all sorts of enemies.
This religious myth very quickly acquires a political character and plays an exceptional role in maintaining and elevating the authority of the pharaoh, especially in the event of unfavorable external political circumstances or internal unrest for the country. The full text of the myth of Horus Behdetsky is carved on the inside of the western wall of the main temple of Horus, which is located in Edfu.
In this temple, built under the Ptolemies, mysteries were performed in honor of Horus - a kind of dramatic performance in which the pharaoh himself took part. “May the king do this,” the text says, “when alarm and rebellion happen!.. Then let the king himself say: “I am the avenger of God, who came out of Behdet, and my name is Horus of Behdet!”
There you can also see the image of Horus defeating enemies. Of course, there is no horse on this relief yet, because the horse was unknown to the Egyptians until the invasion of Alexander the Great. Horus stands in a boat and spears a monster in the water - a crocodile. But the text reads as follows: “Come and look at Horus on the prow of his boat, like Ra, when he shines on the horizon, dressed in a green robe, dressed in a red robe, covered with his ornaments, the White and Red crowns are firmly planted on his head. .."
Most likely, this is how the Copts saw their future Victorious. And, hoisting his figure on a horse, as was customary in ancient Rome during the construction of statues of glorified emperors, they created an unfading image of the slaying dragon George.
It remains to be added that in even more ancient Egyptian legends it is no longer Horus, but Ra himself - the solar god acts as a glorious warrior and defeats his enemies, who usually have the appearance of a giant serpent. This legend was repeated in different centers of Egypt, and depending on the type of the main deity revered in this area, Ra took the form of either a falcon-headed warrior, or an ichneumon, or even ... a fiery red cat!
One of these myths is reflected in the 17th chapter of the collection of ancient Egyptian magical funeral texts - the so-called "Book of the Dead". The vignette for this chapter conveys the culminating scene of the myth: under the shade of a dense green tree, a fiery-red cat cuts off the head of a snake with a sword. The explanation in the text reads: “I, this great cat who fought at the sycamore in Heliopolis, on the night of the battle, the one who guarded the guilty on the day of the extermination of the enemies of the Almighty ... What is this? The great cat that fought at the sycamore at Heliopolis is Ra himself." There are other similar ancient texts that tell of great battles with the serpent.
As M. Mathieu, a deep connoisseur of the history and art of Ancient Egypt, wrote, “the image of the sun, a victorious warrior, first on foot, and later on a rider, subsequently greatly influenced both mythologically and iconographically the creation in Christian Egypt of numerous cults of the victorious horsemen: Sisinnia, Thevammon , Theodora and others ... "
The Copts, having adopted the plot of one of the most impressive religious rituals from the ancient Egyptians, supplemented it with new, Eastern and Roman elements, developed it in accordance with their creative inclinations and eventually created the apocryphal legend of the equestrian Saint George. The rich fantasy of the Copts blossomed the legend with numerous, sometimes very free in content, episodes from the life of the saint, and the Roman custom of perpetuating the emperor in the form of an equestrian statue suggested to them the dignified appearance of the saint.
Obviously, in the early, mostly oral versions of the apocrypha, there was already a “miracle with a dragon”. In this original form, the legend contained, as V. N. Lazarev wrote, "a lot of absurd, shameful and fantastic", which did not interfere (and perhaps contributed) to its enormous popularity.
This apocrypha, very well known among the first Christians, apparently attracted the attention of the church leaders of Byzantium at the end of the 5th century. That was the period of the approaching complete victory of Christianity over the still resisting paganism, and in vogue, so to speak, there were saints who accepted torment for the new faith. After all, the idea of martyrdom is one of the cornerstones of the ideological foundation of Christianity.
The Byzantine Church was not averse to replenishing the still rare ranks of holy martyrs with such a popular figure as George. But for this it was necessary to thoroughly rework the apocrypha - to omit the episodes that are dubious or do not meet the requirements of the moment and bring the life into a more or less canonized form, while retaining some individual features from the original apocryphal appearance of George. And so it was done.
At the same time, many fantastic episodes of his life composed by the Copts went into the shadows, and together with them, apparently, the "miracle with the dragon", inappropriate for those times, was removed from the life. Instead, some blissful details about George's youth were added, and the face of his mother's martyr was also given. As you can see, the processing was not radical. It was reduced to the removal of individual episodes and the development of details not developed by the Copts. However, even such a corrected and supplemented version of the life preserved the original apocryphal spirit to such an extent that it was subjected to official condemnation and almost a ban. But this did not diminish the popularity of the image of St. George.
In subsequent years, as the influence and role of the Christian church increased, further editing of the life was carried out. It again boiled down to the removal of the most dubious Coptic elements and a gradual transition from the idea of holiness through martyrdom, which had become less relevant by that time, to the idea of holiness through miracle-working, which was gaining relevance. The times of martyrs have passed, the victorious Christianity now needed strong evidence of the power of the new faith. Nothing better than the miracles performed by the saints was suitable for this role.
It was then that the holy martyr George became a miracle worker. Gradually, the arsenal of miracles he demonstrates grows in his life - first three are added, and then six more miracles. Finally, around the 8th century, one of the last in this series appears in the official version of the "miracle with the dragon".
But the most remarkable thing is that in the nature of the miracles performed by the saint, and in his outward appearance, military motives are clearly growing. Having lost the cross of the martyr, Saint George first turns into a foot soldier with a spear or sword in his hand, and then becomes an equestrian saint and a serpent fighter.
This whole period of rapid transformation of the image of George coincides with important events in the history of Byzantium. In the 9th-10th centuries, the slaveholding system was replaced by the feudal one. The Macedonian dynasty comes to power and rules for two centuries, almost all of whose emperors are known as outstanding commanders.
The militant empire vigorously attacks neighboring countries, wages endless wars with the Saracens and subjugates all new lands and peoples. Northern Syria was captured, Crete was conquered, the Bulgarian kingdom was destroyed, Armenia was annexed ... Along the way, the Byzantine emperors suppressed a number of popular uprisings in the conquered countries. In the protection of the extended borders of the empire and clashes with mobile nomadic peoples, the mounted warrior begins to play an increasingly important role.
Naturally, under these conditions, the former infirm holy martyrs looked very unconvincing as divine patrons of military craft. The strengthened military nobility, the army, and even the militant emperor himself, needed more effective patron saints. It is here that a whole galaxy of “holy warriors” appears and enters the ideological arena, among whom was the familiar George.
And although at the beginning of the 9th century, Patriarch Nicephorus imposed a ban on all early editions of the life of St. George, the Byzantine Church was eventually forced to silently accept into its ideological arsenal the ancient Coptic image of an equestrian saint victoriously trampling on a dragon. Such was the objective historical need of the time.
It is curious that in the West the veneration of George, faith in him as a protector of warriors, was especially established during the time of the Crusades. As N. Grinkevich notes in the book mentioned above, “Lines, names, destinies ...”, “Richard I the Lionheart, who participated in the third crusade, explained all his victories with the patronage of George the Victorious.”
According to the statute of Henry VIII, on April 23, 1522, George was elected patron of the oldest English cavalier order of the Garter. Oxford Cathedral decided to celebrate his day in England on April 23rd.
“In my collection,” writes N. Grinkevich, “there are several ancient silver and copper georgthalers, which first appeared in Germany in the 16th century and then quickly spread throughout Western Europe. These are amulets, talismans worn mainly by warriors and sailors who believed in their miraculous saving power. On the front side of the Georgthalers, the image of George slaying the dragon with a spear was minted, and the inscription: “S. Georgius equitum patronus" - "Saint George is the patron saint of riders (warriors)."
Quite remarkable and somewhat different in nature is the evolution of the ideological content of the image of George in Russia. By the time the cult of this saint was transferred to Russia, his formation in Byzantium had, in general, been completed. In the subsequent centuries of the existence of the empire, the image of George, acquiring the tone noted above, in principle changes little. In Russia, having landed on new historical ground, the cult of St. George begins its new life.
Yaroslav, adopting from the Byzantine emperors their highest symbol of power - the divine patron, as if adopting with this his new Christian patron and a particle of the power, authority and brilliance of the Byzantine state. Various dubious apocryphal versions of the life of George were out of place here. Therefore, probably, in the earliest images of the saint known in Russia, he appears in the form that was officially adopted by the Byzantine church - as a foot soldier with a spear (or sword) and a shield.
An outstanding example of such a picturesque face of George is presented in the iconostasis of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In the lower row of the five-tiered iconostasis there are wonderful works of icon painting of the 12th-17th centuries, painted in Moscow especially for the Kremlin cathedrals, as well as brought by Moscow grand dukes and tsars from other ancient centers of Russian artistic culture.
Among them, the icon of St. George of the 12th century attracts special attention. This is how she appears in the description of a specialist in art: “The figure of George is broad-shouldered, with a firmly set head, with large, strong hands. V right hand he holds a spear, in the left a sword. His face is bright, with a blush, red lips and huge almond-shaped eyes that look sternly, intently and calmly. In this image, the artist embodied the national ideal of military prowess and courage...”
Saint George. 12th century Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.
At the same time, wishing, as V. N. Lazarev notes, “to free this cult from the jealous guardianship of the Greek clergy,” Yaroslav dates Saint George’s day to November 26 and introduces a new Russian holiday, which the Byzantine church did not know. It was the famous autumn St. George's day, as if closing the season of agricultural work. He played an important role in the fate of the peasants, because only after the autumn Egory (as the day was called among the people), which completed everything field work, the transfer of peasants from one landowner to another was allowed.
As you know, the decree of Boris Godunov on attaching peasants to the land abolished this long-standing privilege. The decree of Boris Godunov is now known only to historians, but its echoes have been preserved in people's memory in the form of a saying "Here's to you, grandmother, and St. George's day!".
But the apocryphal version of the life of St. George, including the “miracle with the dragon”, penetrates into Russia quite early, almost under Yaroslav. And here it is, or rather, the impressive “Miracle of George and the Serpent” that stands apart in Russia is gaining extraordinary popularity in Russia, and very soon official recognition. There were historical reasons for this.
And in the pre-Mongolian period, and during the Tatar-Mongol invasion, and later in the history of Russia, there were many bloody civil strife and battles with enemies. In all these military affairs, the most worthy divine patron of the princes and feudal nobility in Russia, naturally, became the holy warrior and victorious George. Yes, and the example of Byzantium, and the far-sighted initial step of Yaroslav were convincing evidence of this.
It is not surprising, therefore, the activity with which the official cult of St. George is spreading, as already mentioned earlier. But in Russia, where the horse was the basis of arable farming, and the horse rider was especially valued in battle, it was no longer the foot warrior George, but the horse George the snake fighter seemed to be a more powerful and attractive figure.
On the other hand, the eradication of paganism by the church, the overthrow of the former idols, with which the worldview of the people was somehow connected, created a certain ideological void. The images of the new gods intended to fill it could not, in their ready-made, so to speak, frozen form, compensate for this loss and began to be altered in a local way. So it was with the figure of St. George.
In the history of, perhaps, any nation, there are many testimonies about the forces of evil that suppressed people. They could also include forces of nature alien to man, but the main ones were still the social forces of evil - all kinds of oppressors and enslavers of the people.
There were enough offenders, but the defenders existed rather in dreams, and the common man had to rely, if not on his own, then on the miraculous forces of good.
He sought to embody his dreams of wise strength, kindness and justice in concrete, understandable and close to him, but still a little fabulous faces of heroes, knights, punishing evil and restoring justice. They are full of fairy tales, epics, legends.
And when in Russia, devoid of pagan gods, the cult of St. George is established, it is not the holy foot warrior patronizing the prince, but the full-blooded apocryphal serpent fighter and victorious one that attracts the attention and sympathy of the people. Penetrated together with spiritual verses, the “Miracle of George about the Serpent” becomes, as it were, the center of attraction and crystallization of traditional folk ideas about the good hero-protector and intercessor.
The figure of George the Victorious not only incorporates the features of such epic heroes as Dobrynya Nikitich and Ilya Muromets, but also replaces the ancient defeated gods close in character and spirit. It is believed that the pagan Khors, the solar equestrian god of the Slavs, gave up his heavenly pedestal to George the Victorious. In the end, not a churchly static foot warrior of a refined appearance, but a peasant-like detailed equestrian hero, vigorously trampling down all kinds of evil, becomes a true folk hero and enters the cultural heritage of the people.
Naturally, the halo of a valiant warrior, a glorious knight, a fighter for the truth, an intercessor and defender gave an extraordinary attractiveness to the face of St. George the Victorious and contributed to the wide spread of his cult among the people. “Favorite icons in Russian life,” writes Vasily Belov in his book “Lad”, “in addition to the Savior, were considered the images of the Mother of God ... Saint Nicholas ... and, finally, the image of Yegory, trampling a serpent with a spear (intercessor by force of arms) ” .
There are two remarkable moments in this spontaneous competition between the official and popular lines of the image of George, eloquently indicating that it was the popular line that won it. The Church, however, had to reckon with the results of this choice, so as not to completely lose from its asset a not-Christian militant, but attractive image.
Firstly, in the spiritual verses with which the “Miracle of George about the Serpent” spread widely throughout Russia, George invariably strikes the dragon with a spiritual weapon - in a word, but not physically, not with a material spear. This initial church interpretation of George the Victorious did not correspond to the heroic ideas of the intercessor that had developed among the people and was accordingly revised. On the overwhelming majority of the icons that appeared later, George already wields a spear in a heroic way, no longer using verbal weapons. Here one can see the fundamental concession of the Church to popular aspirations.
And secondly. The day of the church holiday of St. George, established by Yaroslav - the November day of deep autumn - did not correspond in any way with the features that the people expected to see in the image of George - the patron saint of the farmer and cattle breeder. The moment when such patronage was required and could manifest itself most tangibly corresponded to spring, but by no means to late autumn.
It was spring - the time of the first pasture of cattle in the field after a long winter - that was associated with the greatest dangers for the main and most vulnerable asset of the peasant - his cattle. By this time, a number of ancient pagan rites were timed from time immemorial, which by no means disappeared with the introduction of Christianity. Obviously, the church had to reckon with this circumstance, and the feast of St. George began to be celebrated most solemnly all the same in the spring - in April (according to the old style).
It is characteristic that the energetic epic, folk image of St. George the Victorious established itself in Russia in troubled times, when in the face of general misfortune, the need for a wonderful protector and guardian was most acutely felt. But already from the end of the 15th century, with a change in the historical situation, the appearance of St. George began to change.
The Novgorod icon-painting school is gaining momentum. And Novgorod, which had escaped a destructive and devastating invasion, did not experience such a burning need for either a real or, it seems, a divine patron. When looking at the Novgorod icons of that time, one gets the impression that the church was finally able to seize the initiative and somewhat muffle the excessive militancy of the saint's character.
Again (after several centuries!) the ascetic figure of the walking warrior George appears, but at the same time it becomes more elegant and decorative. At the same time, the image of George the snake fighter is preserved (after all, with all the desire it is no longer possible to remove it from the cultural heritage of the people), but it loses its power and vitality and becomes more refined, chamber.
However, history has its place in everything. Nowadays, only specialists and meticulous museum visitors turn to these pale copies of a powerful image, generated by the disciplined imagination of the masters of the past. The image of the epic hero George the Victorious, the legendary defender who punishes all evil, lives in the memory of the people - the highest symbol of active good.
And yet, our story about him will be incomplete if we do not mention two Russian sights of a later time, or rather, even state relics associated with the name of George the Victorious. One of them belongs to Moscow, the other to Leningrad.
Today it is impossible to imagine the Moscow Kremlin without the Grand Kremlin Palace, whose walls have witnessed many glorious acts of national history. Built in 1839-1849, the Grand Kremlin Palace until 1917 was the Moscow residence of Russian emperors and served for ceremonial receptions.
According to the original plan of the architect K. A. Ton, who supervised its construction, the main second floor of the palace is made in the form of an ensemble of large halls dedicated to Russian orders. The halls had the following names, partly preserved to this day - Georgievsky, Ekaterininsky, Vladimirsky, Alexandrovsky and Andreevsky. The architectural design and decoration of each hall reflected motifs inspired by the symbolism of the corresponding order badge.
It is no coincidence, obviously, among the other halls of this once main Moscow palace that the hall bearing the name of George the Victorious, the patron saint of Moscow, stands out. In the monograph “Artistic Monuments of the Moscow Kremlin” we can read the following about it: “The most significant hall of the Kremlin Palace is Georgievsky, covered with a huge box vault: 60 meters long, 19 meters wide and 17 meters high. The vault rests on massive pylons, in front of which are placed decorative hollow columns carrying statues above them. These statues, made by the sculptor I. Vitali, personify the regions that became part of the Russian state. At the ends of the hall there is a high relief depicting St. George the Victorious - the patron of the order ... The walls of the hall free from stucco are covered with white marble boards with the name of military units and the names of persons awarded the Order of St. George for military merit.
The dry lines drawn by a conscientious hand of a specialist cannot convey the impression made by the St. George Hall in nature. With its solemn simplicity and proportions, this secular hall resembles a temple. However, this is not a temple of humility and prayer. Restrained strength is contained in a strict line of majestic columns, similar to a frozen military line, which is even more emphasized by the uniform formation of massive and at the same time airy chandeliers that go into perspective. How beautifully the Russian military glory of previous centuries is immortalized here! What a galaxy of brilliant names rises before your eyes!
Among the holders of the order of the first degree were: general-in-chief P. A. Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky - for Cahul, general-in-chief A. G. Orlov-Chesmensky - for Chesma, general in chief P. I. Field Marshal G. A. Potemkin-Tavrichesky - for Ochakov. All four degrees of the order had only field marshals - M. I. Kutuzov-Smolensky, M. B. Barclay de Tolly, I. F. Paskevich-Erivansky and I. I. Dibich-Zabalkansky. Generalissimo of the Russian army A. V. Suvorov, who became famous for his military victories, had only the first degrees of the order. The whim of Emperor Paul I, who stubbornly ignored this Russian military order, prevented A.V. Suvorov from becoming his full cavalier.
By a manifesto of February 13, 1807, Alexander I approved the "Insignia of the Military Order of St. George" - "George's Cross", for rewarding soldiers and non-commissioned officers. In 1856, four degrees of it were approved - two gold and two silver numbered crosses. In 1878, the medal "For Bravery", which was worn on the St. George's ribbon, was established, later renamed the "George". She also had four degrees.
The marble plaques of St. George's Hall can tell about many glorious pages of Russian history. Of course, not everyone will have a chance to visit this wonderful temple of Russian military glory, but some can. And then, perhaps, remembering this unpretentious story about the legendary figure of the victorious George, they will be able to feel the flavor of history more fully.
Let's start from today. Let us turn directly to the image on the coat of arms of Moscow:
We see a rider in armor striking a strange creature with a spear, resembling a snake with four clawed paws, wings and a crocodile mouth. What is this strange animal, the victory over which needed to be immortalized in city symbols? Or maybe it's just a symbol? Exactly the same as this victory itself?
Let's look at earlier versions of this image:
We see the same plot, but a little earlier - this is how it was in 1730. The Serpent's torso has noticeably shrunk here. However, it would be more correct to say that in the later versions, for some reason, two more paws were added to the Snake. Let's digress from the naive worldview, which today it is customary to attribute to our not-so-distant ancestors, let's focus on the symbolism characteristic of man at all times, and try to answer the question: who does this Serpent remind us of? Let's look at the following figure:
Looks like it, doesn't it? But this is the coat of arms of one of the kingdoms of that period. To make it clearer, here it is in a modern interpretation:
So who does St. George, if we turn to symbolism, and not take the drawing literally? He conquers the Kazan kingdom. The last of the drawings presents us with the modern coat of arms of the city of Kazan ...
Could it be that in honor of the victory over the great Kazan kingdom, a similar commemorative symbolism appeared on the coat of arms of the capital of the principality of Moscow? More than. But wait, was Kazan not taken by Ivan the Terrible? What does George have to do with it, after all, there were no “Georges” in power at that time? Surprisingly, the answer lies in the nickname of Ivan IV - "Terrible".
As we remember, Greek names were popular in Muscovy at that time, and George was one of them. But this name has variations. For example - Yegoriy. This is how the Pomors called St. George, which can be seen in the example of the White Sea epic in verse, in such creations as “About Yegory the Brave” or “Egory and the Serpent”, which are presented in the writings of A.V. Markov, who discovered the epic culture at the beginning of the 20th century at the Pomors. So, "Egoriy" is not the only variant of the name "George". The second is more relevant to the content ...
Ivan IV was called the Terrible. However, taking into account the fact that for the entire time of his reign - 42 years! - about 4,000 people were executed, and all decisions were approved by the Boyar Duma, and against the background of the atrocities perpetrated by European rulers, it would be just right to reward him with the epithet “Peace-loving”, and not “Terrible”. It should be recognized that the nickname inherent in him would not be given for conducting domestic politics, but for something else. For what - it is clear: in addition to domestic policy, there is foreign policy. Terrible Ivan IV (as, indeed, his father) was nicknamed solely for his militancy.
But after all, in Greek, to which all the royal names go back, the word "warlike" corresponds to the name Igor. Igor... Yegor... What vowel should be preferred in this or that land? It is known that the common people did not call Tsar Ivan IV “Terrible”, and even the notorious “Kazan chronicler”, dedicated to the capture of Kazan, spoke of the tsar with respect. It is logical to assume that those who were close to power, well trained and undoubtedly spoke Greek, at least in a minimal amount, called the formidable king. So it turns out: Ivan the Warlike.
What is a nickname, if not a middle name? "Militant" - Igor (Egoriy) - George. On the other hand, "George" has its own meaning in Greek and it means "tiller". Would it be fair to put the "tiller" next to the "warrior" - George next to Igor? You can go into lengthy explanations that the scribes, as always, mixed everything up and turned the militant “Igor” through “Egoriy” into “George”. Of course, it could be so, but it is more likely something else.
Agree that such a grandiose event, which without a doubt is the victory over the greatest kingdom of Kazan, could not but be reflected not only in heraldry, but also in folk art. And it really had an impact. Maybe spontaneously, but most likely, thanks to the people specially trained by the sovereign of Moscow, heroic tales about the deeds of the Moscow prince began to appear in various lands of the principality of Moscow. One must think that it is precisely because of the centralized distribution and the legend agreed in detail that these legends differ so little and insignificantly from each other, whether in the Moscow lands, in the Yaroslavl lands, or in the Pomeranian ones.
But let's turn directly to this "folk" creativity. We are talking about the story of "Nikita Kozhemyak". In this tale, the notorious Serpent Gorynych appears, whom the hero Nikita will have to defeat. We are interested in one very characteristic fragment from this legend: the Hero and the Serpent are busy dividing the earth between them. Moreover, not somehow, but by land surveying, that is, they lay a wide ditch along the borders of their lands (kingdoms). In our case, the name George (Greek: farmer) perfectly reflects this process.
- and on the coat of arms of the Moscow principality and in the legend of Nikita Kozhemyak, the struggle with a certain Serpent is reflected;
- the winner of the Serpent on the Moscow coat of arms bears the name George, that is, the "farmer", the hero of the fairy tale and the Serpent itself do the same;
- to this day, in the area of the Volga River, traces of very old defensive structures have indeed been preserved;
- Nikita from a fairy tale, plowing with the Serpent between, translated from Greek - “Winner”, St. George (Greek: plowman) also bears the nickname "Victorious".
It becomes clear why the name “Ivan” is so popular in Russian fairy tales - “Ivan, by the grace of God, the ruler of all Russia and the Grand Duke”, is truly worthy of imitation. It no longer raises questions and why George the Victorious appears on the coat of arms of the Moscow Principality, striking the “Serpent” - this is nothing more than a reflection of the plot about the capture of Kazan by Ivan IV. Moreover, it becomes clear what kind of "serpent" it is and what it symbolizes. Of course, this fantastic creature has nothing to do with the snake. This is nothing more than a symbol of the highest power - the Basilisk. The word also has Greek roots and means "king". "Basileus" and "Vasily" have the same meaning.
It would be very interesting to look at the map of Tartaria before Ivan the Terrible conquered the Novgorod, Kazan and Astrakhan kingdoms. Were they independent states or were they part of Tartaria? The earliest map we have is from 1593. (Author Gerard de Jode, Antwerp) as part of Muscovy:
Probably, on the coat of arms of the Moscow principality, we can observe one of the stages of the fall of the Great Tartaria, which marks the capture of the Kazan kingdom. Let's pay attention to the fact that it was the symbol of royal power and Kazan - the basilisk - that turned out to be trampled on the Moscow and Russian emblems:
It is probably no coincidence that Kazan was given such great importance. Probably, it was Kazan at that time that had full power over the surrounding principalities, and until its fall and the subsequent transfer of the capital to Tobolsk, it was the center of Great Tartaria.
P.S.: Pay attention to the three crowns that are present in the coat of arms of the Russian kingdom. Next time we will turn to the epic creation, which served as the basis for the plots of almost all the so-called Russian folk tales: “The Tale of the Three Kingdoms: Copper, Silver and Gold”, and at the same time we will try to find out where the three Russian kingdoms were located and where they disappeared: Slavia, Artania and Kuyavia.
Everyone knows the coat of arms of Russia with the image of a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear. But not many people ask the question: "What does this figure symbolize?"
Fragment of the description of the Great State Emblem Russian Empire(1882)
“The state eagle holds a golden scepter and orb. On the chest of the eagle is the coat of arms of Moscow: in a scarlet shield with gold edges, the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George, in silver weapons and an azure drag (mantle), on a silver horse covered with crimson cloth with gold fringe, striking a gold, with green wings, a gold dragon, With eight-pointed cross upstairs, with a spear."
Description of the coat of arms in a new interpretation
On December 25, 2000, the President of the Russian Federation approved the law "On the State Emblem of the Russian Federation":
"The State Emblem of the Russian Federation is a quadrangular, with rounded lower corners, pointed at the tip, a red heraldic shield with a golden double-headed eagle that raised its spread wings. The eagle is crowned with two small crowns and - above them - one large crown connected by a ribbon. In the right paw on the eagle's chest, in a red shield, is a silver rider in a blue cloak on a silver horse, striking with a silver spear a black dragon overturned and trampled by a horse."
Coat of arms of the city of Moscow
As for the Emblem of the city of Moscow, the capital of Russia, the Moscow City Duma in 1995 adopted the following description of the Emblem of the capital:
"The emblem of the city of Moscow is the image on a dark red heraldic shield of a rider - St. George the Victorious in silver armor, striking a black Serpent with a golden spear."
In the description of the Coat of Arms of Moscow, the destroyed dragon is replaced with a destroyed serpent.
Despite the fact that the modern emblem of the city of Moscow is based on the historical emblem, approved by Catherine II on December 20, 1781: "in the scarlet field, the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George on a white horse, striking a black dragon with a spear."
In the 1710s, Peter I was the first to name the rider on the Moscow coat of arms Saint George.
The final name of the rider as George the Victorious was established in connection with the development of heraldry in Russia and the creation of city coats of arms.
The coat of arms of Moscow existed in this form until the middle of the 19th century, when, as a result of the reform in Russian heraldry, carried out at the direction of Emperor Nicholas I, it was significantly changed.
The image of the rider on the Russian coat of arms did not originally symbolize George the Victorious
Many historians argue that the image of George the Victorious in Russia was universally recognized at the beginning of the 11th century along with the development of Christianity. However, archaeological finds do not support such claims.
The horseman slaying the dragon with a spear was used for many centuries as an integral part of the sovereign Russian coat of arms, even before the Christianization of Russia.
For example, Grand Duke Vasily Vasilyevich in the 15th century minted coins with the image of a rider on a horse trampling a dragon with a spear. The obverse side of the coin depicts a rider slaying a dragon with a spear. Above the rider are letters stating that this is the image of a prince. On the reverse side coins, it is specified that this is Prince Vasily Vasilyevich the Great.
Consequently, the image of a rider on a horse who killed a dragon with a spear at that time did not in any way reflect the image of George the Victorious.
Thus, personality
St. George, whose grave is located on the territory of Israel, has nothing to do with the image of the horseman on the Russian coat of arms.It is worth considering the fact that the Catholic Pope
Gelasius in 494 at the First Council of Rome forbade mentioning the name and deed of St. George the Victorious, since it was proved at the council that St. George the Victorious was a falsification.The image of George the Victorious in Christianity
In Christianity, George the Victorious is the most revered holy great martyr.
One of the most famous miracles of St. George is the slaying of a dragon with a spear, which devastated the land of a pagan king in Beirut. As the legend says, when the lot fell to give the king's daughter to be torn to pieces by the monster, George appeared on horseback and pierced the dragon with a spear, saving the princess from death. The appearance of the saint contributed to the conversion of local residents to Christianity.
The victory over the dragon, described in the "Life of the Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious", according to most indications, was accomplished by him after his death. The “life” itself was written around 1260.
Christian tradition considers all the miracles of George to be posthumous, since "The Holy Great Martyr, sufferer for the faith of Christ George, a warrior honored by the heavenly king, who lived even after death, shining with great miracles."
The exception is the Greek edition of the Life, where the miracle of the victory over the dragon is described as the only one in his lifetime.
It is believed that the relics of St. George are currently in the Greek church in the Israeli city of Lod (Lydda), and the head is kept in the Roman basilica of San Giorgio in Velabro.
Foundations of ancient beliefs
The image of a rider destroying a dragon comes from ancient pagan beliefs that theologians tried to use to attract pagans to Christianity.
In the most ancient myth from the Mahabharata, the pagan God of Thunder Indra, and in a number of later myths Egory, the son of the pagan Goddess Sophia the Wise, many millennia before the rise of Christianity, entered into a mortal battle with the malevolent dragon Vritra, who tried to dry up the earth and thereby destroy everything. living on earth.
At the same time, it should be noted that, according to the Vedic mythology of the ancient Aryans, the god Indra was born by a goddess who in the Indian pantheon of gods corresponds to the Mother of the World, the Hyperborean goddess Sophia the Wise.
The original myth of the Hyperborean Aryans contains a philosophical paradigm about the battle of the God of Thunder Yegory with the world of evil for earthly resources, which determine how the human race will live and whether it will live at all.
It was these ancient pagan tales that brought to our time the epic tale of "Egoriy the Brave", capable of striking any evil in the world with his fiery spear.
Orthodox theologians literally castrated this ancient pagan belief, reducing it to the level of a show in the form of a duel to save a princess who was about to be swallowed by a dragon near Beirut.
Victory over the dragon of the Aryan warriors
An even more weighty argument in favor of recognizing the feat of Egory, the son of the pagan Goddess Sophia the Wise, over the dragon, should be considered the events that occurred more than 5000 years ago.
When the Chinese hordes attacked the Aryan territories under the banners and symbols of the Great Dragon, the combined forces of the Aryan peoples of Russia, India and Persia defeated the hordes of the Chinese dragon in a fierce battle.
It was an epochal event, marked by the beginning of the Aryan chronology, which lasted until the reign of Peter the Great.
Only on December 20, 1699, Peter the Great introduced a new chronology from the date of the birth of Jesus Christ with a counting difference of 5509 years.
It was the day when the Chinese banners with the image of a dragon lay at the feet of the Aryan winners that became the day of counting in the chronology, which the Old Believers still adhere to.
The victory of the Aryans over the Chinese dragon was noted in the sacred book of the Zoroastrians "Avesta
" .The image of a rider in Russian spiritual epics
Egory the Brave is one of the most important archetypes of the Russian land, personifying justice, freedom, protection, military glory and valor.
In a spiritual context, the image of Yegory slaying the dragon symbolizes the eradication of evil and lies.
Icon "The Miracle of George about the Serpent" - the image of the great martyr George the Victorious. The shrine is the protector of the hearth and helps in any trouble.
"The Miracle of George about the Serpent" is a well-known icon in Orthodoxy. The patroness of the military, the intercessor from adversity and one of the most revered shrines in Christianity adorns many churches in Russia. The image of St. George has miraculous power: like other praying icons, he works real miracles.
The history of the icon "The Miracle of George about the Serpent"
The icon was painted in honor of the Great Martyr George. The saint was born in the city of Lydda, which was located on the territory of Palestine. At that time, the local ruler preached paganism and killed Christians. George's father preached the word of God, for which he was executed. His mother, being pregnant, managed to escape.
Saint George from an early age loved Jesus and adopted the Christian faith. He possessed incredible willpower, courage and stamina. The young man was accepted into the service of the emperor, where he defeated enemies and won every battle. But when the ruler found out what faith George professes, he ordered the Christian to be tortured, which lasted seven days. Then the saint was beheaded.
As the legend says, many years after the burial of the body of George in the only city source with drinking water settled a terrible serpent. Once a month, local residents sacrificed young people to him in order to continue to use drinking water. When only one young girl remained, who was the daughter of the emperor, she was brought to the lake, but then George appeared with a spear and killed the snake. Christians attributed this event to a miracle, began to revere and glorify the great martyr even more. The way the holy warrior defeated the monster in the lake symbolizes the victory of Christianity over paganism. The persecution of Orthodox believers has ceased.
Where is the miraculous image
The miraculous face of George the Victorious can be found in almost every church in our country. The most revered icons of the "Miracle of George about the Serpent" are stored:
- in the Cathedral of St. George in Old Archers;
- in St. George's Church (deanery of Odintsovo);
- in the Cathedral of the Great Martyr George the Victorious in the village of Monino.
Description of the icon of George the Victorious
On the shrine "The Miracle of George about the Serpent", the holy martyr is depicted sitting on a white stallion, dressed in military armor with a cloak flowing behind him. The saint pierces a huge serpent with a sharp spear, personifying victory over the devil himself.
What helps George the Victorious
Saint George is the protector and patron of everyone who participates in hostilities or has a military rank. People pray before his holy icon for protection from enemies and for peace in the country and in the family. The saint also helps to heal from various diseases. He is prayed for victory over the enemy, circumstances and malice. This miraculous image is able to come to the aid of every Christian who believes in the power of prayer words.
Days of celebration
The day when Orthodox Christians pay homage to the holy martyr George, praising and with even greater zeal reading prayers before his miraculous image, falls on May 6 (April 23).
Prayer to George in front of his icon
You can pray before the icon of an Orthodox martyr both in the temple and at home. It is best to light a candle before saying a prayer. Strong prayer before the holy image:
"Oh great warrior! Protector and intercessor of all Christians, Saint George! Hear the words of our prayer from heaven, fill our souls with faith, our bodies—strength, and give us
perseverance! Drive away diseases, keep our homes safe and sound. Protect from enemies and various misfortunes. May we glorify holy name Yours, O Great Martyr George! May the will of the Lord be done. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. From now on and forever and ever. Amen".
Address prayers to the saints and do not hesitate to ask them for sore. It is in the power of every saint of the Lord to help you overcome inner weakness and outer evil. The problem will not be solved in one day, but your faith will grow and become stronger. Therefore, never forget about the words of gratitude to the saints. Strong is the one who believes and appreciates the help from Above. We wish you happiness, success,and don't forget to press the buttons and
16.11.2017 05:42
The Kazan Icon of the Mother of God is widely known among Orthodox Christians. The intercessor and protector of all people is ...
The image of St. George the snake fighter is widely known. In its canonical form, it is a horseman slaying a dragon with a spear. But such a canon did not develop immediately.Miracle of St. George about a serpent with life.
Some of the icon painters believed that George the Victorious humbled the monster with the word of God, and not with a weapon, while someone, it would seem, was at a loss in choosing what struck the brave Georgy Georgievich, originally from Cappadocia, a winged monster. An illustrative example here is the icon from the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in the village of Pogost-Sable, Batetsky District, Novgorod Region, in the former Vodskaya Pyatina of Lord Veliky Novgorod. The icon is kept in the museum in the Novgorod Kremlin.
Icon from the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in the village of Pogost-Sable, Batetsky District, Novgorod Region, in the former Vodskaya Pyatina of Lord Veliky Novgorod. Stored in a museum in the Novgorod Kremlin.
The work, created at the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th centuries, somewhere during the reign of Tsar Boris Godunov, depicts the Miracle of St. George about a serpent with life. And there the future great martyr strikes the serpent not with a spear, as we are all used to seeing, but with a sword! Why is that?
Saint George strikes the serpent with a sword, not a spear.
Let's start with the fact that the brave warrior George accomplished his main feat under the emperor Diocletian, when he did not renounce his faith, despite numerous tortures. Actually, the icon depicts not only snake fighting, but the last days of the life of the glorified saint.
The image became widely known in the world.
When the persecution of Christians began, George distributed property to the poor and openly declared himself a Christian before the emperor. He was arrested and tortured for seven days, he was subjected to terrible torment, but his wounds were always healed miraculously: they stabbed him with spears, crushed him with a heavy stone, tortured him with a wheel studded with knives and swords, threw him into a pit with quicklime, broke the bones on his arms and legs, forced to walk in red-hot iron boots, beaten with whips and even poisoned with poisons.
Although the Christ-loving warrior accomplished his main feat not at all with this.
George endured all these torments and did not renounce Christ. After unsuccessful persuasion to renounce and offer a pagan sacrifice, on the eighth day he was sentenced to death by cutting off his head.
And what he accepted martyrdom but did not renounce the Christian faith.
Where did the serpent come from then? And here is the most interesting. If the Greeks believed that George defeated the serpent before his death, going to Diocletian, but the Slavs believed that Saint George performed the feat posthumously! But is it really that important? The main thing is that this story had a happy ending.
It happened more than 1700 years ago under the emperor Diocletian.
In the vicinity of the city of Beirut near the Lebanese mountains, a snake lived in a lake that attacked people. The king ruled the city "a dirty idolater, lawless and impious, merciless and unmerciful to those who believe in Christ." The people, frightened by the monster, came to him, asking what to do. And the king offered to make a list of the townspeople and, in turn, give their children to be torn to pieces by a snake, promising, when his turn comes, to give his daughter to death. Having fulfilled his promise, the king “dressed his daughter in purple and fine linen, adorned it with gold and precious stones, and pearls” and ordered to be taken to the snake.
They tortured Georgy Georgievich for seven days.
George, seeing the crying princess, asked her about the reason for her grief and, having learned about the monster, promised to save her. “Having overshadowed himself with the sign of the cross and called on the Lord, with the words: “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” he rushed on his horse at the snake, shaking his spear and, hitting the snake with force in the larynx, struck him and pressed him to earth; the horse of the saint trampled the serpent underfoot.” Although we note that in some versions of the story, the snake was struck solely by the power of the saint's prayer.
And on the eighth they were beheaded.
However, more precisely, he is humble, since he was not struck to death. Then George ordered the princess to tie the snake with a belt and lead him to the city. The people were surprised by the return of the princess and, seeing the snake, began to scatter in horror. George turned to them with the words: “Do not be afraid! If you believe in Christ, in whom I believe, you will now see your salvation.” And after that he beheaded a snake with a sword, the corpse of which the inhabitants carried out of the city and burned. This miracle contributed to the conversion of local residents to Christianity.
But George the Victorious forever remained in the memory of the people, thanks to the rescue of the princess and the whole city in modern Lebanon from a snake.
The icon-painting original gives the following lengthy description of the plot that should be depicted on the icon: “The miracle of St. George, how to save the girl from the snake, is written as follows: the holy martyr George sits on a white horse, having a spear in his hand and pricking the snake in the larynx; and the serpent came out of the lake, very terrible and great; the lake is large, near the lake there is a mountain, and in another country there is a mountain, and on the breeze of the lake stands a maiden, the royal daughter, the robe of the royal grandee is on her, she holds a snake with a belt and leads the snake into the city with a belt, and another girl closes the gates of the city; the city is surrounded by a fence and a tower, the tsar looks from the tower, in the image of a Russian, the brada is small and the queen is with him, and behind them are the boyars, warriors and people with axes and spears.
Having struck the serpent with a spear, George then killed him with a sword in the city.
However, in most cases, the icons depict an abbreviated composition: an equestrian warrior strikes a serpent with a spear, and Christ or his hand blesses him from heaven. Sometimes an angel with a crown in his hands is depicted above the head of George. The city on the icons is usually depicted in the form of a tower. A distinctive feature of Russian icons depicting this plot is that George strikes the dragon with a spear not in the eye, as in Western painting, but in the mouth.
And if on most icons he is depicted at the moment of victory over the dragon, then on some - at the moment of reprisal against him.
But, as we see, there was another image. Even more concise. Where is depicted not the moment of the horseman's victory, the pacification of the serpent, but his death from the sword of the equestrian Christ-loving warrior.
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