Saint George and the Dragon Legend - Barcelona, Spain
Posted by: 
denben
N 41° 22.150 E 002° 08.802
31T E 428637 N 4580090
The murals depicting the legend of Sant Jordi and the dragon are located next to the reproduction of the Portal de Bové (Montblanc, Catalunya) at the Poble Espanyol (Spanish Village) in Barcelona.
Waymark Code: WMQPFG
Location: Cataluña, Spain
Date Posted: 03/13/2016
Views: 7
Built in 1929 for the Barcelona International Exhibition, Poble Espanyol is a town in itself, including recreations of squares, streets and 117 buildings from different Spanish regions. In one same site you can find the typical Andalusian quarter, a fragment of the Camino de Santiago, examples of the Romanesque monastic architecture and the portal de Bové, among others.
With the help of images and words, the murals depict the legend of Sant Jordi (St. George) and the dragon.
"The legend of Saint George and the dragon is one of the best known Christian legends. The version most people are familiar with originally appeared in a medieval best seller called The Golden Legend first published in 1275.
According to the legend, St George was travelling on horseback when he came to a town which was being terrorized by a large dragon. In order to appease the dragon the townspeople had started to give it 2 sheep each day. When sheep weren’t enough they started to give human sacrifices instead. The king decreed that the person to be sacrificed should be chosen at random. Finally the day came that the king’s beautiful daughter was chosen for sacrifice.
The king tried to bargain with the townspeople but they insisted that the princess should be sacrificed as their children had been. Dressed as a bride, the princess was led to the dragon’s lair when, by chance, Saint George arrived at the town.
St George asked the princess what was happening and she told him about the dragon and asked him to leave before he was hurt. Instead of leaving the princess to be eaten, St George fought and slayed the dragon." (
visit link)
St George is the patron saint of Catalonia and in the Catalan version of the legend the town terrorized by the dragon is Montblanc. Every year during April Montblanc stages a week long Medieval Fair which includes jousting tournaments, a medieval feast, a correfoc and a re-enactment of the legend of Sant Jordi.
Hours of Operation (Poble Espanyol):
Monday from 9am to 8pm
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday from 9am to midnight
Friday from 9am to 3am
Saturday from 9am to 4am