Saint George Slaying the Dragon Sculpture - Barcelona, Spain
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denben
N 41° 22.967 E 002° 10.609
31T E 431171 N 4581577
The equestrian statue of Saint George stands in a niche on the balcony above the main entrance to the Palau de la Generalitat on Plaça de Sant Jaume in Barcelona.
Waymark Code: WMQPW2
Location: Cataluña, Spain
Date Posted: 03/14/2016
Views: 12
The Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona is the seat of the Catalan government. The Palau has pure Gothic, flamboyant Gothic, Renaissance and baroque elements behind the neoclassical façade. The building was constructed between the 15th and mid-17th centuries and this accounts for the variety of architectural styles.
Sant Jordi matant el drac (Saint George slaying the dragon) is a marble equestrian sculture by Andreu Aleu made in 1860. Saint George is the patron saint of Catalonia immortalized in the tale of Saint 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.
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