St. George -- State Entrance, Upper Ward, Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, UK
N 51° 29.042 W 000° 36.183
30U E 666426 N 5706377
The statue of St George, the Patron Saint of England, outside the State Entrance in the Upper Ward of Windsor Castle, installed in 1824
Waymark Code: WMTBG8
Location: South East England, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 10/28/2016
Views: 3
In 1824, King George IV undertook a vast program of construction and renovations at Windsor Castle to convert the Norman stronghold into a comfortable residence for the Sovereign of England.
The State Entrance to the State Apartments in the Upper Ward were part of that program. On either side of the State Entrance, two statues are installed in niches. The statue on the left is of King Edward III, and the statue on the right is of St. George.
The statue of St George stands about 1.5x life size. He is wearing the traditional knight's armor that he wears in the depictions of his battles with the Dragon. He holds his sword, pointed downward. He seems to be in prayer.
From Encyclopedia Britannica: (
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"St. George
by Michael Collins MA
St George is the patron saint of England and among the most famous of Christian figures. But of the man himself, nothing is certainly known. Our earliest source, Eusebius of Caesarea, writing c. 322, tells of a soldier of noble birth who was put to death under Diocletian at Nicomedia on 23 April, 303, but makes no mention of his name, his country or his place of burial. According to the apocryphal Acts of St George current in various versions in the Eastern Church from the fifth century, George held the rank of tribune in the Roman army and was beheaded by Diocletian for protesting against the Emperor's persecution of Christians. George rapidly became venerated throughout Christendom as an example of bravery in defence of the poor and the defenceless and of the Christian faith.
. . .
In 1348, George was adopted by Edward 111 as principal Patron of his new order of chivalry, the Knights of the Garter. Some believe that the Order took its name from a pendant badge or jewel traditionally shown in depictions of Saint George. The insignia of the Order include a Collar and Badge Appendant, known as the George. The badge is of gold and presents a richly enamelled representation of St George on horseback slaying the dragon. A second medal, the Lesser George, also depicting George and the dragon, is worn attached to the Sash. The objective of the Order was probably to focus the efforts of England on further Crusades to reconquer the Holy Land. The earliest records of the Order of the Garter were destroyed by fire, but it is believed that either in 1348 or in 1344 Edward proclaimed St George Patron Saint of England. Although the cult of St George was suppressed in England at the Reformation, St George's Chapel, Windsor, completed in stages from 1483 to 1528, has remained the official seat of the Order, where its chapters assemble. The Monarch and the Prince of Wales are always members, together with 24 others and 26 Knights or Ladies Companion. . . . "