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 Saint George and the Dragon - Lawrence, Kansas Posted by:  iconions
N 38° 57.375 W 095° 14.640
15S E 305557 N 4314316
This bas-relief sculpture of Saint George and the Dragon is located above the entryway of Twente Hall - 1545 Lilac Lane on the University of Kansas Campus in Lawrence, Kansas.
Waymark Code: WMZ0F5
Location: Kansas, United States
Date Posted: 08/20/2018
Views: 1
In the well-known version from Jacobus de Voragine's Legenda aurea (The Golden Legend, 1260s), the narrative episode of Saint George and the Dragon took place somewhere he called "Silene", in Libya.
Silene in Libya was plagued by a venom-spewing dragon dwelling in a nearby pond, poisoning the countryside. To prevent it from affecting the city itself, the people offered it two sheep daily, then a man and a sheep, and finally their children and youths, chosen by lottery. One time the lot fell on the king's daughter. The king offered all his gold and silver to have his daughter spared; the people refused. The daughter was sent out to the lake, dressed as a bride, to be fed to the dragon.
Saint George by chance arrived at the spot. The princess tried to send him away, but he vowed to remain. The dragon emerged from the pond while they were conversing. Saint George made the Sign of the Cross and charged it on horseback, seriously wounding it with his lance. He then called to the princess to throw him her girdle (zona), and he put it around the dragon's neck. When she did so, the dragon followed the girl like a "meek beast" on a leash.
The princess and Saint George led the dragon back to the city of Silene, where it terrified the populace. Saint George offered to kill the dragon if they consented to become Christians and be baptized. Fifteen thousand men including the king of Silene converted to Christianity. George then killed the dragon, beheading it with his sword, and the body was carted out of the city on four ox-carts. The king built a church to the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint George on the site where the dragon died and a spring flowed from its altar with water that cured all disease. Only the Latin version involves the saint striking the dragon with the spear, before killing it with the sword.
- Saint George and the Dragon Wikipedia Page
Details on the bas-relief sculpture:
Relief mural of St. George in armor, riding a horse rearing onto its hind legs. A dragon lies beneath the horse, its tail curving upwards behind St. George. With his proper right hand, St. George drives a spear into the dragon's mouth. The sun shines directly over the battle.
Copy after unknown artist. Building was originally Watkins Memorial Hospital, the first hospital on the University of Kansas campus and was dedicated in 1932. The dragon represents disease. Basil Green was the contractor of the building.
- Smithsonian Outdoor Inventory Sculpture Webpage
Time Period: Middle Ages
Approximate Date of Epic Period: 11th Century
Epic Type: Mythical
Exhibit Type: Figure, Statue, 3D Art
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