The Holy Great Martyr George was born in Beirut to Christian, wealthy, and noble parents. Educated, handsome in appearance, and strong in body, he was beloved and elevated by Emperor Diocletian (284–304) to the honorary rank of military tribune, and then commander of a thousand. But raised in Christian piety, he could not be happy under the pagan emperor and persecutor of Christianity. Once, while in court and hearing an unlawful, inhumane trial concerning the extermination of Christians, George was inflamed with holy zeal for the Christian faith. Having distributed his property to the poor and freed his slaves, George rose up amidst the lawless assembly and, denouncing the impiety and malice of the emperor, his nobles, and advisers, confessed himself a Christian and the truth of the Gospel. Seized with anger, the emperor ordered his squires to expel the holy martyr. The accuser from the assembly was struck with spears and thrown into prison. In prison, George was thrown on his back, his feet were driven into stocks, and his chest was crushed with a heavy stone. Strengthened by prayer to God and trust in Him, George endured this grievous suffering until the next day, which brought him not joy, but new, more grievous suffering. When, after repeated persuasion to renounce Christ, the martyr remained steadfast in his faith, he, barely able to speak from the crushing weight of the heavy stone, was tied naked to a large wheel devised for execution. Underneath were planks from which protruded iron spikes, pointing upward toward the wheel. On this terrifying wheel, the martyr was spun around and around, over sharp points that, piercing the sufferer's defenseless leg, cut him like a reed. God preserved George's life even amid such terrible torment. But the torturers were not swayed by the power of God, which was so clearly revealed in his suffering and patience that it converted some pagans who witnessed the great martyr's suffering to Christ and made martyrs for His name. These included two praetors, Anatolius and Protolius , the Praetorian Guard, and Queen Alexandra herself ., Diocletian's wife. The torturers, enraged at George, bound him and buried him in undissolved lime, thinking he would be consumed. But God, even here, preserved the life of the holy confessor for His glory. After being removed from the lime, George's feet were shod with red-hot nails protruding point-up, and in these shoes they drove him to prison amidst beatings and insults. The day after these tortures, beatings, and mockery, George was again brought before the judge, and the emperor, hearing his previous accusations, angrily ordered him to be beaten on the mouth and flogged with ox thongs until his flesh, bleeding, clung to the ground. Believing George's great patience to be the work of sorcery, the emperor ordered a sorcerer, Athanasius, to use his art against him, either to turn him from the path of truth or to kill him. But the sorcerer, seeing the grace of God so clearly miraculous in George, himself converted to Christ and suffered for Him. The prison in which the great martyr was held, glorified by his stay, became a school of piety and a healing hospital. Many flocked to George for salvific conversations with him, which delighted the hearts of the listeners, and to receive healing from him through the power of God's grace working within him. Some of those who came to George in prison confessed Jesus Christ and received the crown of martyrdom. George's great suffering ended in the loss of his life: suspecting that his conversations in prison were disturbing the people, the holy prisoner was beheaded. The relics of St. The Great Martyr's remains were laid to rest in Palestine—in the city of Lydda, his mother's birthplace—and later in a church built in Lydda in his name. Along with George, Empress Alexandra also suffered in 304, and the Church glorifies her alongside George.
Thus, George “received the beautiful crown of victory” and is called a great martyr and victorious one , for he won a glorious victory over his tormentors during his sufferings, which amazed them and converted many unbelievers to Christ, and after his death he appeared as a glorious victorious one for the good of Christians.
Tradition says that in the lands of Libya, there lived a terrible serpent that abducted and devoured people, poisoning the air with its breath and causing illness. The pagan inhabitants of this land, venerating it as a fearsome deity, satisfied it with human sacrifices one by one. As the royal daughter, thus designated as a sacrifice to this deity, stood weeping bitterly, prepared for her inevitable, terrible death, a young horseman suddenly appeared on a white horse. It was St. George, and as soon as the monster emerged, the great martyr rushed at it, thrust the point of his spear into its mouth, pinned it to the ground, and the horse trampled it underfoot. The serpent was slain. The idolaters gave thanks to the God of St. George and embraced the Christian faith.
Based on this ancient tradition, the Great Martyr George is depicted seated on a white horse, beneath whose feet lies a fearsome serpent, gaping at the holy rider, who courageously strikes the beast in the jaws with a spear. This depiction of victory belongs to the coat of arms of the victorious Russian Empire and the Russian insignia awarded to warriors for their service and heroism. The Knight's Day of the Order of the Great Martyr George was established on November 26, 1731, and the Knight's Day of this order is celebrated on the day of the consecration of the church dedicated to this great martyr in Kiev, November 26.
The Great Martyr George is also venerated as a special patron of shepherds and flocks, for he repeatedly assisted them during his life and after his death, appearing on horseback for the benefit of his neighbors. Thus, residents of Russian villages and towns have a pious custom on St. George's Day, or, as they are commonly known, St. Yegor's Day, of offering a prayer service to the Great Martyr and, having sprinkled the shepherds and the gathered flocks with holy water, letting them out to pasture for the first time after winter, with God's blessing and the hope of the Great Martyr's special protection. The holy Great Martyr is held in great esteem not only by Christians but even by Muslims.
In the 5th century, a church dedicated to the Great Martyr George was built in Rome , housing part of his relics, a military spear, and a banner. Anatolius of Constantinople in the 5th century, Cosmas of Maiuma in the 8th, and Theophanes of Nicaea , the Studite in the 9th, also wrote many hymns of praise for the feast of the Great Martyr George, which are now sung by the Church on this day. In these hymns, St. George is glorified as a steadfast sufferer: "Neither beasts, nor wheels, nor any other torment could separate him from Christ. He appeared as a helper of souls and bodies; his memory is universal."
Source: https://azbyka.ru/otechnik/Filaret_Chernigovskij/zhitija-svjatyh-so-svedenijami-o-prazdnikah-gospodskih-i-bogorodichnyh-i-o-javlennyh-chudotvornyh-ikonah-aprel/23_1