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Russia's Orthodox Church commemorates St. George's day

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The Russian Orthodox Church is commemorating St. George's day on Wednesday with church services devoted to the saint being held around the country.
MOSCOW, May 6 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian Orthodox Church is commemorating St. George's day on Wednesday with church services devoted to the saint being held around the country.

Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia led a festive procession with crosses and icons near a church named in honor of the saint in western Moscow, with Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov attending.

St. George is also venerated by Roman Catholics and Anglicans, and honored by Muslims. He is also considered the patron saint of England and Georgia and many other places, as well as a number of professions and among the sick.

In Russia, St. George is believed to protect soldiers and is the patron saint of Moscow.

The Cross of St. George was the highest military decoration in the Russian Empire for bravery.

Patriarch Kirill cited statistics saying 26.7 million Soviet men and women died during World War II, and Mayor Luzhkov said: "I am convinced that it is not by chance that Victory Day coincided with the feast of St. George the Victory-Bearer, and not by accident that all military operations [in WWII] actually ended on May 6 when Germany declared capitulation."

In line with Orthodox traditions, St. George is known as the Holy Great Martyr, Victory-Bearer and Wonderworker. Church legend has it that he was born between 275 and 285 in Nicomedia in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey).

According to legend, Roman Emperor Diocletian noticed him for his bravery and enlisted him in his imperial guard, promoting him to a senior commander, Tribune.

When Diocletian issued an edict to arrest all Christian soldiers in the army in 302 A.D., St. George gave all his wealth to the poor, freed his servants, came to the emperor and openly spoke out against pagan gods, confessing himself a Christian.

The emperor was unable to talk the saint into worshipping pagan gods, neither could the torture he subjected him to, and St. George was beheaded on April 23, 303 (May 6, 303, in line with the Russian Orthodox calendar).

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