Today, St George's Day, where we celebrate the Turkish migrant worker who never came to Britain
He'd be banned from Britain now, actually
Always fascinated at how the patron saint of England had never visited England
St George was born in Cappadocia, Turkey. He was killed by Roman Emperor Diocletian for refusing to denounce Christianity and instead worship the Roman gods in 303 AD
By the 5th century, churches were being dedicated to him in Jerusalem, Egypt, and Syria
By the 6th century, his name appeared in Christian texts across Europe, and he was revered as a military saint, a protector of soldiers and defenders of the faith
Churches in his name were established in the region, and St. George became the patron saint of many Palestinian Christian communities
During the 11th-13th century crusades, English knights fighting in the Holy Land heard stories of St George appearing in visions to help Christian armies. He was seen as a divine warrior—ideal for a nation romanticizing knighthood and bravery
St George became the patron saint in the 14th century when Edward III adopted him as the emblem of the Order of the Garter
By the 15th century, St George had eclipsed earlier English saints like St Edmund. In 1415, his feast day (April 23) was made a national feast day in England
Technically, without a British passport or visa St George wouldn't be able to come to the UK today. However, as he was being persecuted, he could claim asylum in the UK under the 195 1 Refugee Convention