Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Happy Name Day, Jiří. Všechno nejlepší k svátku!


Today we honor Jiří.  Happy name day, Jiří!
The name Jiří is the Czech form of George, which is of Greek origin and means "farmer".  St. George was a 3rd- century Roman soldier from Palestine who was martyred during the persecutions of emperor Diocletian.  Later legends describe his defeat of a dragon, with which he was often depicted in medieval art.


Painting by Gustave Moreau depicting Saint George slaying the dragon