A card arrived from Georgia (the Republic) this week and it made my day for various reasons. It has a nice clear Tbilisi postmark (I'm becoming more like my father every day) and is dated 30 October 2009. Georgia is one of the "rare" Postcrossing countries and in fact the person who sent this to me is ranked top of all members from Georgia, having sent three (3) cards!
Of course the main reason for being pleased is that it shows a statue of St. George and the dragon, and as I live in England I have a very soft spot for the patron saint of England. He is also the patron saint of Aragon, Catalonia, Ethiopia, Georgia, Greece, Lithuania, Palestine, Portugal, and Russia, as well as the cities of Amersfoort, Beirut, Bteghrine, Cáceres (Spain), Ferrara, Freiburg, Genoa, Ljubljana, Gozo, Pomorie, Qormi, Lod, Barcelona and Moscow, so a very busy saint as probably befits one of the most venerated saints in a number of different Christian churches.
Georgia, the country, may have taken its name from St George though there are several possibilities. The name Georgia was first used by the Crusaders. The first modern state was called the Democratic Republic of Georgia in 1912, in 1921 it became the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, then on leaving the USSR it became the Republic of Georgia, and finally in 1995, simply Georgia.
The legend of St George and the Dragon was first published as one of the stories in the Golden Legend, translated into Middle English and published by William Caxton, so making it an early bestseller!
This is a post for Postcard Friendship Friday.
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Sheila, St. Geroge was the patron saint of my husband's fraternity in college. That is a beautiful postcard! Happy PFF!
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous card - my soft spot is for the dragon though. ;)
ReplyDeleteGreat statue and an interesting write-up about St. George!
ReplyDeleteIt is so nice that you provided that education bit about St. George and all the related towns, regions, etc of which he is the patron saint. It is wonderful to see these beautiful postcards and to learn something as well!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful statue! I love the postcard--Happy PFF!
ReplyDeleteI completely understand why they all choose St. George; he's a very appealing character. In any case, this is a beautiful card. And Georgia, lucky you!
ReplyDeleteLucky you - a Georgia postcard from Postcrossing! I'm jealous ;-) My 'rarest' postcard is from Jersey, which is a separate country (for tax purposes I imagine).
ReplyDeleteGorgeous card and a very special one. Lucky you!
ReplyDeleteGmadlobt (thank you) for posting this. St. George is also my husband's patron saint. The Georgian name for the country is Sakartvelo, place of the Kartveli.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea St. George was so popular.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy your postcards. Thanks! and happy PFF.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information provided here. Happy PFF!
ReplyDeleteI learned all about St. George when making a game for our all saints party. (Its a dart board with a pic of a dragon and the kids are St. George!)
ReplyDeleteYES, GEORGIA IS A RARE POSTCROSSING COUNTRY. ONE OF THE REASONS IS THAT IT IS RATRHER EXPENSIVE TO SEND A POSTCARD FROM HERE; IT COSTS 4 GEL(AROUND 1.75 EUROS) FOR EUROPEAN COUNTRIES. AND EVEN MORE FOR OTHER CONTINENTS.BESIDES, THERE ARE ONLY AFEW POSTCARD COLLECTORS HERE
ReplyDeleteThat is a huge amount to pay for sending a postcard! No wonder not many people join.
ReplyDelete