| The history of Catalonia is fascinating and getting to know the history of this region in the north-east of Spain can give you a greater knowledge of its culture, language and politics.
Catalonia and Saint George
If you visit the Barrio Gòtico of Barcelona especially one figure is present no matter where you are. In paintings, sculptures, fountains, etc. It is a knight with his sword high in the air fighting an enormous dragon. The knight is of course Saint George and in the Catalan version his name is Sant Jordi. This is the patron saint of Barcelonas.
The Catalan version of the myth
According to the myth about Saint George, the dragon was terrifying a small village called Montblanc in the south-west of Catalonia. When it had eaten all the animals the village had to draw a person to satisfy the hunger of the evil dragon. When the name of the young princess came up Saint George came riding and he killed the dragon with his sword in the last moment. This myth about Saint Geroge can be found all over Europe (England, Georgia, Greece, etc.), but the Catalans have been drawn by the story to a higher degree than in most other places.
Sant Jordi as allegory
Maybe the reason is, that the Catalans see the myth as an allegorical story about the own history, and so pictures the evil dragon to be a symbol of Madrid and Central Power through history and the knight to be the saviour of the village. |
