Name: 'There is no spring without St George': England's patron saint in folk culture at home and abroad
Start: 2026-04-23T19:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-04-23T20:00:00+01:00
Location: Clitheroe Castle Museum

'There is no spring without St George': England's patron saint in folk culture at home and abroad

St George's day (23 April) is only rarely observed in modern England, but it is a very important feast day in many parts of Europe as it marks the turning of the seasons. This illustrated lecture will examine the origins of the legend of St George and the dragon, and place his English cult in the context of evidence for beliefs about nature, agriculture and the arrival of spring.
Dr Sam Riches is a cultural historian with a special interest in pseudo-historical saints, gender and monsters. She has studied the cult of St George for the past thirty years and has published two books - St George: Hero, Martyr and Myth (Sutton, 2000/2005) and St George: a Saint for All (Reaktion, 2015). A new edition of her first book was published by the History Press in 2025. Sam has made a radical reappraisal of the iconography of the saint with a dragon and has uncovered a broad range of understandings of this complex and sometimes controversial figure.
Booking essential. £6.00 per person including refreshments and a free pass to visit the museum (you will receive your free pass on arrival to be used within 30 days). Doors open 6.40pm for a 7pm start.