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| Families enjoying St. George Day |
On Saturday, 23 April 2016 a group gathered to celebrate
Saint George (Mar Jirjus), the patron saint of England and Beirut, and raise
funds for the restoration of the Anglo-American Cemetery of Beirut.
The festivities took place at the Colonel
brewery in northern seaside city of Batroun
and were attended by numerous guests, including His Excellency Hugo Shorter,
British Ambassador to Lebanon. Events included a historic tour of the city, a
visit to Saint
Georges Church, and a cricket match organized by the Saint George’s Cricket
Club of Lebanon. The traditional British delicacy of “Bangers mash and onion
gravy” were served (in addition to the host’s Colonel beer). Funds were raised
through the sale of raffles and the donation of a beautiful painting by Tom Young. Clothing and non-perishable
foods were also collected for the needy in Lebanon.
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| UK Ambassador Hugo Shorter with Jamil Haddad, owner of Colonel Beer |
According
to tradition, Saint George was to born in the 3rd Century to
Christian parents in Lydda, Palestine (although some accounts say that he was
born in Anatolia, but raised in Palestine). He joined the Roman army and it was
as a soldier that he accomplished his most famous feat: slaying the dragon.
Bruce
Condè wrote, “Beirut being blockaded by a monster who periodically arose out of a
small lake or well between the town and the river, to terrorize the
inhabitants, the people begged their ruler to accede to the creature's demand
for the surrender of his daughter as the price of the city's freedom. As the weeping princess left the Bab
es-Serail (east) gate of the town walls, St. George rescued her from the
dragon, killing it a short distance from the well and freeing the city.”
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| icon from Saint George Maronite Cathedral |
Saint George (Mar Jirjus) is unique in that he is one of the
few saints revered by both “eastern” and “western” churches. In central Beirut
are located the Saint
George Maronite Cathedral as well as Saint Georges Greek
Orthodox Cathedral. Within Muslim communities he is sometimes referred to
as “al-Khadr” (Saint Elias also shares this distinction). Events, such as the
annual Saint George Day, are important in that they bring together individuals
from different nationalities and religious backgrounds in Lebanon—an ideal also
upheld by the Anglo-American Cemetery.
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| Guests enjoying the festivities |
The Anglo-American Cemetery Association would like to thank
Ms. Sabina Llewellyn-Davies for coordinating this event and her support for the
Anglo-American Cemetery, the generous donation by D.G.Jones & Partners (ME) Ltd towards the AACA’s restoration work, Jamil Haddad and Colonel Brewery for hosting the event, and all who attended and supported this worthy cause.
Christine B. Lindner
6 May 2016
Photographs courtesy of Sabina Llewellyn-Davies and Jonathan Mayers
