The English cannot, though, claim him uniquely as their own for he is also the patron saint of Ethiopia, Catalonia and Georgia, the cities of Freiburg, Moscow and Beirut, as well as various professions, including farmers, soldiers and saddlers and, recently, he became the patron saint of the Scouts. It was during the Reformation that Edward VI effectively determined that he should become England’s patron saint. Veneration of St George spread across Europe and North Africa and he is held in great respect by Christians and Muslims alike. When the people of Silene decided that the king’s own daughter should be given to the dragon, St George intervened and killed the dragon. The Libyan city of Silene was threatened with destruction by a fierce dragon who demanded first sheep and then human beings be given to him each day. The legend which links him with slaying a dragon dates from the eleventh century. The fact that this soldier saint was so devoutly venerated by Christians later in the fourth century suggests he was a real, historical figure but we know virtually nothing about him. We know very little about St George but the early Greek and Latin versions of his story place him, like St Pantaleon, in Nicomedia, and he, too, was a victim of Diocletian’s persecution of Christians early in the fourth century. I am pleased to say that I have never forgotten our wedding anniversary and I have always remembered my wife’s birthday, too, but I could hardly forget this date as it is 23 April, St.
Apparently, when he finished his masterpiece, he stood back to admire it all, slipped and fell to his death on the church floor many feet below! It really is an astonishing piece of work but what has always stuck in my mind is an image of Fumiani painting over that long period high up on the scaffolding. It appeared as though there were angels and devils climbing down the walls towards us. We have not returned to Venice since our honeymoon so I do not know how the church is now organised but, when we were there, you had to put coins into a machine in order to activate the lights which enabled you to see the startling three-dimensional effects created by Fumiani’s skills as a painter.
This gruesome story is shown in great detail in Fumiani’s painting. It was only when St Pantaleon desired death that they were able to behead him! St Pantaleon’s executioners tried to kill him in many different ways – burning, drowning in molten lead, being thrown into the sea tied to a huge stone, feeding to wild beasts and being broken on the wheel – but Christ intervened on every occasion to save him. This painting tells the story of the legendary execution of St Pantaleon of Nicomedia, a Greek city in Turkey, which became the eastern capital of the Roman Empire under Diocletian, who is famous for his persecution of Christians. On the recommendation of the author, we went to the Church of St Pantaleon, which is famous for its huge, trompe l’oeil ceiling painted by Gian Antonio Fumiani between 16. Shortly before our wedding, there was an article in the travel section of one of the broadsheets about the hidden delights of Venice. We were fortunate not just with the weather. That is my recollection at least but my memory might be influenced by the happiness of my first week of married life. At one point during our stay the lagoon froze over but there was no wind or rain and the sky was cloudless every day. We were very fortunate to visit this wonderful city during the coldest spell they had experienced in more than decade. My wife and I were married on 21 December 1996 and we honeymooned in Venice until shortly before the New Year. As we approach the start of the summer term, stories connected with two saints have come to my mind. For many years I have written a weekly blog which goes out on Friday afternoons. Digital communication means it is now also very easy to write to parents, both current and prospective, through the school’s website. Apart from the obvious, set piece occasions, such as prize-giving ceremonies and words of thanks after a theatrical performance or concert, one of the most obvious ways of doing this is through talks given at assemblies. I think that most prep school heads will try to give a sense of what is important to them in a number of different ways. It is common to hear people talking about the ethos of a school or its values but, while these terms are easy to use, describing what they mean is much more difficult.
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