The Church of St. George –

The Triangle of Peace

Three places of worship stand near each other in the heart of the Old City of Lod, representing three religions: The Church of St. George, the Al-Omari Mosque (the Great Mosque) and the Sha’arei Shamayim (Heaven’s Gates) Synagogue. These sacred structures are testimony to the special social fabric that characterizes the town and its Jewish, Muslim and Christian residents.

 

The Church of St. George is regarded as the burial place of St. George, one of the best known saints of the Christian world. According to tradition, this church was first built during the time of Constantine the Great and his mother Helena, when the city was called Georgeopolis – i.e., the city of George, where he was born. During the Crusader period, an expansive church was erected on the same spot. The contemporary building was built at the end of the 19th century by the Greek Orthodox Church.

​

St. George – identity card

Born: circa 270 CE in Lod

Died: April 23, 303 CE in Nicomedia (modern İzmit), Turkey.

Occupation: an officer in the guard of the Roman emperor Diocletian.

Patron saint in: England, Georgia, Ethiopia, Montenegro, the cities of Moscow, Torino and Barcelona.

Buried in Lod during the reign of Constantine the Great.