Georgij Ugrin, azaz Magyar György – az alig ismert szent
Georgiy Ugrin, or Hungarian George – a saint hardly known

Summary/Abstract: As it is known, Prince Boris had three Hungarians in his service, indeed three brothers, Moses, Efraim and George. Two of them, Moses and Efraim are well-known and widely respected saints of the Russian Orthodox Church. The youngest of the brothers, George, is much less known, although his name is mentioned both by the annals and by the legend of Boris and Gleb, the legends of the Holy Moses and Efraim, as well as works on church and monastic history, and a few liturgical texts. Along with his elder brothers, George also joined the service of Prince Boris, and soon became his close, beloved subject. The most important question the student of the life of Hungarian George must face is whether he can be regarded as a saint at all. Some sources call him George, others saint George. This is probably related to the fact that neither the documents nor the exact date of his canonization are known. On what grounds could he be recognised as a saint? (a) We believe he fulfilled with his deed Christ's teaching of the greatest love: „Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13). George knew he could not escape, indeed, he knew he would not be able to save his lord either, but still he sacrificed himself voluntarily to fulfil the Christian commandment. (b) George is mentioned twice in Minea , the most authoritative Orthodox liturgical book, at July 26, where the short legend of Holy Moses and the ecclesiastical ceremony to be performed in his honour can be found, and both times he is called saint. (c) Saints always have their own days in the church calendar. The Minea contains clear reference that the Church commemorates George on June 24, two days before his brother, on the same say that Saint Boris is remembered. (d) The no less authoritative Nastolnaya kniga svyashchenno-tserkovno-sluzhitelya” also prescribes June 24 as the day on which to celebrate Saint George's memory. (e) We can also mention as evidence Saint George's head, which was found in Saint Efraim's grave preserved in uncorrupted condition, and which might be found yet again. (f) Saints also have had their icons painted. Saint George has no icon of his own, but he appears in the icons representing Saint Boris and Saint Gleb in important moments of their lives. The present paper discusses one of these icons, which may be the best known, was painted in the 14th century, by a member of the Moscow icon painting school.

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