History

Soßmar was first mentioned in a document dating from the 11th March 1146 granting the monastery 8 morgen of farmland.

Site

Soßmar ist a village in Lower Saxony, about 30km south of Hanover, 13km east of Hildesheim and 12km west of Peine, only a few minutes from the national highways B494 and B65.
One can reach the motorway A2 via Peine, Hämelerwald, Lehrte or Sehnde/Ilsede/Hanover in about 20 minutes.
One can reach the motorway A7 via Sehnde/Ilsede/Hanover or Hildesheim/Drispenstedt in the same time.

Neighbouring places

Hohenhameln, Clauen, Bierbergen, Bründeln, Neu Oedelum, Rautenberg

Places that belong to the Hohenhameln Community

Hohenhameln, Soßmar, Clauen, Bierbergen, Bründeln, Equord, Harber, Mehrum, Ohlum, Rötzum, Stedum

Management ratios

777 inhabitants*3
compared to 9.461 inhabitants in the whole community. *3
(Source: Town hall of Hohenhameln)

Coat of arms

Soßmar's coat of arms shows Saint George and his fight with the dragon.

According to the legend, a dragon made its nest at the spring that provided water for the city of Cyrene in Libya or the city of Lydda, depending on the source. Consequently, the citizens had to dislodge the dragon from its nest for a time, in order to collect water. To do so, each day they offered the dragon a human sacrifice. The victim was chosen by drawing lots. One day, this happened to be the princess. The monarch begged for her life with no result. She was offered to the dragon, but there appeard the saint on his travels. He faced the dragon, slayed it and rescued the princess. The grateful citizens abandonned their ancestral paganism and converted to Christianity.

Patronage and remembrance
In 1969, Saint George's feast day was reduced to an optional memorial in the Roman Catholic calendar; the solemnity of his commemoration depends on purely local observance. He is, however, still honoured as a saint of major importance by the Eastern Orthodox Church and in Oriental Orthodoxy.


England
A 2006 gold proof half sovereign by the Royal Mint depicting St George killing the dragonThe cult of St George probably first reached the Kingdom of England when the crusaders returned from the Holy Land in the 12th century. King Edward III of England (reigned 1327 – 1377) was known for promoting the codes of knighthood and in 1348 founded the Order of the Garter. During his reign, George came to be recognised as the patron saint of England; prior to this, Saint Edmund had been considered the patron saint of England, although his veneration had waned since the time of the Norman conquest, and his cult was partly eclipsed by that of Edward the Confessor. Edward dedicated the chapel at Windsor Castle to the soldier saint who represented the knightly values of chivalry which he so much admired, and the Garter ceremony takes place there every year. In the 16th Century, William Shakespeare firmly placed St George within the national conscience in his play Henry V in which the English troops are rallied with the cry “God for Harry, England and St George.” On June 2 1893, Pope Leo XIII demoted St George as Patron Saint for the English, relegating him to the secondary rank of 'national protector' and replaced him with St Peter as the Patron Saint of England. The change was solemnly announced by Cardinal Herbert Vaughan in the Brompton Oratory. This papal pronouncement served to exclude the Catholic Church in England from a day which is part of English tradition. In 1963, in the Roman Catholic Church, St George was further demoted to a third class minor saint and removed him from the Universal Calendar, with the proviso that he could be honoured in local calendars. Pope John Paul II, in 2000, restored St George to the Calendar, and he appears in Missals as the English Patron Saint.

With the revival of Scottish and Welsh nationalism, there has been renewed interest within England in St George, whose memory had been in abeyance for many years. This is most evident in the St George's flags which now have replaced Union Flags in stadiums where English sports teams compete. Nevertheless, St George’s Day still remains a relatively low-key affair with the City of London not publicly celebrating the patron saint. However, the City of Salisbury does hold an annual St George’s Day pageant, the origins of which are believed to go back to the thirteenth century.


Palestine
Saint George is the patron saint of the Palestinian Christians, who lay claim to him as Saint George was from Palestine. In the areas around Bethlehem, where Saint George is said to have lived in his childhood, many Christians and many Muslims as well have a picture of St-George (known as Mar Girgius) in front of their homes, for his protection. In one hotel in Bethlehem, the Saint appears over the elevator, as well as other places throughout the structure.

Lebanon
Saint George is the patron saint of Beirut. Many bays around Lebanon are named after Saint George, particularly the Saint George Bay in Beirut.

The Bay of Saint George in Beirut is believed to be the place where the dragon lived and where it was slain.[8] In Lebanon, Saint George is believed to have cleaned off his spear at a massive rocky cave running into the hillside and overlooking the beautiful Jounieh Bay. Others argue it is at the Bay of Tabarja. The waters of both caves are believed to have miraculous powers for healing ailing children.[9]

An ancient gilded icon of St. George at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Beirut has been a major attraction for believers, Copts, Greek Orthodox, Catholics, Maronites and some Muslims, for many centuries.[10] Many churches are named in honor of the saint in Lebanon:

The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George, Centre Ville, Beirut, Lebanon
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George, Souk El Gharb, Lebanon
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint George, Tripoli, Lebanon
The Greek Catholic Church of Saint Georges of Bmakine, Souk El Gharb, Lebanon
The Maronite Catholic Cathedral of Saint George, Centre Ville, Beirut, Lebanon
The Maronite Catholic Cathedral of Saint George, Ehden, Lebanon
Holy Monastery of Saint George, Deir El Harf, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Ain Bourdai, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Barsaa, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Beit Mery, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Edde, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Faitroun, Keserwan District, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Kfeir, Mount Hermon, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Khonchara, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Nahr Barada, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Qaitouli, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Qlaia, South Lebanon, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Rmaich, South Lebanon, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Sarba, South Lebanon, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Sarine, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
Saint Georges of Zouk Mikael, Keserwan District, Mount Lebanon, Lebanon
Triple Church of St. George, Tabarja, Lebanon

Georgia
Alaverdi Monastery of Kakheti, in GeorgiaSaint George is a patron saint of Georgia. According to Georgian author Enriko Gabisashvili, Saint George is most venerated in the nation of Georgia. An 18th century Georgian geographer and historian Vakhushti Bagrationi wrote that there are 365 Orthodox churches in Georgia named after Saint George according to the number of days in a one year. [11] There are indeed many churches in Georgia named after the Saint and Alaverdi Monastery is one of the largest.
The Georgian Orthodox Church commemorates St. George's day twice a year, on May 6 (O.C. April 23) and November 23. The feast day in November was instituted by St Nino of Cappadocia, credited with bringing Christianity to the Georgians in the fourth century. She was from Cappadocia like Saint George and was his relative. This feast day is unique to Georgia and it is the day of St. George's martyrdom.


Bulgaria
Possibly the most celebrated name day in the country, St George's Day (Гергьовден, Gergyovden) is a public holiday that takes place on 6 May every year. A common ritual is to prepare a whole lamb and eat lamb, which is an ancient practice possibly related to Slavic pagan sacrificial traditions and the fact that he is the patron saint of the shepherds.

St. George's Day is also the Day of the Bulgarian Army (made official with a decree of Knyaz Alexander of Bulgaria on 9 January 1880) and parades are organised in the capital Sofia to present the best of the army's equipment and manpower.


Catalonia, Aragon and Portugal
On the Iberian peninsula, Saint George also came to be considered as patron to the Crown of Aragon and Catalonia, Valencia and Majorca; (Catalan language: Sant Jordi and Portugal (Portuguese language: São Jorge). Already connected in accepting George as their patron saint, in 1386 England and Portugal agreed to an Anglo-Portuguese Alliance. Today this treaty between the United Kingdom and Portugal is still in force.

His feast date, April 23, is one of the most important holidays in Catalonia, where it is traditional to give a present to the loved one; red roses for the women and books for the men. It's also the Day of Aragon (Spain). This, together with the anniversary of the deaths, in 1616, of Cervantes and Shakespeare, has led UNESCO to declare April 23 World Book and Copyright Day.


Greece
In Greece, St. George is the patron saint of the Hellenic Army. His image adorns all regimental battle flags (Colours), and military parades are held in his honour on 23 April every year in most army garrison towns and cities.


Brazil
In the religious tradition of the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé, Ogoun (as this Yoruba divinity is known in the Portuguese language) is often identified with Saint George in many regions of the country, being widely celebrated by both religions' followers.


United States
The United States Armor Association ("a non-profit organization with over 6,000 members dedicated to disseminating knowledge of the military art and sciences, with special attention to mobility in ground warfare"[12]) "recognizes its finest tankers and cavalrymen" with a bronze medal of the Order of St. George.[13]. St George is also known to be the patron saint of the Boy Scouts of America.[14]


India
There are numerous churches dedicated to St. George in India (especially in Kerala) practising Oriental Orthodoxy.


Freemasons
The Freemasons consider St. George one of their primary patron saints. The United Grand Lodge of England holds its annual festival on a day as near as possible to St. George's Day, and St. George is depicted on the ceiling of the Grand Lodge Temple on Great Queen Street, London. A number of Masonic lodges around the world bear the name of St. George.


Scouting
St George's Day is also celebrated with parades in those countries of which he is the patron saint. Also, St George is the patron saint of English Scouting. On St George's day (or the closest Sunday), Scouts from England generally take part in a parade and some kind of church service in which they renew their Scout Promise.


Other
In Italy, Saint George is the patron saint of Reggio Calabria. He is also apparently the patron saint of skin disease sufferers and syphilitic people.[2] In Colombia there is a school called Gimnasio Campestre which honors St. George and where they recite his hymn every Friday.

map of Soßmar