Helped by the Angels, Saint Michael Confronts the Dragon of the Apocalypse and Casts it Out of Heaven

Depictions of sauroctonies (killing of dragons) abound in the illustrations of the Bible but also in hagiographic literature. Apart from Saint Michael, the best known of the sauroctonies is Saint George, patron saint of chivalry and symbol of faith overcoming evil. His cult was very popular in the East from the 4th century, but it was in the 13th century that his legend developed. These portrayals shaped the view of the medieval knight as a slayer of monsters.