Dr Sam Riches has researched the cult of St George at home and abroad for more than twenty years. During that time she has uncovered various ‘lost’ aspects of this saint: he is often treated, in England at least, as a rather embarrassing relic of the British Empire but actually has far more to offer to his many adherents around the world.

In this presentation Sam will discuss some of the ways that imagery of St George was used to enable discussion of gender and sexuality in late medieval European culture, and the impact that the rediscovery of this tradition is having on current reappraisals of the art and culture of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.Sam is an active researcher, with a number of publications to her name on the cult of St George and the interplay between gender identity and and saintliness in the late medieval period. She is also the Academic Co-ordinator of the Regional Heritage Centre at Lancaster University.

Part of the LGBTQ+ History Month series of events from the Lancaster University LGBTQ+ Staff Network.