George (Georgius) was a popular saint in the Middle Ages. Knights considered him their patron saint, churches were named after him. This also applies to the parish church of Amersfoort. Joris's heraldic coat of arms is a red cross on a white field. That coat of arms is carried by every city and country that has adopted Saint George as its patron saint, such as England, Georgia, Barcelona and Amersfoort.

The daughter and the dragon

Georgius was an officer in the Roman army and a Christian in the 3rd century. Christians were persecuted when they refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. So was Joris: he was eventually beheaded. In the Middle Ages the legend arose that he saved an innocent king's daughter from the clutches of an evil dragon. George symbolizes the battle between good and evil.