Soßmar is a village in Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony

Lower Saxony is a German state situated in north-western Germany and is second in area and fourth in population among the sixteen states of Germany...

, about 30 km south of Hanover

Hanover

Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...

, 13 km east of Hildesheim

Hildesheim

Hildesheim is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located in the district of Hildesheim, about 30 km southeast of Hanover on the banks of the Innerste river, which is a small tributary of the Leine river...

 and 12 km west of Peine

Peine

Peine is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of the district Peine. It is situated on the river Fuhse and the Mittellandkanal, approx. 25 km west of Braunschweig, and 40 km east of Hanover.- History :...

, a few minutes from the national highways B494 and B65. The motorway A2 via Peine, Hämelerwald, Lehrte or Sehnde/Ilsede/Hanover can be reached in about 20 minutes and the motorway A7 via Sehnde/Ilsede/Hanover or Hildesheim/Drispenstedt in the same time.

Neighbouring places

Hohenhameln

Hohenhameln

Hohenhameln is a municipality in the district of Peine, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Peine, and 25 km southeast of Hanover.-Places that belong to the Hohenhameln Community:...

, Clauen, Bierbergen, Bründeln, Neu Oedelum, Rautenberg

Places that belong to the Hohenhameln Community

Hohenhameln

Hohenhameln

Hohenhameln is a municipality in the district of Peine, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approximately 15 km southwest of Peine, and 25 km southeast of Hanover.-Places that belong to the Hohenhameln Community:...

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

Stedum

Stedum is# a village in the Dutch province of Groningen. It is located in the municipality of Loppersum, about 15 km northeast of the city of Groningen.#: Stedum was a separate municipality until 1990, when it was merged with Loppersum....

History

Sossmar is possibly over 1,000 years old. There are references that the monastery acquired Corvey with Hoexter at the Weser between the years 826

826

Year 826 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Religion :* June 24 – The Danish king Harald Klak accepts Christianity.- Deaths :...

 and 853

853

Year 853 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar.- Egypt :* May 22–May 23 – A Byzantine fleet sacks and destroys Damietta in Egypt.- Asia :...

 possession at a settlement with the name Sursia. The only following name forms are occupied: 1146 Sutherem, 1243 Sutterum inxta Hamelen, in 14th Century then Sozerum, Sothzerum and Zocerem.
Soßmar was first mentioned in a document dating from the 11th March 1146 granting the monastery 8 morgen of farmland.

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 appeared the saint on his travels. He faced the dragon, slayed it and rescued the princess. The grateful citizens abandoned 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.