This, predictably, didn't go down well with the pagan Romans, or the Emperor Nero. Roman soldiers captured Andrew and crucified him at Patra, Greece on November 30th, AD 60, or so tradition has it. Legend also says that St Andrew did not consider himself to be crucified on the same shape of cross as his Messiah and asked to be crucified on a crux decussata, the x-shaped cross that is now known as the Saltire.
Andrew is regarded as patron saint of fishermen, fishmongers and ropemakers. He is also patronn saint of the Ukraine, Romania, Russia, Sicily, Greece, Cyprus, Barbados, Prussia and, of course, Scotland.
Scotland? Yes, Scotland. Although he never set foot in Scotland when he was alive, some of the bones of the saint were brought over to Scotland centuries ago.
Many hundreds of years ago a holy man named Rule lived in Patras in Greece. One night an angel came to Rule in a dream and told him to "sail unto the ends of the Earth." St Rule gathered some companions together and set sail. He sailed round the coast of Spain, round the coast of France, and he was sailing round the East Neuk of Fife, still with no sign from God, when suddenly his prayers were answered and a great storm arose, and he was shipwrecked onto the shore in St Andrews Bay.
However, no sooner were Rule and his companions out of one danger, than they had landed in another, for, there, at the top of the shore, stood King Angus and his companions, ready to swoop down and plunder whatever they could.
Just then an angel rolled back the stormclouds and a great white cross slashed itself across the clear blue sky. At that time there was no RAF station at Leuchars; no flying machines to make vapour trails. There was no natural, rational explanation for this. King Angus and his companions were so amazed that they dropped to their knees and converted to Christianity on the spot. King Angus going further and granting a parcel of land to St Rule and his companions; land where the cathedral now stands, and there the relics stayed for many years until, during the Reformation, for safety's sake, they were moved, first to St Leonard's Hospital, which later became St Leonard's school. They were then moved to the bishop's castle, but then they disappeared, and it's now believed that they lie somewhere within the vaults of the Vatican.
During medieval times St Andrews town was as important a place of pilgrimageas any other in Europe.
St Columba was originally regarded as the patron saint of Scotland, but in 832 AD, on the eve of the battle of Athelstaneford, King Angus II prayed for victory and declared that if his heavily-outnumbered forces won the following day he would declare St Andrew to be patron Saint of Scotland.
Next morning when the troops readied themselves for battle a huge white cross appeared over them in the sky, and the battle was won.
St Andrew's day has been an official bank holiday in Scotland since 2006 and is our national day when we celebrate all things Scottish. Details of celebrations in St Andrews can be found at
http://standrewsfestival.org/
