Happy St. Andrews Day!

Today, in Scotland, St. Andrew is celebrated.

First of all, a Follower of John the Baptist, knowing that they had found the Messiah, Andrew was “referred” by his brother Peter to the disciples of Jesus and became one of the first four apostles. After he preached mainly in Greece and today’s Turkey, he was crucified at the time of Emperor Nero on a November 30th at a diagonally running cross bar, which gave this variant the name Andreas Cross.

According to a Legend, in 832, Hungus -the King of the Scotti and the Picts- fought against attacking Anglo-Saxons and quickly found himself in distress. During the night Hungus, who was a christian believer, prayed for help and salvation from this precarious situation. At night St. Andrew appeared to him and assured the Victory. At dawn, as the Soldiers prepared for battle, the Clouds in the blue Sky assumed the shape of a diagonal Cross. Encouraged by this Sign, the Scotti and the Picts attacked the terrified Anglo-Saxons and defeated them. The white Andrew’s Cross on a blue background turned the Flag of Scotland and St. Andrew into the national saint.

Already a century earlier, the scottish Bishop Acca of Hexam, who was interested in the Saint, brought Relics of Andreas to Scotland, after which the respective city was renamed St. Andrews. Until a church looting during the Reformation, the Relics were kept in the local Church.