[7] The name "Andrew" (meaning manly, brave, from Ancient Greek: ἀνδρεία, romanized: andreía, lit.These narratives record that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship.In this narrative, Jesus initially used a boat, solely described as being Simon's, as a platform for preaching to the multitudes on the shore and then as a means to achieving a huge trawl of fish on a night which had hitherto proved fruitless.According to the 12th-century Primary Chronicle, Andrew visited Scythia and Greek colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea before making his way to Chersonesus in Crimea.[24] According to the legend, attributed to Nestor the Chronicler, Andrew reached the future capital of Kievan Rus' and foretold the foundation of a great Christian city with many churches.Shortly thereafter, most of the relics were transferred from Patras to Constantinople by order of the Roman emperor Constantius II around 357 and deposited in the Church of the Holy Apostles.A cathedral was built, dedicated to Saint Andrew, as is the town itself, to house a tomb in its crypt where it is maintained that most of the relics of the apostle, including an occipital bone, remain.In 1461, when the Ottomans crossed the Strait of Corinth, Palaiologos fled Patras for exile in Italy, bringing with him what was purported to be the skull of Saint Andrew.He gave the head to Pope Pius II, who had it enshrined in one of the four central piers of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and then in Pienza, Italy.[3] In September 1964, Pope Paul VI, as a gesture of goodwill toward the Greek Orthodox Church, ordered that the one relic of Saint Andrew held in Vatican City be returned to Patras.Cardinal Augustin Bea, head of the Vatican's Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, led a delegation that presented the skull to Bishop Constantine of Patras on 24 September 1964.The cross of the apostle was presented to the Bishop of Patras Nicodemus by a Catholic delegation led by Cardinal Roger Etchegaray.This tradition derives from Byzantine sources, particularly Niketas David Paphlagon (died c. 890) who asserts that "Andrew preached to the Iberians, Sauromatians, Taurians, and Scythians and to every region and city, on the Black Sea, both north and south.The official stance of the Romanian Orthodox Church is that Andrew preached the Gospel in the province of Dobruja (Scythia Minor) to the Dacians who were similar to Thracians, whom he is said to have converted to Christianity.They take the idea to be a part of the ideology of Dacianism, which they claim to purport that the Eastern Orthodox Church has been a companion and defender of the Romanian people for its entire history, aspect supposedly used for propaganda purposes during the communist era.Scholar Mircea Eliade argues in favor of structural links between Zamolxism and Christianity,[58] thus suggesting a higher likelihood of early conversion.[d] One of the foundational narratives associated with the history of Orthodoxy in Russia is found in the 12th-century Primary Chronicle, which says that the Apostle Andrew visited Scythia and Greek colonies along the northern coast of the Black Sea before making his way to Chersonesus in Crimea.[24][60] According to this legend, Andrew reached the future location of the capital of Kievan Rus' and foretold the foundation of a great Christian city in Kiev (modern Kyiv) with many churches.[24] Despite the lack of historical evidence supporting this narrative, modern church historians in Russia have often incorporated this tale into their studies.The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland.The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.A local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief.Andrew is the patron saint of several countries and cities, including Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Ukraine, Sarzana,[2] Pienza[3] and Amalfi in Italy, Penrith in England,[65] Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque in the Philippines and Patras in Greece.
Saint Andrew (carving
c.
1500
) in the National Museum of Scotland
Traditional stone fireplace in northern England. The carved Saint Andrew's cross in the left-hand wooden post was to prevent witches from flying down the chimney, in
Ryedale Folk Museum
,
Hutton-le-Hole
.
Saint Andrew the Apostle
by Yoan from
Gabrovo
, 19th century