St Andrews - Patron saint of Scotland and an amazing town in Fife

St Andrews - Patron saint of Scotland and an amazing town in Fife

St Andrews is a beautiful and at the same time very important place in Scotland. It is located on Scotland's east coast north of the Firth of Forth in the Kingdom of Fife region and is best known for its university, golf and, of course, for Scotland's national saint, Saint Andrew. The cross of Saint Andrew on the Scottish flag refers to this apostle, whose relics, according to legend, were brought to Scotland in the 8th century. As a result, this very place developed into an early Christian settlement and later into Scotland's most important pilgrimage site. But why were the relics brought to the east coast of Scotland, of all places, when St Andrews was crucified in Patras?

The apostle Andrew was sentenced to death for converting the wife of the ruler of Patras to Christianity. His sentence: to death by crucifixion, just like his Lord and Master, Jesus Christ. But the apostle did not feel this death was worthy, for how could a simple fisherman like him go the same way as his master? So his last wish was to be allowed to die on a diagonal cross - nowadays known worldwide as St Andrew's Cross.

Legend has it that an angel appeared to St Regulus, the cemetery keeper of Patras in Greece, who gave him the task of bringing the relics of St Andrews to the western end of the world. And so St Regulus set off in his small boat with a few companions in the 4th century. Off the east coast of Scotland, they ran into a violent storm and suffered shipwreck. When St Regulus rescued himself ashore after the shipwreck, with nothing but his life and the relics of the Apostle of St Andrews in a chest under his arm, he was convinced this must be the end of the world he had come to - what is now St Andrews in Fife. On the site where his relics were then buried, a church was built which was to become the most important church in Scotland. In the 11th century, this church became a cathedral when St Andrews Castle - the bishop's seat - was built.

However, this is not yet the reason why St Andrew was declared the patron saint of Scotland. The explanation is given in another legend:

The Pictish king Angus (after whom Scotland's region in the east, north of Dundee, was named) was preparing for an important battle in the 9th century - of course, how could it be otherwise - against the English. Angus felt anything but confident of victory until he had an auspicious dream the night before the battle. Moreover, on the day of the battle, an X symbol - the symbol of Saint Andrew - appeared to him in the sky.... Angus sent a shouted prayer to heaven, promising that if he were victorious, the apostle would become Scotland's national saint. And indeed it came to pass that day!

Officially, however, St Andrews was not declared the patron saint of Scotland until 1320. The Guardians of Scotland have used a seal to authenticate legal documents since the 13th century, on which St Andrews is depicted on his special cross. During the reign of Robert III, the apostle's effigy was first struck on a coin, which was then worth 5 shillings.

30 November was designated as the apostle's day of honour. On this day, the saint is celebrated and honoured in ways that are common in Scotland: a ceilidh (traditional Scottish dancing), singing, poetry, food and drink, and of course a dram of Scotch whisky. Slàinte mhtath!

St Andrews - the town

St Andrews has a population of around 17,000, one in three of whom are students. In 2015, St Andrews was awarded the honorary title of "Reformation City of Europe" by the Community of Protestant Churches in Europe.

Construction of St Andrews Cathedral began in 1158. It was completed almost 2 centuries later in 1318. St Andrews Castle is a ruined bishop's seat perched on a cliff top. During the Scottish Wars of Independence, the castle was destroyed and rebuilt several times. It changed hands frequently between the Scots and the English and was finally destroyed by the Scots themselves in 1337 so that the English could no longer use it as a fortress. It remained in ruins until the early 15th century, when Bishop Walter Trail had it rebuilt. King James I received part of his education here from Bishop Henry Wardlaw and James III was born here.During the Reformation, St Andrews Cathedral was also destroyed by John Knox's followers. It was to replace the old church of St Regulus, the tower of which is still on the site. It is the largest church built in Scotland. In 1378 the cathedral was partly destroyed by fire but rebuilt. Today, only ruins remain on the site of what was once Scotland's largest building. The stones from the destroyed cathedral were used to build the city wall and surrounding houses.

The University of St Andrews, founded in 1410 by Bishop Henry Wardlaw and built in 1413, is the oldest university in Scotland and, along with Cambridge and Oxford, is one of the elite universities in Britain - and thus one of the best universities in the English-speaking world. In 1645-1646, St Andrews University also convened the Scottish Parliament. 1862 was also a turning point in history for this university when the first female student enrolled.

In 1754, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews was one of the first golf clubs to be founded in St Andrews, right on the Old Course, probably the most famous golf course in the world. The Old Course is where the international rules of golf are set today.