Saint Andrew - patron saint of Scotland
St Andrew's day 30 November
Andrew was one of the twelve apostles, the brother of Simon Peter. As one of the earlier followers of John the Baptist, he later turned to Jesus and eventually died as a martyr to his Christian faith. He suffered an excruciating death of crucifixion at the hands of the Romans in AD60 on 30th November. This date is now firmly fixed on the calendar as St Andrew's Day by both the Greek Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches.
The X-shaped cross, known as a saltire, was adopted for the flag of Saint Andrew because this was the shape of the cross on which he was bound hand and foot to prolong his torturous death. The choice of the white ensign on a blue background is reputedly based on folklore about the Picts defending Scotland against a very large invading army. King Angus prayed to God for deliverance of the Scottish people and, it is said, the saltire miraculously formed up in the heavens from white clouds against the blue sky. The revelation of Saint Andrew's cross of martyrdom was taken as a clear signal of approval from God and that right would prevail. Following their inevitable victory over the invaders, Andrew was unofficially adopted as the Patron Saint of Scotland. Formal ratification by the church was not established until 1385 with the Declaration of Arbroath.
