Andrew was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus.
He and his brother, Simon Peter, also a disciple, were fishermen in Galilee.

St Andrew is patron saint of 6 countries – Barbados, Romania, Russia, Scotland, Spain and Ukraine – and various cities – Amalfi, Pienza and Sarzana (Italy), Luqa (Malta), Parañaque (Philippines) and Patras (Greece).

St Andrew is also the patron saint of fishermen, singers and pregnant women and is believed to offer protection against sore throats and gout.

Scotland has had a strong link with St Andrew going back to the early Middle Ages. The presence of some of his remains – a tooth, kneecap, arm and finger – in Scotland saw St Andrews Cathedral in Fife become a popular site of medieval pilgrimage.

St Andrew’s Day was first celebrated – not in Scotland, but in the USA – on 30th November 1729, by a group of wealthy Scottish ex-pats, who set up the St Andrew’s Society of Charleston in South Carolina.

The St Andrew’s Society of the State of New York then helped popularise the day from 1756 onwards.