The Relic Shrine of St. Andrew at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh
Happy Feast of St. Andrew! This year I’m really celebrating this feast since I actually got to hang out with him when I was in Edinburgh. Let’s talk about his relics, prayers, and FOOD…
The relics of St. Andrew. On the right is a portion of St. Andrew’s shoulder.
The relics actually have an interesting story: (From the shrine’s website)
The bones of the martyred Saint were buried in Patras and remained there until 357 AD, when most were removed to Constantinople at the command of the emperor Constantine. From this time devotion to St Andrew spread throughout the western Church. In the eastern Church St Andrew also gained a devoted following, becoming the patron saint of both Greece and Russia.
In 1204, French and Venetian Crusaders sacked Constantinople. The French removed many relics (including the Shroud), to Western Europe. To protect the relics of the Apostle, Cardinal Peter of Capua, the Papal Legate to the East, brought the body of St Andrew to his home town, Amalfi, in southern Italy. …Legend has it that relics of St Andrew were brought to Scotland by St Rule from Patras. What probably happened was that the relics were brought from Rome by St Augustine in 597AD as part of his great mission to bring the Word to the Anglo-Saxons. In 732 they were brought from Hexham to Fife by Bishop Acca, who was seeking asylum with the Pictish King Oengus (Angus). The relics were held at Kilrymont, which was later renamed St Andrews. From this time, the remains of the first-called Apostle became a major focus of European pilgrimage, second only to Compostella. Numbers coming to venerate the relics of the Saint grew quickly.
In the 11th century St Margaret, Queen of Scotland, endowed a ferry service across the river Forth and hostels, at North and South Queensferry, for pilgrims. The relics were initially housed in St Rule’s Church and eventually in the great medieval Cathedral of St Andrews. Twice a year the relics were carried in procession around the town. Masters and scholars from the colleges, Greyfriars, Blackfriars and Augustinian canons of the metropolitan church and trade guilds all participated. Cathedral and church bells rang and in the evening there were bonfires and fireworksThrough the dark ages, and medieval period of Scottish history, the Apostle played a major role in the creation and defining of the Scottish nation. It was commonly believed that the Apostle Andrew had chosen the Scottish people to care for and honour his relics. And so the patron saint, the Saltire flag, the relics and the See of St Andrew became crucial symbols of nationhood.
On 14 June 1559 the interior of St Andrews Cathedral, including the shrine and relics, was destroyed by reformers who had accompanied John Knox to the city.
The three centuries that followed were difficult for Catholicism in Scotland. Catholic worship was outlawed. The traditions were kept alive in a few outlying glens and islands. Catholics in cities and towns had to rely on visiting priests, trained overseas. Priests like the Jesuit martyr St John Ogilvie operated underground and were put to death if discovered.
It wasn’t until 1878, when the Catholic hierarchy in Scotland was restored, that the shrine was re-created after Edinburgh had been named the Metropolitan See of Scotland. (ie, the chief diocese of Scotland) Originally housing the portion of St. Andrew’s shoulder, in 1969 Pope Paul VI gave another relic to the newly created Scottish cardinal, Gordon Joseph Gray—the first Scottish cardinal in 400 years!
Both relics are now placed in the altar as you see above, in reliquaries. In May 1982, Pope St. John Paul II visited the shrine.
One of my favorite Advent devotions is the St. Andrew novena, which begins today and ends on Christmas Eve. The novena consists of saying this prayer 15 times a day:
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
Unlike a lot of novenas, this one isn’t prayers for St. Andrew’s intercession; it just starts on his feast day, which is usually in the beginning of Advent (not this year!) .
There is also this prayer of St. Andrew:
O good Cross,
Made beautiful by the body of The Lord:
Long have I desired you,
Ardently have I loved you,
Unceasingly have I sought you out;
And now you are ready for my eager soul.
Receive me from among men and restore me to my Master,
So that He — who by means of You, in dying redeemed me —
May receive me. Amen.
If you’re looking for some Scottish recipes, here are some to try. I personally love to make Cock-A-Leekie soup, Scotch broth, and shortbread.
If, like me, you’re an Outlander fan, then definitely check out the Outlander Cookbooks, Vol. 1 and 2!* (These would make great Christmas gifts as well.)