Description
A limited edition (of 100) giclée print (375 x 297mm) from the original 30″ x 24″ oil painting of St Andrew. The painting is entitled ‘Who is this, who commands even the winds and the sea, and they obey him?’. The portrait of St Andrew forms part of a new exhibition of 12 portraits under the theme of ‘Poets, Saints & Rebels’. The portraits are of a poet, a saint and a rebel of each of the four countries of Great Britain and Ireland.
Please contact me here for details of how to commission an original portrait or to express interest in this painting.
About St Andrew
Saint Andrew (AD 5 – 60) was a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. Andrew and his brother Simon Peter became two of the 12 disciples of Jesus. He was born in Bethsaida, Galilee—now Israel. He became a follower of Jesus—one of the “fishers of men”—and preached throughout Sychia, Thrace and Byzantium, especially countries bordering the Black Sea.
St Andrew officially became Scotland’s patron saint at the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. He is also patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia—and fishermen.
Why is St Andrew Scotland’s patron saint?
One possible explanation is that the bones were allegedly brought to St Andrews in 732 AD by Acca, Bishop of Hexham. Acca was a venerator of Saint Andrew.
The other story suggests It was the Greek saint Regulus (sometimes St Rule) who had a vision in which he was told to take them “to the ends of the earth” for safekeeping. The Roman authorities had wished to keep them entombed in Constantinople. Regulus removed a tooth, arm bone, kneecap and some fingers from the tomb and journeyed as far as possible. Firstly, took the bones west on a ship. Then, as the vision had instructed him, wherever he landed he laid the foundations of a church.
The ship was driven ashore on the headland of Muckross in Fife into the village of Kilrymont. The place would later become St Andrews. Around the same time as Regulus arrived in Scotland, Scottish King Angus (Pictish King Óengus II) led an army into battle at Athelstaneford in AD 832. Fearing defeat against a much larger Northumbrian force, he led prayers for victory. As he prayed he saw a cloud formation of a white Saltire in the blue sky. The king vowed that if, with St Andrew’s help he won, he would make him the patron saint of Scotland. The Scots won and the Saltire became the flag of Scotland.
Andrew’s martyrdom
Andrew had converted multitudes to Christianity throughout the Mediterranean, including the wife of a Roman provincial governor, Aegeas, in southern Greece. He was told to stop spreading the teachings by the governor as he still believed in the Roman gods. When he refused, Andrew was sentenced to death by crucifixion in the city of Patras.
He died on 30 November AD60, now marked as St Andrew’s Day.
The symbolism of the Saltire
The National flag of Scotland, known as the Saltire, symbolises St Andrew’s crucifixion. Andrew had asked to be crucified on a diagonal cross as he felt unworthy to die on the same cross as Jesus. Consequently, the white diagonal cross a blue background is often referred to as St Andrew’s Cross. The Scottish flag also happens to be the oldest in Europe.
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