There is no consensus on how St Andrew came to be Scotland’s patron saint, but there are a number of theories. One states that relics belonging to St Andrew were brought to Scotland in the fourth century. These relics, kept at St Andrew’s cathedral in Kinrymount, Fife, then became a major destination for medieval pilgrims.
Another possible explanation is that in the 800s, Pictish king Angus MacFergus saw a saltire cross in the sky immediately before a battle, and took Saint Andrew as his patron from then on.
30th November
Saint Andrew was first made the official patron saint of Scotland at the Declaration of Arbroath in 1320. By 1390 Saint Andrew appeared on coinage for the first time, although the relics which initially led to his saintly status were destroyed during the Scottish Reformation in the 1500s.
St Andrew was crucified by the Romans on a diagonal cross, with the event apparently taking place on 30 November, hence the choice of day to mark his life.