Feast day 30 November
Died c.60
Brother of St Peter, fisherman by trade; disciple of St John
the Baptist before following Christ. Always mentioned within
the first four in all Gospel lists of the Apostles. Later
history unknown though oldest written tradition links him
with Greece.
Notable cult in the West where many churches were dedicated
to him; ancient legends speak of a journey to Ethiopia and
the translation of his bones, by St Rule, from Patras to
Scotland in the 8th century. It was this story which appears
in many guises that led to his adoption as patron of
Scotland.
Generally depicted with the saltire cross ('X') which was
first associated with him in the 10th Century and became
common by the 14th.
D.H.Farmer
The Oxford Dictionary of Saints 1978
