The Way of St Andrews

St Andrew

According to the New Testament Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, and a fishermen. The Gospel of John states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist. Based on statements of John, Andrew recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and introduce his brother to him. In the gospels, Andrew is mentioned as telling Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes (John 6:8). Origen says Andrew preached in Scythia. He is also said to have preached along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kiev, and Novgorod. According to tradition, he founded the See of Byzantium (Constantinople). He is also said to have preached in Thrace.

Relics of St Andrew come to Scotland

Andrew is said to have been martyred at Patras in Achaea, where, according to traditional accounts, he was crucified upside down, on an X -shaped cross, commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross".

St Jerome wrote that the relics of St Andrew were taken from Patras to Constantinople around 357. Following the sack of Constantinople in 1208, relics were dispersed to many locations. One story holds that a monk, St. Rule, Rule gathered together the relics and came to Scotland, where he founded a Christian settlement on the east coast. However, it is possible that they were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who brought them to Pictish country around 732, when he founded a see on the site of St Andrews.

St Andrew as patron saint of Scotland

The story surrounding St Andrew and Scotland says that in the 8th century a Pictish king, Angus Macfergus, was retreating back into Scotland after a raid in Northumbria in the north of England. When he found himself surrounded by the much larger pursuing army, that night he prayed, and St Andrew appeared before him and promised him victory. The following day, a huge white cross appeared in the blue sky and this inspired Angus's army to win a great victory. The Flag of Scotland, a white X on a blue background, dates from this event. From then on St Andrew increasingly became accepted as the patron saint of Scotland.

About a century later, under rather similar circumstances, St James rose to become the patron saint of Spain. The Christian kings were involved in the long "reconquest' of Spain and, at a battle in 844, the miraculous appearance of St James on horseback helped put the Moors to flight. Also, at this time, the relics of St James were discovered in a field and became the object of a local cult, which subsequently grew into a pilgrimage.

Start of pilgrimage tradition

There are records going back as far as the 10th century of kings and princes coming to St Andrews as pilgrims to pray at the shrine which housed the relics of St Andrew, and sometimes ending their days there. This trend continued, and by the early 12th century the existing town was struggling to deal with the increasing numbers. The king, Alexander I of Scotland, recognised the need for a larger church and a system to cope with the visiting pilgrims.

With royal encouragement and funds the newly elected bishop, Robert, started to build a great new cathedral complex with four main streets leading to it from the east, in a design that was probably an accidental imitation of the scallop shell, the badge of pilgrimage. The cathedral, dominated by the tower dedicated to St Rule, became one of the largest buildings in Europe. Whether by accident or deliberate one-upmanship, the internal length of St Andrews Cathedral was 108 metres, 12 metres longer than the cathedral at Santiago.

Alexander's successor, David I of Scotland, continued with royal support and, from this time onwards, royal protection was promised to the pilgrims. Numbers steadily increased. From the east, pilgrims arrived mainly from the continent at North Berwick, where they took the ferry to the south coast of Fife, arriving at Earlsferry and travelling the last 15 miles on foot to St Andrews along a track the width of "a donkey with two panniers". From the south, pilgrims arriving at modern South Queensferry were ferried across the Firth of Forth before proceeding to St Andrews, a journey of around 50 miles.

Pilgrimage began to fall off as wars wracked Scotland, and even more so with the coming of the Reformation. In 1559, John Knox, the great Protestant reformer, preached a sermon in St Andrews urging the pillage and destruction of the cathedral. Fortunately, the relics were removed to safety, but the destruction and looting started that day, and eventually reduced the flourishing religious centre to the gaunt but massive ruins which still dominate the town today. The 500-year-old tradition of the pilgrimage to St Andrews was at an end.

Revival of pilgrimage tradition in Scotland

The last 100 years has also seen a remarkable rise of pilgrimage in Scotland. The early lead came from Presbyterian ministers with a renewed interest in the early Christian church and the Celtic saints. Ironically, these men were of the same religion as those who had destroyed the cathedral at St Andrews and wiped out pilgrimage to Scotland. The famous Isle of Iona, with the abbey founded by St Columba, was the first to be put back on the pilgrimage map under the guidance and leadership of the Reverend George Macleod. Then, following in his footsteps, other ministers and academics, like Dr Ian Bradley and the Reverend Andrew Patterson, helped promote other shrines and sites associated with early saints into a national network of walks.

Other churches followed, starting their own pilgrimage projects, and in 2012 some lay members of the diocese of Edinburgh and St Andrews decided to revive the ancient pilgrimage to St Andrews. This ecumenical venture received the enthusiastic support of the Roman Catholic hierarchy and other church leaders.

The organisers were open in their respect for the hard work and faith which had revived the "Camino" to Santiago de Compostela in the late 20th century and made it the world-famous attraction it is today, so it was not surprising that they chose a similar pilgrimage model. The Way of St Andrews, quickly dubbed "The Little Camino", is therefore open to all, whatever their religion or belief, and pilgrims can make their way, normally by foot or bicycle, at their own speed, by special routes and ways from all over Scotland to St Andrews. There they can wander around the massive ruins and imagine what it must have been like in its bustling heyday before going off for a round of golf, a swim in the sea, or to sit in the local pubs, chatting to the university students in their red gowns, and enjoying beer and seafood.

The pilgrimage is "volunteer-based" and has received much support from the students of Edinburgh University who have helped with website design, social media and route research. A competition for a badge for the pilgrimage was launched. Contributions were placed on the website and the current favourite is a scallop shell on a background of the Scottish flag designed by a student from Romania. An equivalent to the "Compostela", the traditional pilgrim passport - which pilgrims can get stamped along the way - is also available from the website as a "Way Card", a record of the places visited and a lasting reminder of the experience.

The first modern St Andrews pilgrims

The first route, St Margaret's Way was formally blessed and inaugurated in July 2012 during high mass in Edinburgh's Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral, and the pilgrims congregated round Eduardo Paolozzi's famous sculpture "The Big Foot", an allegory for pilgrimage. There were about 50 pilgrims, including a party of Roman Catholic ladies from North Lanarkshire, 2 nuns on bicycles, a visiting Spaniard and a man who just been made redundant with his 10-year-old son. The pilgrimage finished at St Andrews with an open-air procession and high mass in the ruins of the cathedral. The pilgrimage was covered by the BBC with interviews given by a Cardinal and a Presbyterian minister.

Modern pilgrimage

What distinguishes "The Way" from many other pilgrimages is the "pick and mix" approach, recognising that nowadays the traditional practice of the individual or group walking every day, every mile in all weather to St Andrews does not work for everyone. Fortunately, Scotland has a mild climate and seldom suffers extremes of heat and cold, so the pilgrimage season can extend from March to November. Scotland offers great scenic diversity in a small area, and pilgrims can take their choice of routes, coastal, hillside or quiet roads through rural communities. On most routes there are bed and breakfasts along the way, and good public transport, so pilgrims who fall behind on their schedule can catch up with a bus or train.

St. Margaret's Way

The Way of St. Andrew starts at the cathedral in Edinburgh. The first route, St Margaret's Way, named after the Queen of Scotland, starts in Edinburgh, and follows quiet roads and bike tracks to South Queensferry, across the Forth Road Bridge and onto the Fife Coastal Path to Earlsferry (where pilgrims landed over 500 years ago) and then north in their ancient footsteps to St Andrews, a distance of 100 kilometres.

St. Columba's Way

St. Columba's Way run east about 200 miles from the historic Isle of Iona to St Andrews. The Way is marked by diverse and breathtaking scenery, along remote coasts, across hills, through glens, or by quiet roads through friendly highland villages.