Andrew, apostle and martyr, older brother of St. Peter, and like
him, a fisherman by profession; he was the disciple of John the
Baptist and the very first disciple of Christ. The Greek
Orthodox Church gives him a role similar to that his brother St.
Peter has in the Catholic Church. St. Andrew preached and
evangelized Asia Minor and the "land of Scythians" present-day
Southern Russia, which is why his cult is very important in
Russia. He is patron saint of the country. In some western
regions, he is equally important: he is the patron saint of
Scotland, numerous churches are dedicated to him there, and also
the patron saint of the house of the Dukes of Burgundy. In
paintings St. Andrew is often depicted with a fishing net, or,
more often, with the saltire cross (a cross in the shape of an
X, also called St. Andrew's cross), it was believed that St.
Andrew was crucified on a cross of such shape. And ,vice versa,
the saltire cross is often used to represent St. Andrew, e.g. on
the National flag of Great Britai