SAINT ANDREW, THE SALTIRE AND SCOTLAND


Flag of Scotland


Saint Andrew’s Day which closes out the month of November is named for Saint Andrew, who has been the patron Saint of Scotland for quite some time. Biblically, Andrew is the brother of Simon Peter, both of whom were fishermen. Andrew is reputed to have been crucified by being tied to (rather than nailed to) a crux decussata or “X” shaped cross, in accordance with his wishes not to have the same kind of cross used for Jesus. He claimed he was “unworthy” to have the same kind of cross. This is the Saltire, which becomes a symbol of Scotland.

Legend has it that it was in the 9th Century that Andrew became Scotland’s patron saint. In 832, in what is now the area of East Lothian known as Athelstaneford, there was a battle between the joint forces of the Picts and Scots (i.e. The Scoti - the Gaelic speaking inhabitants of Scotland) on the one hand and the Angles. Óengus II led his army against superior Angle forces under the leadership of Aethelstan. Greatly outnumbered, on the evening of the battle, Óengus II prayed and promised to make St. Andrew the patron saint of Scotland should he be victorious.

The morning of the battle came, there appeared in the skies a white crux decussata made of clouds against a blue sky. Taking this as a sign of victory, the army took to the field and were indeed victorious. True to his promise, Óengus II named Andrew the patron saint of Scotland and the Saltire represents the white clouds against the blue sky.

This story, however, seems to date from a later time (perhaps 12th Century or a bit earlier). Some of these earlier stories mention the battle as well although the enemy is not named.

Complicating matters, is the fact that Óengus I (who is thought to have died in 761) is thought to have established St. Andrews (the place) , as a religious site and it is, according to legend, the place to which St. Regulus brings the relics of St. Andrew (the person) hence the name of the place. This seems highly unlikely given the fact that St. Regulus is one of the monks who came with St. Columba (7 December 521 - 9 June 597), the Irish monk who brought Christianity to Scotland from Ireland. Another theory is that Acca, the bishop of Hexhum had them in this possession and brought them from Hexham when he was driven from there about 732.

At any rate, the various stories tie Óengus I and II and St. Regulus and the town of St. Andrews together in a neat (if inaccurate) package. While the Picts had St. Andrew, the Scots were involved with St. Columba. However as St. Peter began to assume primacy there seems to have been a shift away from Columba whose importance was more in the Celtic church than the Roman Catholic one. As a result, there was a shift to a "more important" saint, and Andrew as the brother of Simon called Peter would have been an obvious choice. Since Andrew's relics were already in Scotland it would certainly made the move to Andrew more appealing.

The story seems to have had additions made to it over time and hence tracking down some of its accuracy is close to impossible. It is interesting that in some areas of Scotland and Northern England, the Saltire is placed on chimneys to block witches from entering from that route.

Some time ago there was some thought among some Scots that it might be a good idea to try to get Americans to accept St. Andrew’s Day as the onset of the Christmas season. Americans however, have had Thanksgiving and the holiday that does just that (as evidenced by the arrival of Santa Claus in the Macy Thanksgiving Day parade).






 

St. Andrews Film Festival at Brooklyn College


The Saltire Society of New York in Association with Brooklyn College will host the annual St. Andrews Day film festival on Wed. Nov. 28th at Brooklyn College's Woody Tanger Auditorium in the LaGuardia Library.

The program will discuss two films and their depictions of Scotland. The first is Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's 1945 film I Know Where I'm Going, starring Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesay. Powell and Pressburger are known for such spectacular films as The Red Shoes, Black Narcissus and Tales of Hoffman. Wendy Hiller became famous playing Eliza Doolittle in the 1937 version of Pygmallion with Leslie Howard. She appeared in many films including Murder on the Orient Express.

The second film is The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie for which Maggie Smith brilliant portrayal of the title role earned her the Oscar for best actress in a leading role in 1970. This is a powerful film directed by Ronald Neame (Tunes of Glory, The Poseidon Adventure) set in 1930's Edinburgh.



The program will run from 5:00 pm until 9:00 pm

5:00 - 6:30 I Know Where I'm Going
6:30 - 6:45 break
6:45 - 8:45 The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie



poster




Admission is free
Please bring a photo ID to gain access to the campus and the library

Directions to the college are found below:


Subway


2 Train
Take the 2 train to the Flatbush Avenue / Brooklyn College station. Walk one block west on Hillel Place to the Hillel Gate entrance of Brooklyn College.
5 Train
Take the 5 train to the Flatbush Avenue / Brooklyn College station. Walk one block west on Hillel Place to the Hillel Gate entrance of Brooklyn College.
B Train
Take the B train to the Avenue H station, at Avenue H and East 16 Street. Walk four blocks east on Avenue H to the Campus Road entrance of Brooklyn College.
Q Train
Take the Q train to the Avenue H station, at Avenue H and East 16 Street. Walk four blocks east on Avenue H to the Campus Road entrance of Brooklyn College.
For additional subway information, please visit mta.info.


Bus


B6
B6 stop at Bedford Avenue and Campus Road.
B8
B8 stop at Flatbush Avenue and Foster Avenue.
B11
B11 stop at Bedford Avenue and Campus Road.
B41
B41 stop at Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue.
B44
B44 stop at Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue.
B49
B49 stop at Ocean Avenue and Avenue H.
Q35/Green Bus Line
Q35 stop at Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue.
For additional bus information, please visit mta.info.

Long Island Rail Road (LIRR)

Take the LIRR to the Atlantic Terminal / Flatbush Avenue station. Transfer to the 2, 5, B or Q train, and follow the respective subway directions above.


Car

From Manhattan

Take the Brooklyn Bridge to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE). Follow the BQE to the Prospect Expressway to Ocean Parkway. Turn left on Avenue H. Turn right on Campus Road to the entrance of Brooklyn College.

Alternate Manhattan Route (includes toll)
Take the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel to the Prospect Expressway. Proceed as indicated using the driving instructions above.
From Staten Island and New Jersey
Take the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to the Belt Parkway East to Flatbush Avenue North. Turn left on Flatbush Avenue. Turn left on Avenue I. Turn right on Ocean Avenue. Turn right on Avenue H. Turn right on Campus Road and follow it around the campus to the entrance of Brooklyn College.
From the North Shore of Long Island
Take the Jackie Robinson Parkway (formerly the Interboro) to the Pennsylvania Avenue exit (last exit). Follow Pennsylvania Avenue and make a right on Linden Boulevard. Turn left on Kings Highway Turn right on Avenue H.
From the South Shore of Long Island
Take the Sunrise Highway or Southern State Parkway to the Belt Parkway West. Turn left on Flatbush Avenue. Turn left on Avenue I. Turn right on Ocean Avenue. Turn right on Avenue H. Turn right on Campus Road and follow it around the campus to the entrance of Brooklyn College.

Parking
Metered parking runs along Bedford Avenue, Campus Road and Nostrand Avenue.

TABLE OF CONTENTS        PAGE TWO