St Andrew

Pilgrim badge of St Andrew, from his shrine at St Andrews in Scotland. This rectangular badge depicts the martyrdom by crucifixion of St Andrew. He was crucified at Patras in Greece but was said to have been tied to the cross, rather than nailed. There are coils of rope around his wrists on this badge. St Andrew is often shown on an X-shaped or ‘saltire’ cross, as he is here. There is a letter ‘A’ between his legs and other seemingly meaningless letters on either side of his body (‘VAAL’ on the left and ‘IAIC’ on the right). Some of the letters have been turned upside down, reversed or put on their sides. The saint is shown wearing a long belted robe. There is a stitching loop at each corner of the badge, showing that it was sewn onto a pilgrim’s clothes or hat. St Andrew was particularly venerated in Scotland after some of his relics were moved from Patras to Fife in the 8th century.