30 November: Feast of Saint Andrew the Apostle, Protector of Romania
There are historical testimonies that Saint Andrew is the only apostle who came to the territory of current Romania, in Dobrogea, where he founded the first Christian communities.
Articol de Remus Rădulescu, 30 Noiembrie 2018, 21:34
Romanian Orthodox Church has celebrated on Friday, 30 November, Saint Andrew the Apostle, the First-called, Protector of Romania. About 700,000 Romanians have celebrated their Name Day.
St Andrew, brother of St Peter, was the first that Jesus Christ called to be one of His apostles. After Resurrection of Jesus and Descent of the Holy Spirit on Apostles, they each chose a region of the world to go spread the Word of God. There are historical testimonies that Saint Andrew came to the territories surrounding the Black Sea and is the only apostle who came to the territory of current Romania, in Dobrogea, where he founded the first Christian communities.
That is why Saint Andrew is considered the Apostle of Romanians’ ancestors and, since 1997, he has been declared as the spiritual protector of Romania.
It is also the reason why Saint Andrew was elected the spiritual patron of the newly-consecrated Romanian National Cathedral, where the first Liturgy for its patron saint has been celebrated by Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, together with Theophilos III, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and other 30 hierarchs.
Saint Andrew is said to have died in Patras, Greece, martyred on a cross in the shape of an X. Today, there are railway crossings with St.Andrew’s cross and stop signs all over the world.
In Romania, St Andrew's Day is a public holiday. It is a day off for the general population, and schools and most businesses are closed.
Source:RRA.Translated by Miruna Matei
