Two fishermen were mending nets by the Sea of Galilee when a stranger said, "Come and see." One of them did not wait for tomorrow. He went, he stayed the whole afternoon, and before the sun had set he was running to find his brother.
That fisherman was Andrew, and the brother he ran to find was Simon, whom Christ would name Peter. Before the Church had a single bishop, a single church building, or a single hymn, Andrew had already done the thing every Christian is called to do: he met Christ and could not keep quiet about it.
Why the Church Calls Him "First-Called"
In the Gospel of John, Andrew is first a disciple of John the Baptist. When the Forerunner points to Jesus as the Lamb of God, Andrew follows. He spends time with the Lord, and then his first act is to bring Peter to Him. The Orthodox Church remembers this with a title found on his icons: Protoklitos, the First-Called.
There is a quiet beauty in the order of events. Andrew is not the loudest apostle, nor the one with the most speeches recorded. Peter speaks, John writes, Paul argues. Andrew simply introduces. In the Gospels, whenever he appears, he is bringing someone: his brother, a boy with five loaves and two fish, some Greeks who wanted to see Jesus. He is the patron saint of the person who says, "You should come and see this."
The Apostle of the Black Sea and Greece
Church tradition remembers Andrew carrying the Gospel north and west: along the Black Sea coast, into the lands of the Scythians, and to the region of Byzantium, where the Church of Constantinople reveres him as its spiritual founder. That is why the Ecumenical Patriarch, the first among the Orthodox bishops, is often spoken of as the successor of the First-Called.
His journeys ended in the Greek city of Patras. According to tradition, Andrew was martyred there on a cross shaped like an X, which he is said to have asked for because he felt unworthy to die in the same manner as his Lord. That diagonal cross appears in many of his icons, and it is also the shape on the flag of Scotland, of which he is patron. Many nations honour him: Greece, Romania, Russia, and Georgia among them, where Andrew is remembered as an early preacher of the Gospel.
What You See in His Icon
Icons are not portraits in the modern sense. Every detail carries meaning, and Saint Andrew's image is easy to read once you know the language:
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The scroll or Gospel book. He holds the message he carried across the known world.
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The X-shaped cross. Sometimes shown beside him as the sign of his martyrdom and humility.
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The long white hair and beard. The Church pictures him as an elder, a father of the faith.
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The golden background. This is not a sky or a room. It is the light of the Kingdom, where the saint now stands.
Look into his face and you will notice the calm that runs through all Orthodox iconography. He is not performing. He is praying, and he invites you to join.
Made in the City Where He Died
The icon we carry was made in Patra (Patras), Greece, in the same city where Saint Andrew gave his life for Christ and where his relics are venerated to this day. In a Byzantine icon of this kind, the image is prepared on wood and finished with a traditional palette, in the manner handed down by iconographers for centuries. Because each one is made individually, no two are exactly the same.
There is something fitting about holding an image of the apostle that was made within sight of the place where he finished his race.
How to Pray Before Saint Andrew's Icon
You do not need a special rule. Many Orthodox families keep the icon in a simple prayer corner and begin with these steps:
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Light a candle or small lamp. Light is part of the language of the icon.
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Make the sign of the Cross and stand quietly for a moment.
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Pray the Jesus Prayer a few times, then ask the saint: "Holy Apostle Andrew, pray to God for us."
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Ask for someone by name. Andrew's whole life was bringing people to Christ, so pray for the ones you long to bring: a wavering friend, a child far from church, a neighbour.
Saint Andrew is also warmly invoked by people who feel stuck in the work of witnessing, those who want to speak about faith but do not know how. His example is gentle: not argument, only an invitation. "Come and see."
When Do We Honour Him?
The Church celebrates the Apostle Andrew on November 30, right at the start of the Nativity Fast on the traditional calendar. The feast arrives like a small lantern at the beginning of a dark road, a reminder that the Christian life begins with a call and an answer. If you want a new icon in the house for the feast, ordering in good time is wise.
A Meaningful Gift
Saint Andrew is a lovely choice for a baptism or chrismation, a name day for anyone named Andrew (or Andreas, Andrei, Andro, Andria), a new home, or a clergyman or missionary at the start of a new season. It is a gift that quietly says, "I'm glad you answered the call."
Saint Andrew Icon in Our Shop
If you would like to bring the First-Called into your home, here is the icon we have in stock now.
Saint Andrew Icon – the First-Called Apostle (Made in Patra, Greece)
$35 CAD
Shop this icon →
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to have my icon blessed?
It is a lovely custom to bring a new icon to your priest for a short blessing, and many people do. If that is not possible right away, you may place it in your prayer corner and begin praying before it with reverence.
Where is the best place to hang an icon?
Choose a quiet wall, ideally facing east, at eye level or a little above. Keep it away from the television and clutter, and place a candle or lamp nearby if it is safe to do so.
Why is Saint Andrew shown with an X-shaped cross?
Tradition says he was crucified in Patras on a cross of this shape, having asked not to be put to death on the same kind of cross as Christ. The diagonal cross has been linked to him ever since.
A Last Word
Andrew teaches the simplest lesson in the Church: find Christ, then bring someone with you. He did not need a pulpit. He needed a brother and a free afternoon. May his icon in your home remind you whom you are still hoping to bring. Bring Saint Andrew home – shop the icon →
