Andrew was one of the original 12 apostles of Christ, and the brother of another apostle, Simon Peter. Both lived and worked as fishermen in Galilee. Very little else is known about Andrew's life. He is said to have travelled to Greece to preach Christianity, where he was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross. This is represented by the diagonal cross, or 'saltire', which appears on many of his images.
Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, the connection arising from a legend that some of his remains were kept at what is now the city of St Andrews. From the 14th century until the destruction of the shrine in 1559, they were housed in St Andrew's Cathedral. In 1879 a new shrine was created in the Metropolitan Cathedral of St Mary in Edinburgh.
St Andrew's Church, West Tarring, is one of 600 English pre-reformation churches dedicated to the saint. He is commemorated at our annual patronal festival on 30th November. His image can be found in both the mosaics and in the stained glass above the altar.