Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called (Patras)

The last years of his life, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called lived in Patras, here he preached the Christian faith , gathered around him a large Christian community. In Patras, according to the life, Andrew the First-Called performed many miracles : healing with the laying on of hands, resurrection of the dead . About 67 years old ^{[1], the} ruler Egeat ordered the execution of St. Andrew the First-Called, crucifying him on the cross. The cross on which St. Andrew the First-Called was crucified had not an ordinary appearance, but beveled, because the apostle considered himself unworthy to die on the same cross as Jesus Christ . In memory of this, this beveled cross is now called the “St. Andrew’s Cross” , now it is one of the revered symbols of Christianity.

Ruler Egeat ordered not to nail Andrew the First-Called to the cross, but to tie his hands and feet in order to prolong his torment. For two days the apostle preached from the cross. The people who listened to him demanded that the execution be stopped, and the ruler, fearing popular unrest, ordered the apostle to be removed from the cross. However, the First-Called Andrew wanted to accept death in the name of Christ, and the soldiers could not untie the ropes. Life tells us that when the holy apostle passed away, the cross was illuminated with a bright radiance. According to legend, at the place of the crucifixion of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, a source scored ^[4] .

In Patras, at the site of the martyrdom of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, his relics remained. In 357, at the behest of the emperor of the Roman Empire, Constantius II, they were transferred to Constantinople and laid the foundation of the church of the Holy Apostles . However, in the IX century, the honest head of St. Andrew and the remains of the cross on which he was crucified, returned to Patras on a special request to the emperor of Byzantium ^[5] .

For many centuries, the honest head and particles of the cross of St. Andrew the First-Called were in Patras. Theodore Prodrom in the XII century testified that these relics were revered no less than Constantinople. In 1460, Patras was captured by the troops of the Ottoman Sultan Mohammed II . Thomas Palaeologist , despot of Morea , in 1462 took the head and particles of the cross to Rome , where he handed it to Pope Pius II , who placed them in St. Peter's Basilica . In 1964, Pope Paul VI handed over the head of St. Andrew the First-Called and the particles of the St. Andrew’s Cross of the Greek Orthodox Church , and these relics solemnly returned to their historical place in Patras ^[6] . The head of the apostle is in the silver ark in the right aisle of the temple, on the throne, under the canopy of white marble. Parts of the cross of St. Andrew are inserted into the oblique cross ^[1] .

In the old church of St. Andrew, located next to the cathedral, there is a part of the finger of St. Andrew, placed in a reliquary, located on a marble tomb. This shrine was presented to Patram in 1847 by the nobleman Andrei Muravyov , who received it on Mount Athos . On this tomb is placed the icon of the Apostle Andrew in full growth in a silver frame ^[7] .

In 1901, the commission for the construction of the temple announced a competition for an architectural project. On June 1, 1908, King George I laid the foundation for the future cathedral. The author of the project and the first construction manager was the famous Greek architect Anastasios Metaxas . After his death, in 1937 the construction was led by Georgios Nomikos ^[8] .

In 1910-1930 the construction of the temple was suspended due to the instability of the soil. In 1934, the dome was erected, but due to the war and the difficult economic situation of Greece in 1938, work was again stopped. Only in 1955 did the authorities solve the problem of lack of funds by introducing a tax on the construction of the temple, which was included in the cost of electricity for citizens; and construction is resuming.

September 26, 1974, ten years after the return of the holy head of the Apostle Andrew, the temple was inaugurated.

The Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called was built in the Neo - Byzantine style and gives the impression of a solid, massive building. It is located in the center of a large area planted with trees. The square overlooks the shore of the Gulf of Corinth , and the central dome of the temple, crowned with a five-meter gilded cross, is visible from afar. Twelve small domed bell towers with crosses surround a large dome, symbolizing Jesus surrounded by the twelve apostles . Three facades of the church are decorated with porticoes , resting on Corinthian columns and a number of openwork monophores inscribed in a semicircle . The church seats 5500 people.

The Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called has the shape of a Greek cross . Its distinctive feature is the abundance of light, light pours through the large windows of the facades and the drum of the central dome. The interior of the temple impresses with an abundance of mosaics. In the center of the dome is a mosaic of Christ the Almighty ; a semicircular absida is covered with a mosaic depicting the Virgin , stretching her arms over the city, as if holding an invisible cover; we will also see the mosaic of the Apostle Andrew. The floor of the cathedral is decorated with mosaics depicting plants, birds, fish and animals. A carved wooden chandelier hangs in the center of the temple.

In the right aisle of the temple is the throne of white marble , under the canopy of which in the silver ark lies the honest head of St. Andrew the First-Called. Behind the throne there is a reliquary in the form of the Andreev cross , in which the surviving particles of the cross on which the apostle was crucified are interspersed.

• St. Andrew the First-Called Cathedral in Patra