Saint Andrew’s Cross and the National Flag of Scotland

Posted by admin

August 30, 2008

The national flag of Scotland is called the Saltire, the diagonal cross on which Saint Andrew had been martyred. The colours of the flag represent the white clouds and the blue sky.

The national flag of Scotland is reputedly the oldest national flag in Europe.

Legend has it that, in 832 AD, an army of Picts and Scots under King Angus Mac Fergus invaded the region of Lothian to drive out the Angles of Northumbria. Lothian was then and for long afterwards Northumbrian territory. There are various versions of the tale but it is generally agreed that King Angus was marching southwards with his army, when they found themselves confronted by a larger force of Angles under their leader Athelstan.

Defeat seemed almost certain, but the night before battle King Angus prayed for divine guidance and Saint Andrew appeared to him promising victory.

The next day, when battle began, a white cloud in the form of a Saltire floated across the blue sky above the Picts and Scots, encouraging them in their fight and causing the Angles to flee the field. King Angus won a decisive victory and decreed that Andrew would be the patron saint of Scotland.

The battle and the national flag are commemorated by a memorial to the Battle of the Saltire at Athelstaneford, 30 km from Edinburgh. The visitor attractions include the Flag Heritage Centre, the Saltire Memorial and the historic Parish Church and graveyard. Above the monument on a flagpole permanently flies a Saint Andrew’s Cross flag, which is floodlit at night.