Saint Regulus

Saint Regulus or Saint Rule of Andrew was a monk [In some versions he was the bishop; in some modern retellings Patras is confused with Patmos.] of Patras who, in the fourth century, according to a Scottish legend that became current during the twelfth century (National Archives of Scotland), fled to Scotland with the bones of Saint Andrew, and deposited them at St Andrews. His feast day in the Aberdeen Breviary is October 17.

Saint Regulus [His name is simply the personification of the "rule" under which a monastery is organized. He is also venerated as "Saint Rule" and in Scots as Saint Riaghail.] was galvanized into action by a visionary dream that Emperor Constantine had decided to remove Saint Andrew's relics from Patras to Constantinople. [Andrew's relics continued to be venerated at Constantinople; after Constantinople was sacked in 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, the relics at Constantinople were taken to the cathedral of Amalfi in Italy. They were returned by the Vatican to Patras in 1964.] Warned by an angel, he was to move as many bones as far away as he could to the 'ends of the earth' for safekeeping.

He was shipwrecked at Muckross on the shore of Fifeshire at the spot called Kinrymont, which is now St. Andrews, and was welcomed by a Pictish king, Hungus or Angus, who was actually of the eighth or ninth century. The monastery claimed to have three fingers of the saint's right hand, the upper bone of an arm, one kneecap, and one of his teeth. Within the grounds of the cathedral is the tower of St Regulus, which is all that remains of a late pre-Norman church.

The legend served to authenticate the apostle Andrew as patron saint of Scotland. "The Regulus legend was publicised by Scottish kings, nobles and churchmen from the 12th century onwards for political reasons. Scottish independence had come under threat from England since the late 11th century, and the Scottish Church was contesting a claim to primacy by the archbishop of York. In the medieval world precedence was important. By promoting the story of Saint Andrew's choice of Scotland in the 4th century, the Scots acquired a top-rank patron saint, a separate identity from England, and a date for the supposed foundation of the Scottish Church, predating the conversion of England and Ireland to Christianity by several centuries." (National Archives of Scotland)

ee also

* Saint Regulus or Rieul, bishop of Reims, died 698.
*Reuel
* Saint Regulus (San Regolo), a 6th century North African who became a bishop in Italy (see Cerbonius).

Notes

References

* [http://www.nas.gov.uk/about/051124.asp National Archives of Scotland: feature on St. Andrew]
* [http://www.ruleweb.com/rule/docs/Preface_St_Regulus_or_St_Rule.html St Regulus at ruleweb]
* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/SAINTS/saintr1e.htm CatholicForum: Saint Regulus]

References

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