Patras, Greece: The Basilica of Saint Andrew the Apostle

About Patras, Greece:

Patras is Greece’s third-largest city and the regional capital and largest city of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, 134 miles (215 km) west of Athens. The city is built at the foot of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras. As of the 2021 Greek census, the municipality of Patras had a resident population of 215,922 people. This figure includes all residents within the municipal boundaries, which cover an area of about 129.3 square miles (334.9 km²).

​About Saint Andrew:

The first Apostle called by Jesus was Andrew, who had previously been following John the Baptist. Upon encountering Jesus, he became His follower along with his brother Peter. Eventually both left their livelihood of fishing to become “fishers of men”.

There is not a lot of recorded history regarding Andrew, but it is believed that after the Ascension of Our Lord he traveled to Greece to preach the Gospel.

During the persecution of Christians by the Emperor Nero, he was arrested and later crucified 60–70 AD on an X-shaped cross. He was tied, not nailed, to the cross and suffered for two days before dying, all the while preaching to those around him.

His body was later translated to Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul) in the early 4th century under Emperor Constantine. This transfer was part of a broader movement to bring important Christian relics to the imperial capital to strengthen the Church’s presence and to honor the apostle as the patron of Constantinople.

However, during the Fourth Crusade in the 13th century, Constantinople was sacked, and the relics were moved again — first to the Italian city of Amalfi, where they remained until the 15th century. Andrew’s head, which had stayed in Patras, was later transferred to Saint Peter’s Basilica in Rome in 1453 by Pope Pius II, partly to protect it from destruction during the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople.

In the Byzantine period, the Peloponnese was also a significant region for Andrew’s veneration, and his relics in Byzantium were central to his role as the patron of the city and the empire. The translation of his relics to Byzantium was both a religious and political act, reinforcing the apostle’s connection to the imperial Church and the capital’s spiritual authority.

Today, the relics of Saint Andrew are no longer physically present in their original locations, but their veneration continues in various forms, and the tradition of their transfer to Byzantium remains a key part of his hagiography.

Saint Andrew is the the patron saint of many countries such as Barbados, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, as well as cities such as Patras in Greece, Amalfi in Italy, Luqa in Malta, and Esgueira in Portugal. In addition, he is the Patron Saint of the U.S. Army Rangers.

But he is honored most, perhaps, in Scotland. The national flag of Scotland bears the X-shaped cross and his feast day, November 30th, is a national holiday in Scotland.

The Basilica of Saint Andrew in Patras:

The relics are kept in Patras in the Church of Saint Andrew.

The Basilica is not Roman Catholic, it is Greek Orthodox. It is open to the public, so everyone is welcome to come in to venerate the relics.

Traveling to Patras, Greece and the Basilica of Saint Andrew:

Patras is 131 miles (210 km) west of Athens and is most normally visited by ferry or bus from Athens.

Address: Patras 262 22, Greece

GPS coordinates: 38° 14′ 32.6472” N, 21° 43′ 40.1052” E

Visit the official website of the Basilica of Saint Andrew in Patras, Greece (some great videos).

Find hotels in Patras, compare prices, and read what other travelers have to say at TripAdvisor

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