Patron Saint of Greece: St. Andrew the Apostle and a Prayer

The patron saint of Greece is St. Andrew the Apostle, the brother of St. Peter, who according to ancient tradition preached in Greece and was crucified at Patras, on the Gulf of Corinth, on an X-shaped cross. St. Paul, who brought the Gospel to Philippi, Thessalonica, Athens and Corinth, is honored as the Apostle of Greece; St. Nicholas is the patron of Greek sailors; and St. Demetrius is the patron of Thessaloniki. Below are their stories, St. Paul’s sermon in Athens and prayers for Greece.

A short prayer for Greece, written for this page:

St. Andrew, you preached Christ in Greece and gave your life for him at Patras.
Pray for the people of Greece, for its Christians and for its peace,
and help me to follow Jesus as readily as you did. Amen.

St. Andrew, patron of Greece

Andrew, a fisherman of Bethsaida, was a disciple of John the Baptist and the first apostle to follow Jesus; he brought his brother Simon Peter to the Lord (John 1:40–42). Ancient tradition says that after Pentecost he preached around the Black Sea and in Greece, and that he was martyred at Patras around the year 60, bound to a cross shaped like the letter X, from which he preached for two days before he died. His relics were later taken to Constantinople and then to Amalfi, in Italy; in 1964 Pope Paul VI returned the relic of his head to the Orthodox church of Patras as a sign of friendship. He is also the patron of Scotland and Russia. His feast day is November 30. See St. Andrew the Apostle.

The prayer of his feast from the 1916 daily missal:

We humbly implore thy Majesty, O Lord, that, as the blessed Apostle Andrew was for thy Church preacher and ruler; so for us he may be with thee an unfailing advocate. Through Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God world without end. Amen.

St. Paul, Apostle of Greece

On his second missionary journey, around the year 50, St. Paul crossed from Asia into Europe after a vision of a man of Macedonia calling for help. He founded churches at Philippi and Thessalonica, preached before the philosophers of the Areopagus in Athens, and stayed a year and a half at Corinth. His letters to the Philippians, Thessalonians and Corinthians were written to these Greek churches. See the St. Paul prayer.

From his sermon in Athens (Acts 17:26–28, Douay-Rheims):

And hath made of one, all mankind, to dwell upon the whole face of the earth, determining appointed times, and the limits of their habitation.
That they should seek God, if happily they may feel after him or find him, although he be not far from every one of us:
For in him we live, and move, and are; as some also of your own poets said: For we are also his offspring.

Other patron saints of Greece

St. Nicholas of Myra, the bishop of the fourth century, patron of sailors and of the Greek navy. See the St. Nicholas prayer.
St. Demetrius, the martyr of Thessaloniki, patron of the city. Feast: October 26.
St. Titus, St. Paul’s disciple and the first bishop of Crete. He shares his feast on January 26 with St. Timothy.

Prayers for Greece

Written for this page.

For the people of Greece

Lord, bless Greece, the land where St. Paul preached and St. Andrew died for you.
Give its people peace, work and hope,
and unite all Christians, Catholic and Orthodox, in your love. Amen.

For Christian unity

St. Andrew, brother of St. Peter, pray for the unity of the Church of the East and the West,
that we may soon be one, as Jesus prayed. Amen.

Frequently asked questions

Who is the patron saint of Greece?

St. Andrew the Apostle, who according to tradition was martyred at Patras.

When is St. Andrew’s feast day?

November 30.

Which saints preached in Greece?

St. Paul founded churches at Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth and preached in Athens, and tradition says St. Andrew preached and died in Greece.

More patron saints

Texts and sources

Acts 17:26–28 (Douay-Rheims).
The Mass Every Day of the Year (1916), St. Andrew (November 30), Collect, public domain (archive.org).