December, 13.

The Orthodox Church today celebrates St. Andrew, the first follower and first apostle of Christ, for which he was called the First-called. He died on the cross at 62. years of life, because of devotion to the New Testament faith. Be celebrated as a Family Feast (in Serbia).

St. Andrew was the elder brother of St. Peter and a disciple of St. John the Baptist. He was an apostle of Constantinople and Russia, patron of the Russian Empire and the Romanov imperial family.

He preached the Gospel in Byzantium and Thrace, in the Danubian lands, around the Black Sea, in Epirus, Greece and the Peloponnese, where he suffered.

With his miraculous powers he healed many of the sick, who often adopted Christianity afterwards.

Therefore, on the orders of the then Governor, St. Andrew was crucified on a cross with sloping arms and stabbed with spears. Until he dropped his soul, the saint also preached from the cross and gave lessons to the people. After the cross on which he was crucified, even today the Leaning Cross is called Andrew's.

As he healed the poor and sick during his lifetime, so his miraculous relics helped many. It is celebrated as a cross glory, because of the Christmas fast always with a Lenten table.

According to popular belief, St. Andrew is the patron saint of great animals.