Before the 4th century, Scotland was a pagan country, and people’s beliefs were very much centred around old myths and pagan traditions.

Those who lived in the lands governed by the Romans worshipped their gods but there is much evidence to show that the northern tribes had deities of their own. Stone circles, perhaps dedicated to ancient pagan gods, are widespread in the country. When Christianity began to take hold the old pagan beliefs and practices were mixed in with the new message

The first Christian missionaries came from Northern England and Ireland. The very first known missionary was a Roman soldier’s son called Ninian. He had studied the Bible in Rome and at St. Martin’s monastery in France. When he was made a Bishop in 397AD he was sent to Northern Britain to preach the Gospel to the Pictish and Celtic tribes. He founded the first Christian church in Scotland at Whithorn. It was called Candida Casa.

The first churches were simple buildings made out of stone or timber. The religious people lived around the churches in simple buildings, and worked as carpenters and blacksmiths.

Ninian later travelled north-east to try to convert the Picts long before St. Columba succeeded in this aim.

The Christian message was also heard in the Scottish-Irish kingdom of Dalriata in Argyll. Monks from Dalriata worked with St. Columba to found the great monastery of Iona in 563AD.

Other early missionaries included St. Kentigern, who in 590AD worked with the pagan tribes of the Clyde valley. Missionaries working with these tribes often had a very hard time converting the people from their old beliefs and traditions.

By the year 600AD, most Europeans followed the teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church. However, in Scotland, a different church was developing. It was called the Celtic church, and although the traditions were often very different to those of the Catholic Church, this didn’t really matter.

However, an argument broke out between the two churches about what the date of Easter should be. The Northumbrian King, Oswice, took the final decision when he decreed that the Catholic date of Easter should be followed. In 710AD, the Picts followed the rite of the Roman Catholic Church, and the Celtic Church gradually faded away.

St. Andrew became the patron saint of Scotland because in the eighth century his relics were taken to the future site of St. Andrews, a town known today mainly for its golf course. The X-shaped cross on the Scottish flag is a symbol of the cross on which St. Andrew was allegedly crucified.