Andreas de Moravia (or Andrew of Moray) was a 13th-century Scottish

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

. He was a younger son of Hugh de Moravia, from the family of Flemish origin who were lords of

Duffus Duffus ( gd, Dubhais) is a village and parish in Moray, Scotland. The Duffus Village Inn, the local shop, Post Office and Duffus Village Hall provide a focal point for the community. Nearby are the remains of Duffus Castle, St. Peters' Kirk, a ...

and other areas in the Greater

Moray Moray () gd, Moireibh or ') is one of the 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It lies in the north-east of the country, with a coastline on the Moray Firth, and borders the council areas of Aberdeenshire and Highland. Between 1975 ...

region in this period. In the time of Bishop Bricius' episcopate (1203–1222), there was a man called "Andreas" who was rector of the church of St. Peter at Duffus, and this may well have been this Andreas. He may also have been a

native Scot The Scots ( sco, Scots Fowk; gd, Albannaich) are an ethnic group and nation native to Scotland. Historically, they emerged in the Scotland in the Early Middle Ages, early Middle Ages from an amalgamation of two Celtic languages, Celtic ...

. Andreas was elected as Bishop of Ross in 1213. However, he refused to accept the election, and obtained the consent of

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

to resign this position. The reasoning can only be speculated. In 1222 though, Andreas did accept election when, after the death of Bricius the same year, he was elected

Bishop of Moray The Bishop of Moray or Bishop of Elgin was the ecclesiastical head of the Diocese of Moray in northern Scotland, one of Scotland's 13 medieval bishoprics. If the foundation charter of the monastery at Scone is reliable, then the Bishopric of Moray ...

. Andreas was in Rome before April 1224 when he is styled "Bishop" and it is probable that he was confirmed and consecrated during this period in the curia. One of Andreas' first acts as bishop must have been to submit a request to the Pope asking to move the seat ( Latin: ''cathedra'') of the bishopric from

Spynie Spynie was a seaport, burgh and ancient parish in Moray, Scotland, that survives as a small hamlet and civil parish. It is the location of the ruins of Spynie Palace, which was the principal residence of the Bishops of Moray between the 12th and 17 ...

to Elgin, for on 10 April 1224, the Pope sent Andreas his permission. Andreas' greatest legacy would be

Elgin Cathedral Elgin Cathedral is a historic ruin in Elgin, Moray, north-east Scotland. The cathedral—dedicated to the Holy Trinity—was established in 1224 on land granted by King Alexander II outside the burgh of Elgin and close to the River Lossie. I ...

, where all medieval bishops of Moray would have their cathedral (although the bishops themselves kept

Spynie Palace Spynie Palace, also known as Spynie Castle, was the fortified seat of the Bishops of Moray for about 500 years in Spynie, Moray, Scotland. The founding of the palace dates back to the late 12th century. It is situated about 500 m from the locati ...

as their chief personal residence.) On 19 July 1224, the foundation stone of the new Elgin Cathedral was ceremoniously laid with completion sometime after 1242. Andreas, as head of one of Scotland's more important bishoprics, also played a role in Scotland's larger political and religious life. For instance, he witnessed charters of king Alexander II and was the principal consecrator of

William de Bondington William de Bondington († 1258) was a 13th-century Chancellor of Scotland and a bishop of Glasgow. Biography Before becoming bishop, William was rector of Eddleston, a prebendary of Glasgow, and archdeacon of Lothian. From the year 1231, Willia ...

Bishop of Glasgow The Archbishop of Glasgow is an archiepiscopal title that takes its name after the city of Glasgow in Scotland. The position and title were abolished by the Church of Scotland in 1689; and, in the Scottish Episcopal Church, it is now part of the ...

. A letter from

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

, dated to 13 April 1231, instructs the

dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

and chapter of Moray that elections to the bishopric should be free. This suggests that the clergy of Moray had some reason to fear Bishop Andreas death, and that perhaps Andreas was ill. No death occurred for another decade, because the bishop died late in the year 1242. He was buried in the south side of the choir under a large blue marble stone.Keith, ''Historical Catalogue'', p. 138.

Notes

References

* Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) * Fawcett, Richard & Oram, Richard, ''Elgin Cathedral and the Diocese of Moray'', Historic Scotland (Edinburgh, 2014), * Keith, Robert, ''An Historical Catalogue of the Scottish Bishops: Down to the Year 1688'', (London, 1924) * Tabraham, Chris, (ed.) ''Elgin Cathedral'', (Historic Scotland, 1999) {{DEFAULTSORT:Moravia, Andreas De 12th-century births 1242 deaths Bishops of Moray Bishops of Ross (Scotland) Medieval Gaels from Scotland People from Moray 13th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops

Andreas Andreas ( el, Ἀνδρέας) is a name usually given to males in Austria, Greece, Cyprus, Denmark, Armenia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Finland, Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of B ...