The statue of St Andrew(1629-40) was carved by the Flemish sculptor Francois Duquesnoy (1597-1643).
According to tradition, St Andrew, who was the brother of St Peter, was crucified on a cross in the form of an 'X'.
The relic of St Andrew's head was donated to Pope Pius II (r. 1458-64) in 1460. Five hundred years later, in 1966, Pope Paul VI (1963-78) presented the relic as a gift to the church of St Andrew in Patras as a sign of friendship with the Greek Orthodox Church.
Above the statue of St Andrew is a loggia, one of the four Bernini designed to hold the Basilica's sacred relics. Each loggia is adorned with two ancient columns decorated with vine leaves, which were once part of the old basilica. The back walls bear bas-reliefs illustrating each of the relics.
North-east Pier
The inscription reads: SANCTAE ANDREAE CAPVT QVOD PIVS SECVNDVS / EX ACHAIA IN VATICANVM ASPORTANDVM CVRAVIT / VRBANVS VIII NOVIS HIC ORNAMENTIS DECORATVM / SACRISQVE STATVAE AC SACELLI HONORIBVS COLI VOLVIT (Urban VIII willed that the head of St Andrew, which Pius II undertook to be brought from Greece to the Vatican, should be venerated here, adorned with embellishments and the sacred honours of a statue and a chapel).