Andreas de Moravia

Who was Andreas de Moravia?

Andreas de Moravia was a 13th-century Scottish bishop. He may have been from the "de Moravia" family of Flemish origin who were lords of Duffus and other areas in the Greater Moray region in this period. In the time of Bishop Bricius' episcopate, 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.

Andreas was elected as Bishop of Ross in 1213. However, he refused to accept the election, and obtained the consent of Pope Innocent III 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. Andreas was still bishop-elect on 12 May 1223, when he is called "bishop-elect" in a papal letter; however, by 10 April 1224, he is being styled "bishop", putting the date of his consecration somewhere between these two dates.

One of Andreas' first acts as bishop must have been to submit a request to the Pope asking to move the seat of the bishopric from Spynie to Elgin, for on 10 April 1224, the Pope sent Andreas his permission.