A saint from Moray is being commemorated today on the 400th anniversary of his death.
St John Ogilvie, Scotland’s first and only saint since the reformation in the 16th century, was martyred in 1615 and will be celebrated with a mass at in St Andrew’s Cathedral in Glasgow.
He was made a saint by Pope Paul VI after reportedly curing Glasgow dock worker John Fagan of stomach cancer.
After refusing to denounce his catholic faith St John Ogilvie was tortured by being kept awake for eight days and nine nights, before he was hanged at Glasgow Cross on March 10, 1615.
The saint, who was 36 at the time of his death, was originally from Keith but was ordained as a Jesuit priest in Europe.
Keith man Ron Smith has written a book about his eventful life to mark the anniversary.
He said: “St John Ogilvie died a martyr at a time when it was illegal to be a catholic and to be a priest.
“He refused to acknowledge the king was omnipotent, he said only God was.
“After he was caught he was treated terribly, and tortured using medieval devices, but he refused to change his mind.
“Despite all that, when he was on the cross he forgave his torturers.
“It’s great that somebody from Keith is famous throughout the world.”
The anniversary of his death will be marked in the Moray town this summer.
On July 4 the town’s St Thomas Catholic Church will hold a musical celebration of the saint’s life featuring artists from across the globe.