34. Bartholomew the Apostle – Multi-Continental Ministry
Stories of Bartholomew, one of Jesus’s twelve apostles, come from places across Asia and Africa. In Armenia, you can still see the ruins of Saint Bartholomew Monastery at Vaspurakan, which locals say marks where he died for his faith. Archaeological digs along India’s Konkan coast, especially near Kalyan, have turned up old Christian symbols like the St. Thomas Cross, suggesting Bartholomew might have started Christian communities there. Ethiopia has some old Christian inscriptions and artifacts in places like Axum, though we can’t say for sure if Bartholomew left them. Each country has passed down its own stories about his visits through the centuries. Armenian Christians feel especially close to these stories since they believe he spent his final days in their homeland.
