24th August - Bartholomew, bar-Tolmay in Aramaic, "son of the furrow", is a Jew from Galilee and one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Ancient Christian tradition identifies him with the disciple Nathanael mentioned in the Gospel according to John.

He evangelised Arabia, Persia and western India in collaboration with the apostle Thomas. He is also described as the apostle of the Aramaeans. According to Eusebius of Caesarea, when Pantene of Alexandria went to India, he found a copy of the Gospel according to Matthew, which Bartholomew had used.

According to Christian tradition, he, together with Thomas and Jude Thaddeus, was at the origin of preaching in Armenia. Bartholomew having received Albanopolis as a region to be evangelized. He was put to death in Albanopolis: skinned alive, crucified and beheaded.