St. Bartholomew's Day: History, Mystery, and Two Sides of One Date June 24. In the church calendar, it is the day of remembrance for St. Bartholomew the Apostle, one of the twelve disciples of Christ. But for most people, this date is associated with something entirely different. The St. Bartholomew's Night is one of the darkest pages in the history of Europe, a bloody massacre that changed the course of French history and left an indelible mark on world culture. How did it happen that the day dedicated to a saint became a symbol of religious violence and political cynicism? And does St. Bartholomew's Day still exist today in its original, church sense? Let's find out. St. Bartholomew: Apostle, Who Passed Through Three Continents Bartholomew is one of the most mysterious apostles. Little is known about his life, but even the bits of information that have reached us are astonishing. In the New Testament, he is mentioned in the lists of the twelve disciples of Christ. According to tradition, Bartholomew was a friend of the Apostle Philip and came from the city of Cana in Galilee. After the resurrection of Christ, he set out to preach the Gospel to distant lands. There are different versions of his missionary journey. One of them suggests that he preached in Asia Minor, then in India, and from there to Armenia. In the Armenian church tradition, Bartholomew is revered as one of the enlighteners of the country. It was there, in the city of Urfa (in modern-day Turkey), that he suffered a martyr's death: pagans skinned him alive and beheaded him. This cruel punishment is why St. Bartholomew is often depicted with a knife or his own skin in his hands — a symbol of his suffering and victory over death. The relics of Apostle Bartholomew are kept in the Church of San Bartolomeo al Isola in Rome, where they have rested since ancient times. In the Orthodox tradition, his memory is celebrated on June 24 (June 11 according to the old style). In the Catholic tradition — on Au ... Read more