Saint Bartholomew

Bartholomew is listed among the Twelve Apostles in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke and in the Acts of the Apostles. He is traditionally identified with Nathanael of Cana, whom John's Gospel describes being brought to Jesus by Philip. When Philip said they had found the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, Nathanael asked whether anything good could come from Nazareth. Yet when Jesus saw him, He praised him as a true Israelite in whom there was no deceit, and Nathanael confessed Him as the Son of God and King of Israel.

He was among the disciples who saw the risen Lord by the Sea of Galilee. Ancient traditions say he preached the Gospel in India and in Armenia, where he is said to have been flayed alive and then beheaded at Albanopolis. For this reason he is often shown holding a knife or his own skin, as in Michelangelo's Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Some of his relics are venerated in the Basilica of San Bartolomeo all'Isola in Rome.

Many towns in Spain, Italy and Latin America that have him as patron hold fairs and processions on August 24. The Armenian Church honors him, with Saint Thaddeus, as one of the first evangelizers of Armenia.

In Mexico and Spain, the feast of San Bartolo is often marked with traditional dances and market fairs.