St Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles. He is mentioned in all 4 gospels as well as the Acts of the Apostles, but in St John´s gospel he is referred to as Nathanael.

According to early historian, Eusebius of Caesarea, after the Ascension, St Bartholomew went on a missionary tour of India, where he operated primarily in the region around what is now Mumbai and left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew.

After India he apparently travelled to the area around what is now Armenia, where he is today regarded as Patron Saint and the second Catholicos-Patriarch of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The Russian Orthodox Eparchy of Baku and Azerbaijan honour him as Patron Saint of Azerbaijan and the bringer of Christianity to the region of modern-day Azerbaijan.

Christian tradition says that he was martyred around AD70 at Albanopolis, near Baku, in Azerbaijan, for having converted Polymius, the local king, to Christianity. It was a gory martyrdom - by having his skin cut off. A church dedicated to St Bartholomew in Baku was built in 1892 with donations from the local Christian population on the site where he was believed to have been martyred, but it was demolished in 1936, as part of the Soviet campaign against religion.

Due to the nature of his martyrdom, Bartholomew is the patron saint of tanners, plasterers, tailors, leatherworkers, bookbinders, farmers, housepainters, butchers, and glove makers.

His feast day, 24th August, has been a traditional occasion for markets and fairs, such as the Bartholomew Fair which was held in Smithfield, London, from the Middle Ages, and which served as the scene for a Ben Jonson´s comedy of the same name.