Coordinates	50°4′″N22°30′″N
name	Ħal Għargħur
native name	Il-Kunsill Lokali ta' Ħal Għargħur
native name lang	mlt
official name	Ħal Għargħur
settlement type	Local council
image shield	Gharghur coa.svg
motto	Excelsior (The Highest)
coordinates type	type:city_region:MT
coordinates display	inline,title
subdivision type	Country
subdivision name
subdivision type1	Island
subdivision name1	Malta
subdivision type2	District
established title
parts type	Borders
parts style	para
p1	Iklin, Naxxar, San Ġwann, Swieqi
leader party	PN
leader title	Mayor
leader name	Mario Gauci
area total km2	2.0
population total	2352
population as of	Nov 2005
population density km2	auto
population demonym	Għargħuri (m), Għargħurija (f), Għargħurin (pl)
timezone1	CET
utc offset1	+1
timezone1 dst	CEST
utc offset1 dst	+2
postal code type	Postal code
postal code	GĦR
area code type	Dialing code
area code	356
blank name sec1	Patron saint
blank info sec1	St. Bartholomew
blank1 name sec1	Day of festa
blank1 info sec1	August 24 (or last Sunday of August)
website
footnotes	}}

Ħal Għargħur is one of the smallest and oldest towns of Malta.

Ħal Għargħur is situated on a hilltop between two valleys in the North-East of Malta with a population of 2,389 (Nov 2005). Its coat of arms is a red star over a red triangle on a silver shield with the motto 'Excelsior' which means 'The Highest'. This motto indicates the fact that this town is geographically one of the highest in Malta. Ħal Għargħur is the highest town of Malta, but it's not the highest point of Malta. In his Lexicon Melitense (Maltese Dictionary) of 1796, [{Vassalli]] gives this description of Għargħur: "''Ħal *RGĦ*ar*RGĦ*ur, it. Gregorio, Bel Villaggio alla parte settentrionale di Malta''" (A pretty village in the northern part of Malta). Please note that instead of the present "Għ" (għajn) in the village's name, Vassalli uses the "Rgħ", a stronger form of the vocalised Għ.

Some Roman artefacts, found during road construction, were carried to the Domus Romana (Roman Villa), a Roman Villa and Museum, situated in the old town of Rabat. A Muslim-style oven is still found in a house in Sqaq Warda. In the same alley one finds a home with Arab-style decorations on the facade. There is documented reference of Ħal Għargħur as far back as 1419, in the lists of the Dejma, which was a Militia that guarded the locals from pirate attacks. This settlement suffered from severe de-population during the High Middle Ages and some years later due to continuous pirate attacks. Exiles from the central Italian city of Celano settled in Ħal Għargħur and built the town's oldest church, that of St. John (next to which one finds the town's graveyard). The citizens of Celano were exiled in the year 1223 by Emperor Frederick II.

The main event of the year is the village festa which is celebrated on the 24th (if this turns out to be a Sunday) or the last Sunday of August. The statue of the saint is carried shoulder high along the illuminated streets of the village accompanied by musical bands. A display of colourful fireworks, ends the village festival. Many tourists tend to take part in the celebration of the saint's day, by visiting the church and the well-known fireworks display.

The Ħal Għargħur community prior to the establishment as a parish

There is little written information about the people of Għargħur in earlier days. One source of information is the Dejma list, which mentions Għargħur in conjunction with Ħal Samudi (Madliena). In the Middle Ages, Għargħur was most probably a very small rural community. An abbey was established in Ħal Għargħur in the Middle Ages, in an area now called Tar-Rħieb (Friars' (old Maltese) place). There is no evidence as to when and why this abbey was abandoned, but the reason could have been the constant pirate attacks on the village, which led to a severe de-population in both Għargħur and nearby settlements. During these raids, settlements were looted and those fit were taken into slavery. Indeed, in this period houses in Għargħur were built in a way so that the residents could lock up themselves. One feature of these houses was a secret room in which females used to hide during these attacks. Also, the old streets and alleys are planned in a way that would confuse and person unused to them. These raids continued well into the years, even after Għargħur became a parish. Indeed, on one occasion the residents of Għargħur found refuge in the Parish Church and vowed that if they were unharmed, an annual pilgrimage would take place every year to the shrine of [Mellieħa]. Indeed, no one was harmed or taken into slavery and thus the tradition of holding this pilgrimage was started.

As regards places of worship, it is likely that the early Christians used some of the caves found in the village as churches. Two such caves are those found at Ġebel San Pietru (Saint Peter's Hill (Old Maltese) or Stone (Modern Maltese)) and Għar San Brinkat (Saint Patrick's cave). Later on chapels were built. St. John the Baptist's chapel is considered to be the first chapel built in Għargħur, even if this chapel was rebuilt in the 17th century and thus the one present is not the Medieval original. Another two Medieval chapels were those of St. Nicholas, St Bartholomew in the village of Għargħur and those of St. Catherine and St. Gregory (both in Xwieki) and St. Mary Magdalene (Madliena) in the surrounding countryside.

Ħal Għargħur becomes a Parish - 1598, 1610

The people of Ħal Għargħur had long felt that they were separate and autonomous from the Naxxar parish, however until 1598 they were not given the right to form their own parish. However, in 1598 Bishop Gargallo (for whom one finds a street named in Ħal Għargħur) listened to the appeals that the Għargħurin had been making for long time and decided to grant the people of Ħal Għargħur the charter establishing a parish. Thus, the first baptisms, marriages and funerals started being done in Ħal Għargħur. Dun Mattew Schiriha from Senglea, responsible for the chapel of Saint Bartholomew (which existed on the site of the present parish church) started signing documents as "Cappellano della parrochia di Casal Gregorio".

Sadly, the Naxxar parish refused to accept the new status enjoyed by Ħal Għargħur. Dun Giljan Borg, parish priest of Naxxar, complained about the financial loss that Naxxar would suffer with the separation from it of Ħal Għargħur. Rev. Borg also complained that the Naxxar parish was losing the authority it had over the Ħal Għargħur community. Here it is important to point out that despite the fact that Ħal Għargħur and Mosta formed part of the Naxxar parish, both Mosta and Ħal Għargħur were regarded as being separate entities from Naxxar and, in fact, on the birth registers of Naxxar, at the time when these two other villages fell under Naxxar, it was written next to the person's name whether he was from Naxxar, Mosta or Ħal Għargħur.

Even if the Ħal Għargħur community strived hardly for the preservation of their new status, this was suspended in 1601 by the Bishop's curia. This was done because Rev. Borg's (Naxxar's parish priest) health was deteriorating due to this problem. The Ħal Għargħur community resorted to the Inquisitor, to whom they complained about their situation. The Inquisitor (Monsigneur Verallo) decided in favour of Ħal Għargħur, and thus as from 1604 Saint Bartholomew's church could be used again as a parish church, despite the fact that officially it had been re-integrated into Naxxar, It is interesting to note that between 1590 and 1591, the Naxxar parish priest had served a prison sentence at the Inquisitor's prison. He had to serve this sentence after he baptised twice a pair of twins born in Ħal Għargħur. He did so because the twins had been baptised by the midwife as they were in the danger of death. Rev. Birg was not supposed to baptise these two babies again, however he did. It is very possible that the Ħal Għargħur community resorted to the Inquisitor when their parish status was taken away because Rev. Borg was already in the bad books of the Inquisitor.

With the death of Rev. Borg in 1610, Bishop Gargallo felt that he could finally confirm Ħal Għargħur's status as a separate parish. The residents of Ħal Għargħur, most of whom were farmers, promised that they would give part of their produce (cotton, wheat and barley) for the preservation of the parish.

Ħal Għargħur was a rural community located in an area particularly lacking fertile soil and fresh water. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of this area were able to finance the building of a parish church and several other chapels which host Baroque fine arts. The main attraction of the village, besides the countryside, is the parish church dedicated to Saint Bartholomew the Apostle. Its interior is of the Doric order but it has a fine Baroque façade. The original façade was demolished and the one seen today was built in 1743. The church was built between 1610 and 1638 and was designed by Maltese architect Tumas Dingli.

Its treasures include a wooden statue of Saint Bartholomew sculptured in Rome attributed to Maltese artist Melchiore Gafa. The statue was made circa 1666 and it is believed to be the model for the similar statue in San Giovanni Laterano, Rome. It was brought to the town in 1772. Restorations on it were held in 1912. In 2005 the statue had further preservation and its niche was restructured. The statue is the second heaviest in the Maltese islands.

British period

The Victoria Lines, named after Queen Victoria, and which divide the island of Malta from east to west, passes through this locality. Other fortifications can also be found. Ħal Għargħur hosts much of Malta's telecommunication infrastructure.

Before World War II and prior to the installation of radar, a concave wall was constructed in Ħal Għargħur to with the aim of detect incoming Italian aircraft. This acoustic mirror is called "il-Widna" by locals (lit. the ear). Ħal Għargħur hosted a number a refugees from the harbour area during that war. These refugees were seeking shelter from the continuous air raids by the Axis Powers. The public school was used as a dormitory for these refugees.

Name

In modern times a controversy has risen over the real name of this village - whether it should be called Gargur or Ħal Għargħur. The original name was Ħal Għargħur (pronounced hal arur). 'Ħal' is an old abbreviation of 'Raħal', which means a "village/small town". 'Għargħur' most probably derives from 'Gregorio' — in the middle of the 15th century, the village was called Casal Gregorio. The current pronunciation is possibly related to the influence of English rule (1800–1964). It is also possible that the name Gregorio emerged as a result of the process of Italianisation which the Maltese language underwent. Similar example are the names of the town of Żurrieq, which on official documents appeared as Zurico and Naxxar, which on various documents and maps was referred to as Nascario. Most probably, the name Ħal Għargħur derives from the Għargħar, Malta's national tree. It is interesting to note that in the North-Eastern part of Malta there are other place names which possibly have their origin to this particular tree. These are San Ġwann ta' l-Għargħar and Il-Ħotba tal-Għargħar.

Another reason for the two versions of the name might be linguistic/phonologiic. Originally the Maltese letter "GĦ" was spelt (it still is by a small number of people). It is possible that when the usage of the "GĦ " in speech was dying out, some people dropped the "GĦ " (in the same way as was done with other words) while others retained it but transformed it into a G sound. Similar cases can be found in the Maltese language. For example, the word "ħarħar" was originally spelt as "għargħar"; in this case the "Għ" was replaced by an "ħ".

Dialect

Traditionally, the people of Għargħur speak in their own dialect. Unfortunately, this dialect, like others on the island of Malta, is highly endangered. This is mainly due to the influence of the media, where the harbour-area accents are used, as well as an education system which discourages the use of dialects. Socio-cultural stigma associated with dialects also contributed to the gradual demise of the dialect. As older generations stopped talking to their children in dialect, the dialect started dying out.

There are various features associated with this dialect. One of them is the pronunciation of the letter "Q" in certain words, namely "daħq", "ċagħaq", "qagħaq" and "sriedaq" as a voiceless uvular plosive (sounds as a "k" to the unexpert ear). In standard Maltese, the Q is prounounced as a glottal stop. Another feature, which however now has largely disappeared, is the pronunciation of the "h" which is otherwise silent in Maltese. Another feature is an un-trilled "R", a letter which is normally trilled in standard Maltese. A word which is associated with this dialect is "ħuuri", which means "look". In the Ħal Għargħur dialect, a kite is called "ħamiema" (pigeon), while in standard Maltese it is called tajra. Some find a resemblance between the Ħal Għargħur dialect and the dialect of Għarb in Gozo.

Legends

One of the legends found in Għargħur is that of St. Patrick's Cave (Għar San Brinkat). It was believed, in the old times, that demons had infested this cave. Thus, people were afraid to pass by it. Once, a painting on wood that featured a crucified Christ and St. Patrick came ashore in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq. Promptly, the people of Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq took the painting to this cave and the demons left. A spring found in this cave was dais to be miraculous, however the faithful stopped drinking from it after lepers started bathing in it in order to heal. The painting can still be seen in the cave, an mass is said here once a year, when a small feast is held.

Performing arts

Dwal Godda Theatre Company

The aim of Dwal Godda is to present Maltese Theatre in its cultural setting. As well as the works of members of the group, mainly the prolific playwright Martin Gauci, Dwal Godda's repertoire includes classic plays by international dramatists and work by living writers.

Social Clubs

Saint Bartholomew Philarmonic Society (Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika San Bartilmew)

Għargħur F.C.

Labour Club - Dar il-Ħelsien (Freedom House), Triq San Bartilmew

Nationalist Club - Circolo Nazzionalista (Nationalist Circle), Triq il-Wiesgħa

Interesting Places

Oratory (at Oratory Street)

Santa Marija ta' Żellieqa Chapel (at Madliena Road)

St. Bartholmew's Parish Church (at Church Square)

St. John's Chapel (at St. John Street)

St. Nicholas' Chapel (at St. Nicholas Street)

Tal-Ferħa Home (at Ċawl Street)

Wied id-Dis

Wied l-Anġlu (at Bishop Gargallo Street)

Village Core

Misraħ il-Knisja (Church Square)

Sqaq Warda (Flower's Lane)

Sqaq ir-Rużarju (Rosary Lane)

Triq Emmanuel Perren (E. Perren Street)

Triq id-Dejqa (Strait Street)

Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)

Triq il-Ġdida (New Street)

Triq / Sqaq il-Qiegħed

Sqaq iċ-Ċawl (Ravens' Lane)

Triq il-Mons. Luigi Catania (Mgr. L. Catania Street)

Triq il-Wiesgħa (Wide Street)

Triq id-Dejqa (Strait Street)

Triq Karmnu Zarb (C. Zarb Street)

Triq l-Oratorju (Oratory Street)

Triq San Bartilmew (St. Bartholomew Street)

Triq San Nikola (St. Nicholas Street)

Famous people

Francis Bezzina Wettinger, former Member of Parliament (Malta Workers' Party)

Mons. Lwiġi Catania, Theologian

Nick Church (a swimmer who now lives in San Diego, California)

Karmnu Sant (Poet)

The Blessed Dumink Mifsud O.F.M. (Maltese 16th century Franciscan friar - declared as "Blessed" (last step before saint-hood)).

Stiefnu Zerafa (Botanist - described Malta's national plant, the Widnet il-Baħar).

Fr. Joseph Benedict Xuereb, OFM ( Known for translating various medieval texts of the Sources for the Life of Saint Anthony of Padua)

Zones in Ħal Għargħur

Gwiedi

Ta' Ġwiebi (Cisterns' place)

Il-Fanal (The Lantern)

Il-Qortin

Id-Dejma

Tal-Ferħa Estate (Joy's Estate)

Tax-Xiħ (Old Man's Village)

Wied Anġlu (Angel Valley)

Iż-Żellieqa (The Slope)

Wied Faħam (Coal Valley)

Wied id-Dies (Dies being an old tool used in weaving)

Wied id-Dieb (Wolf's Valley)

Ta' Mejmun (Mejmun's (fields), Mejmun being an Arab personal name)

Xwieki (derived from the Maltese word for "thorns")

Il-Ġonna (The Gardens)

Santa Katerina (Saint Catherine's village)

Ta' Misraħ Basili

Ta' Żagħruna (Hawthorn Village)

Ta' Rħieb (Friars' place, old Maltese)

Tal-Pellegrin (Pilgrim's place)

Santa Marija taż-Żellieqa

L-anċiritka (corruption of Italian phrase luce electrica - electric light, this was the first part of the locality to be serviced with electric light, due to the presence of Army barracks in this area).

Ġnien San Pawl

L-Għar ta' San Brinkat (Saint Patrick's Cave)

Għar San Pietru / Ġebel San Pietru

Il-Ġebla l-Kbira (The Big Stone. Alternitavely, "Ġebel" and "Ġebla" might have originally meant hill, since in the Middle Ages this word was used when referring to very high hills)

In-Nigret (old place-name common in Malta referring to an area where some black persons had lived)

It-Telgħa tat-Tiebru (Tabor's Hill)

Ta' Qajjarum (location: Għargħur-Madliena, Qajjarum derives from Rqajja' r-Rum, which translates in the patches (fields) of the Rum (name given by Arabs to refer to (Byzantine) Christians during the Arab rule of Malta)

Peppi n-Niegru (Joseph the Negro's place)

In-naħa tal-Belt (City's Side - this is the part in Ħal Għargħur's old core where one finds the street (Main Street) which connected the town to the road which eventually led to Valletta).

Il-Ħâra l-Ġdida (The New Neighbourhood)

San Nikola (Saint Nicholas' place)

Wara t-Tribuna

Tal-Misilmin (Muslim's (field))

Traditionally, the hamlets of Madliena and Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, as well as part of Magħtab, form part of Ħal Għargħur. Likewise, the zones of St. Andrew's and High Ridge formed part of Ħal Għargħur before being integrated within the locality of Swieqi. The modern town of Pembroke also used to form part of Ħal Għargħur, albeit access to this zone was restricted because this area was reserved for military purpose.

Ħal Għargħur Main Roads

Triq Caravaggio (Carravaggio Street)

Triq E.M.Perren (Perren Street)

Triq il-31 ta' Marzu (31 March Street)

Triq il-Kbira (Main Street)

Triq il-Madliena (Madliena Road)

Triq il-Wiesgħa (Wide Street)

Triq in-Naxxar (Naxxar Road)

Triq ir-Repubblika (Republic Street)

Triq l-Oratorju (Oratory Street)

Triq Monsinjur Lwiġi Catania (Mgr. Luigi Catania Street)

Triq San Bartolomew (St. Bartholomeo Street)

Triq San Ġwann (St. John Street)

Triq Santa Katerina (St. Catherine Street)

Triq Stiefnu Zerafa (Stephen Zerafa Street)

Triq Tal-Balal (Tal-Balal Road)

Notes

External links

Ħal Għargħur Local Council

Category:Towns in Malta Category:Local councils of Malta

ca:Għargħur de:Għargħur es:Għargħur fr:Għargħur it:Gargur la:Għargħur hu:Għargħur mt:Għargħur nl:Għargħur pl:Għargħur pt:Għargħur scn:Għargħur

Coordinates	50°4′″N22°30′″N
Name	Saint Bartholomew the Apostle
Birth date	1st century AD
Death date	1st century AD
Feast day	August 24 (Western Christianity)June 11 (Eastern Christianity)
Venerated in	Assyrian Church of the EastRoman Catholic ChurchEastern Orthodox ChurchesOriental OrthodoxyAnglican CommunionLutheran ChurchIslam (named in Muslim exegesis as one of the disciples)
Birth place	Iudaea (Palaestina)
Death place	Armenia. Flayed and then crucified
Titles	Apostle, Martyr
Attributes	Knife, His flayed skin
Patronage	Armenia; bookbinders; butchers; Florentine cheese and salt merchants; Gambatesa, Italy; Għargħur, Malta; leather workers; neurological diseases; plasterers; shoemakers; tanners; trappers; twitching; whiteners
Major shrine	Saint Bartholomew Monastery in historical Armenia, Relics at Saint Bartholomew-on-the-Tiber Church, Rome, the Canterbury Cathedral, the Cathedral in Frankfurt, and the San Bartolomeo Cathedral in Lipari
Prayer attrib	}}

Bartholomew was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus, and is usually identified as Nathaniel (alternate spelling: Nathanael) (mentioned in the first chapter of John's Gospel). He was introduced to Christ through St. Philip, another of the twelve apostles as per (John 1:43-51), where the name Nathaniel first appears. He is also mentioned as “Nathaniel of Cana in Galilee” in (John 21:2). The name Nathaniel is the one used for him in St. John’s Gospel. The relationship between St. Philip and Nathaniel is noted as per John 1:43-51. ''Bartholomew'' (, transliterated "Bartholomaios") comes from the Aramaic ''bar-Tôlmay'' (תולמי‎‎‎‎‎-בר‎‎), meaning ''son of Tolmay'' (Ptolemy) or ''son of the furrows'' (perhaps a ploughman).

According to the Synaxarium of the Coptic Orthodox Church [The Church of Alexandria, the ancient Church of Egypt, one of the Oldest in Christianity], his martyrdom is commemorated on the 1st day of the Coptic Calendar (1st day of the month of "Thout"), which currently falls on September 11 [this corresponds to August 29 in the Gregorian Calendar, due to the current 13 day offset between the Julian and Gregorian Calendars]. The festival in August has been a traditional occasion for markets and fairs, such as the Bartholomew Fair held in Smithfield, London since the Middle Ages that served as the scene for Ben Jonson's homonymous comedy.

New Testament references

Though Bartholomew was listed among the Twelve Apostles in the three Synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and also appears as one of the witnesses of the Ascension, each time named in the company of Philip, he is one of the apostles of whom no word is reported nor any individual action recorded in the New Testament. Nor are there any early ''acta'', the earliest being written by a pseudepigraphical writer who assumed the identity of Abdias of Babylon and is called "the pseudo-Abdias".

Nathanael

In the East, where Bartholomew's evangelical labours were expended, he was identified as Nathanael, in works by Abdisho bar Berika (often known as Ebedjesu in the West), the 14th century Nestorian metropolitan of Soba, and Elias, the bishop of Damascus. Nathanael is mentioned only in the Gospel according to John. In the Synoptic gospels, Philip and Bartholomew are always mentioned together, while Nathanael is never mentioned; in John's gospel, on the other hand, Philip and Nathanael are similarly mentioned together. Giuseppe Simone Assemani specifically remarks, "the Chaldeans confound Bartholomew with Nathaniel". Some Biblical scholars reject this identification, however.

In the Gospel of John, Nathanael is introduced as a friend of Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical about the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?", but nonetheless, follows Philip's invitation. Jesus immediately characterizes him as "Here is a man in whom there is no deception." Some scholars hold that Jesus' quote "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you", is based on a Jewish figure of speech referring to studying the Torah. Nathanael recognizes Jesus as "the Son of God" and "the King of Israel". Nathanael reappears at the end of John's gospel as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection.

Tradition

Eusebius of Caesarea's ''Ecclesiastical History'' (v §10) states that after the Ascension, Bartholomew went on a missionary tour to India, where he left behind a copy of the Gospel of Matthew. Other traditions record him as serving as a missionary in Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, Parthia, and Lycaonia.

Along with his fellow apostle Jude, Bartholomew is reputed to have brought Christianity to Caucasian Armenia in the 1st century. Thus both saints are considered the patron saints of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

He is said to have been martyred in Albanopolis in Armenia. According to one account, he was beheaded, but a more popular tradition holds that he was flayed alive and crucified, head downward. He is said to have converted Polymius, the king of Armenia, to Christianity. Astyages, Polymius' brother, consequently ordered Bartholemew's execution.

The 13th century Saint Bartholomew Monastery was a prominent Armenian monastery constructed at the site of the martyrdom of Apostle Bartholomew in the Vaspurakan Province of Greater Armenia (now in southeastern Turkey).

Mission in India

Two ancient testimonies exist about the mission of Saint Bartholomew in India. These are of Eusebius of Caesarea (early 4th century) and of Saint Jerome (late 4th century). Both these refer to this tradition while speaking of the reported visit of Pantaenus to India in the 2nd century.

The studies of Perumalil and Moraes hold that the Bombay region on the Konkan coast, a region which may have been known as the ancient city Kalyan, was the field of Saint Bartholomew's missionary activities.

Bartholomew's relics

The 6th-century writer in Constantinople, Theodorus Lector, averred that in about 507 Emperor Anastasius gave the body of Bartholomew to the city of Dura-Europos, which he had recently re-founded. The existence of relics at Lipari, a small island off the coast of Sicily, in the part of Italy controlled from Constantinople, was explained by Gregory of Tours by his body having miraculously washed up there: a large piece of his skin and many bones that were kept in the Cathedral of St Bartholomew the Apostle, Lipari, were translated to Beneventum in 803, and to Rome in 983 by Holy Roman Emperor Otto II, conserved at the basilica of San Bartolomeo all'Isola. In time, the church there inherited an old pagan medical centre. This association with medicine in course of time caused Bartholomew's name to become associated with medicine and hospitals. Some of Bartholomew's skull was transferred to the Frankfurt Cathedral, while an arm is venerated in Canterbury Cathedral today.

Miracles

Of the many miracles performed by Bartholomew before and after his death, two very popular ones are known by the townsfolk of the small island of Lipari.

The people of Lipari celebrated his feast day annually. The tradition of the people was to take the solid silver and gold statue from inside the Cathedral of St Bartholomew and carry it through the town. On one occasion, when taking the statue down the hill towards the town, it suddenly got very heavy and had to be set down. When the men carrying the statue regained their strength they lifted it a second time. After another few seconds, it got even heavier. They set it down and attempted once more to pick it up. They managed to lift it but had to put it down one last time. Within seconds, walls further downhill collapsed. If the statue had been able to be lifted, all the towns people would have been killed.

During World War II, the Fascist regime (German/Italian) looked for ways to finance their activities. The order was given to take the silver statue of St Bartholomew and melt it down. The statue was weighed, and it was found to be only a few grams. It was returned to its place in the Cathedral of Lipari. In reality, the statue is made from many kilograms of silver and it is considered a miracle that it was not melted down.

St Bartholomew is credited with many other miracles having to do with the weight of objects.

In Islamic literature

Muslims accept Jesus as a prophet of Islam. The Qur'an also speaks of Jesus's disciples but does not mention their names, instead referring to them as "helpers to the work of God". Muslim exegesis and Qur'an commentary, however, names them and includes Bartholomew amongst the disciples.

Art and literature

Christian tradition has three stories about Bartholomew's death: "One speaks of his being kidnapped, beaten unconscious, and cast into the sea to drown. Another account states that he was crucified upside down, and another says that he was skinned alive and beheaded in Albac or Albanopolis", near Bashkale, Turkey.

The account of Bartholomew being skinned alive is the most represented in works of art, and consequently Bartholomew is often shown with a large knife, holding his own skin (as in Michelangelo's ''Last Judgment''), or both. Bartholomew is also the patron saint of tanners.

Bartholomew plays a part in Francis Bacon's Utopian tale ''New Atlantis'', about a mythical isolated land Bensalem populated by a people dedicated to reason and natural philosophy. Some twenty years after the ascension of Christ the people of Bensalem found an ark floating off their shore. The ark contained a letter as well as the books of the Old and New Testaments. The letter was from Bartholomew the Apostle and declared that an angel told him to set the ark and its contents afloat. Thus the scientists of Bensalem received the revelation of the Word of God.

See also

St. Bartholomew's Day massacre

St Bartholomew's Hospital

References

Other sources

''Easton's Bible Dictionary'', 1897.

''Encyclopedia Anglicana'', 1911

''Dictionary of First Names'', Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges. Oxford University Press, 1996

Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints''. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0140513124.

For a discussion of Baroque paintings of St. Bartholomew by the Spanish artist Ribera, see: Williamson, Mark A. "The Martyrdom Paintings of Jusepe de Ribera: Catharsis and Transformation", PhD Dissertation, Binghamton University, Binghamton, New York 2000 (available online at myspace.com/markwilliamson13732)

External links

The Life, Miracles and Martyrdom of St Bartholomew the Apostle of Jesus Christ

The Martyrdom of the Holy and Glorious Apostle Bartholomew, attributed to Pseudo-Abdias, one of the minor Church Fathers

St. Bartholomew's mission in India

St. Bartholomew's Connections in India

Category:Catholicoi of Armenia Category:Eastern Orthodox saints Category:Twelve Apostles Category:People executed by crucifixion Category:Saints from the Holy Land Category:Saints of the Golden Legend Category:1st-century Christian martyr saints Category:Anglican saints Category:People celebrated in the Lutheran liturgical calendar Category:Biblical apostles Category:Saints days

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