According to the Bible, Christ had 12 disciples close to him. They were called apostles. These were ordinary people, mostly all fishermen. He called them while he was on earth. God gave them great power so that they could heal all the sick, raise them from the world of the dead, cast out evil spirits, and tell all people about it.
The apostles are the messengers. It was they who witnessed Jesus being resurrected and ascended to heaven. In the chamber of Zion, the Holy Spirit descended upon them, and after that the apostles began to speak in different languages, previously unknown, but most importantly, they strengthened in their faith and became real preachers.
Andrei
The first of the 12 apostles was Andrew, he was called the First-Called. He walked with good news to the Dnieper River and the hills on which the city of Kiev was built after time. Chroniclers claim that Andrei told his students that instead of the huge mountains, a magnificent city will be built, where a large number of churches will be erected. The apostle after his words climbed the mountains, blessed them and put an end to it. According to legend, Andrew went from Kiev to Novgorod, where he was struck by how people, bathing in baths, beat themselves with bars and doused with cold water and kvass.
Peter
Andrew the First-Called had a brother, his name was Peter. People loved him very much, because with all his strength he preached, healed and resurrected. The people even carried hopelessly ill relatives to the streets, so that even the shadow of Peter fell on them.
Two brothers
Continuing to recall the names of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ, we will talk about two brothers, John and James. In the Gospels they were called Zebedees, since their father was called Zebedee. The brothers had an explosive character, so Jesus gave them another name - “Voanerges”, which means “sons of thunder”. According to legend, the apostle James died a painful death at age 44. His remains were released into the Mediterranean Sea, and found in 813 by the hermit monk Pelayo. Later, in 896–899, by order of Alfonso III, a church was built on the site where the remains were found. This place was given a beautiful name - Compostella, and the apostle James began to patronize Spain. By the way, the capital of Chile, Santiago, was named after him.
The brother of James, John the Evangelist, occupied a special place among the 12 apostles of Christ. He was his most beloved student. John preached love, because without it, as he said, a person cannot approach God. He raised the dead. John lived on earth for more than a hundred years, during which time he did many good deeds for people. The people loved this apostle very much. Before his death, he asked his students to dig a grave for himself in the form of a cross, lay there and ordered to be buried. After other students dug up the grave, no bodies were found there.
Other saints
This is only part of the 12 apostles of Christ; there were also Philip, Bartholomew, St. Thomas, Matthew, James Alfeyev, Simon Zilot, Judah and Matthew. All of them are captured on the icons of many countries of the world. They are revered, all believers pray to them, because they did good deeds and there were witnesses who left manuscripts after themselves.
They have survived to this day, and with them the relics of all 12 apostles. Particles of the bodies of these saints are usually stored in churches and temples. The icon of the 12 apostles shows us the faces of all the disciples of Christ. There are several versions, and they all differ from each other, since the artists who created the images were from different countries.
Cathedrals
Temples, cathedrals and churches were also erected in honor of the 12 apostles. All buildings are old, they are in the most picturesque places. The temple of the 12 apostles stands in Tula, in Israel, in Moscow, in the Crimea (Balaklava).
The Israeli temple is different from all the others with its pink domes. This building was built around the eighties of the twentieth century. Rumor has it that in the place where the temple stands, there used to be a house in which Jesus healed a person from paralysis.
Tula is also famous for its structure in honor of the 12 apostles. There used to be an old building made of wood, but over time it became necessary to expand it. And in 1903 the construction of a stone temple began. In 1912, a school and an almshouse for the elderly were equipped in the building itself. The walls in the temple are painted with images and ornaments of famous artists. This is a very large building, accommodates more than a thousand people.
In Moscow, the temple of the 12 apostles is a national monument. It was built in 1635-1656 by Russian masters. It has five chapters, looks like a palace. The materials used in its construction were the most expensive that existed then. The best icon painters and isographers worked on the painting. In 1917, the temple was bombarded by revolutionaries, and in 1918 it was converted into a museum.
Another temple
In Balaclava, the temple to the 12 apostles, along with all others, is a unique monument of the 18th century. It was built in 1794 on the foundation of an old church. The history of the temple says that it was a repository of the banners and relics of the Balaklava battalion, then transferred to the diocesan department. And after Soviet power was established in Crimea, the sanctuary was closed, and it housed the house of pioneers, and later the club.
In the nineties, it was transferred to the Orthodox Church and began to be restored. Everything was restored by the writings of Augustine. In 1991, the temple was consecrated again. Today it is the courtyard of the Inkerman monastery. Here are stored many relics of various saints. Inside the temple there are no murals at all, but perhaps earlier they adorned the walls of this great building.
Conclusion
We told you about the twelve apostles of Christ, learned the necessary information about them. In addition, we realized that many churches and cathedrals were built in honor of these saints.