This map shows the traditional locations associated with the deaths of Jesus’ Twelve Apostles. It has also been updated to include Saint Matthias, who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot after the Ascension.
One of the striking things the map reveals is how far many of the apostles are traditionally believed to have traveled from their homelands. Most Christian traditions also remember them as having died as martyrs, although the historical evidence is much stronger for some apostles than for others.
The map was originally created as a Geographic Travels mapping project. Blue markers indicate locations that are more commonly associated with an apostle’s death in Christian tradition, while yellow markers indicate locations where the tradition is disputed or where more than one place has been proposed.
How to Read the Map
The locations on this map should be understood primarily as traditional death locations, not as equally certain historical facts.
The surviving historical evidence differs greatly from apostle to apostle. For example, the New Testament itself records that James, the son of Zebedee, was put to death by King Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12:1–2. For many of the other apostles, however, details about their later travels, martyrdoms and burial places come from early Christian writings and traditions recorded generations later.
That is also why some apostles have more than one marker. Different Christian traditions sometimes associate the same apostle with different regions or places of death.
Where Tradition Places Some of the Apostles
| Apostle | Traditional Association |
|---|---|
| Peter | Rome, where early Christian tradition places his martyrdom. |
| Andrew | Patras in Greece, traditionally associated with his crucifixion. |
| James the Greater | Judea. His execution by Herod Agrippa I is recorded in the Book of Acts. |
| John | Traditionally associated with Ephesus and remembered as the apostle who died of natural causes rather than martyrdom. |
| Thomas | Southern India, where a longstanding Christian tradition associates him with missionary work and death. |
| Philip | Hierapolis in Asia Minor, in present-day Turkey. |
| James the Lesser | Jerusalem according to later Christian tradition. |
| Bartholomew | Several traditions survive, including associations with Armenia and regions farther east. |
| Matthew | His later missionary travels and place of death are disputed among different traditions. |
| Simon the Zealot | Competing traditions place his later ministry and death in several different regions. |
| Jude Thaddeus | Traditionally associated with missionary activity in Syria, Mesopotamia and neighboring regions. |
| Matthias | Several different traditions survive regarding where he preached and died. |
Why the Locations Are Not All Certain
The journeys of the apostles after the events described in the New Testament are not documented with the same level of historical certainty. Some traditions developed very early, while others survive in later texts, regional churches and accounts of relics or burial places.
For that reason, the purpose of this map is not to suggest that every marker represents a proven historical location. Instead, it provides a geographical view of the places that Christian traditions have associated with the apostles across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Seen together, those locations illustrate something the original map was designed to make immediately visible: the remarkable geographical spread of early Christian tradition far beyond Judea.
Leave a Reply