The Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew

The painting shows the Holy Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, two of the twelve disciples of Christ, who preached in the Armenian lands in the 1st century and laid the foundations of the Armenian Church. Saint Thaddeus brought the Holy Lance (Geghard) to Armenia, and Saint Bartholomew brought the miraculous image of the Mother of God. Both were martyred on Armenian soil.

The apostles are shown barefoot, with haloes, in long robes and cloaks. The saint on the left holds a small image of the Mother of God and a knife; the saint on the right holds a spear and a knife. There are Armenian inscriptions near their heads.

According to the source, thanks to the faith they sowed, Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion, in 301.