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AKG-Images/Electa

The apostle Philip, depicted in this 1308 painting by Italian artist Duccio di Buoninsegna, was one of Jesus’ original 12, according to all four New Testament Gospels. Stories of his missionary activity are recounted in the apocryphal fourth-century Acts of Philip, which tells how he came to the city of Hierapolis in southwestern Turkey with his sister Mariamne and his companion Bartholomew. In a miraculous event at Hierapolis, Philip converts many of the townspeople to Christianity but nonetheless meets his end as a crucified martyr. On the traditional site of his martyrdom, a special octagonal church, or martyrium, was constructed to commemorate the sainted Philip. It remained a center of pilgrimage and worship for several centuries.