Case file · Sacred site
The relics of St Matthew in Issyk-Kul
The Catalan Atlas of 1375 marks an Armenian monastery on Lake Issyk-Kul said to hold the body of the apostle Matthew.
1375 CE · 42.45, 77.25 · status: legend
The account
Submerged ruins in the lake, studied by Kyrgyz and Russian expeditions, keep alive local legends of drowned cities and the lost monastery.
The sceptical view
No monastery has been located; the submerged ruins are medieval settlements flooded by the rising lake.