The Gospels describe Lazarus of Bethany, and his sisters Mary and Martha, as friends and disciples of Jesus. Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus, and he was at a banquet for Jesus just days before the Crucifixion. But Lazarus also figured in legends. In one, he, Martha, Mary Magdalen and others were set adrift in a boat that took them to Gaul, where he became a bishop and martyr. In another, he was cast off in a leaky boat that miraculously made it to Cyprus. In a third, he traveled to Syria. The 2005 Roman Martyrology gave him a shared July 29 memorial with Martha, but Cubans still celebrate their major festival of San Lazaro on Dec. 17.
