According to Acts of Barnabas, the saint was martyred in 61AD in Salamis and hidden in a cave outside of the city. Archaeologists know today that the cave was part of a massive catacomb network of the ancient necropolis which lay between the ancient city of Engomi and Salamis.
It would have been the perfect place to bury the ashes of the saint and hide out for the three days, according the work, until the Jews gave up looking for those (John Mark and Timon) who had taken the remains from the site of martyrdom.
Part of the Salamis NecropolisThe catacombs by the church of St. Barnabas. Only a small area of the massive necropolis has been excavated.
A small Byzantine Church from the 5th Century was constructed over the catacomb area where St. Barnabas was found in 478AD still with the Gospel of St. Matthew where John Mark had placed it.
Adjacent to the small structure is the imposing St. Barnabas Monastery built in 1756 which houses numerous early icons in the church and a museum around the courtyard where the monk’s cells had been.
