Who was James? The Bible normally refers to the apostle James by the name of Jacob, from the Hebrew Ya’akov, which became Iacobus in Latin, leading to a great variety of first names in different European... read more
Life and apostleship John, James, Andrew and Peter were fishermen, when Jesus came to the shore of the lake of Gennesaret and invited them to join him as “fishers of men.” Jesus gave the first two the... read more
James in Hispania According to tradition, when the apostles set off to spread Jesus’ teachings around the world, James headed to Hispania. The Breviarium Apostolorum of the 6th century, St. Isidore’s... read more
“Traslatio” According to Acts of the Apostles, in the year 44 AD, while preaching in Jerusalem, James was arrested by Herod Agrippa I, who ordered his beheading. He was therefore the first apostle to be... read more
The warrior on the white horse The discovery of the apostle’s tomb was quickly related by Bishop Teodomiro of Iria Flavia to the Asturian king Alfonso II, who considered it a momentous event: not only would it lead to a... read more
James, patron saint of Spain Starting in the 9th century, the monarchs of the Reconquest recognised the apostle James as the patron saint of Spain; they established the “Voto de Santiago” (Vow to St. James),... read more
Feast of the Apostle The Codex Calixtinus specifies that the apostle James “was martyred on March 25, on July 25 he was taken from Iria to Compostela and was buried on December 30.” The feast... read more
Representations of St. James Plaza del Obradoiro is an excellent visual summary of the possible iconographic representations that have been made of St. James. The Cathedral façade features the pilgrim with a cape, hat... read more
