James the Apostle

Today is the Feast Day of St. James!

The reason last year and this year are considered Holy Years—when St. James’ Feast Day falls on a Sunday, Pope Francis declared it a Holy Year for the Camino. Because many pilgrims could not travel due to COVID, the Pope extended the Holy Year one more year. Camino de Santiago pilgrimage is also described as the Way of St. James.

Saint Jacob, or Saint James, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was born in Bethsaida, a village on Lake Tiberias, in present-day Israel. He was the son of the fisherman Zebedee and the brother of the apostle John.

What is clear from their writings is that Saint James was a faithful follower of Jesus. Together with Peter and his brother John, he is considered one of the three most important disciples. He is the patron saint of Spain, where the end of the pilgrimage route named after him can also be found.

Saint James traveled to Spain to spread the word of Christ there. He is said to have spent about seven years here before returning to Jerusalem. Around Easter of AD 44, Saint James was the first of the apostles to die a martyr when he was beheaded under the command of Herod Agrippa, king of the Herodians.

Saint James’s head is said to be buried in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, where a cathedral is dedicated to Saint James the Greater. The building is said to mark the spot where he was beheaded.

According to the accounts, the body of Saint James made a long journey west After the death of the apostle, his body is said to have been taken to the Iberian Peninsula in a boat led by an angel. After that, the saint was buried in the place where Santiago de Compostela is now located. This place is even named after him: the Spanish name of Saint Jacob, Santo Iago, or San Yago, was shortened to Santiago.Læs mere