Category:Tomb of James the Elder (subject)
According to Christian traditions, the Tomb of James the Elder is located in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain.
Overview
The legend says that James the Elder decided to return to Jerusalem after preaching in Galicia. There he was beheaded, but his disciples managed to get his body to Jaffa, where they found a marvelous stone ship, which miraculously conduced the apostle's body and the disciples to Iria Flavia, back in Galicia.
Following Roman persecutions of Spanish Christians, the tomb was abandoned in the 3rd century. The relics of James were said to have been later rediscovered in 814 by a hermit named Pelagius. Santiago de Compostela became a major pilgrimage site.
Construction of the present cathedral began in 1075 under the reign of Alfonso VI of Castile and was completed in 1128. Over the centuries the Cathedral has been continuously embellished and expanded, as flocks of pilgrims have completed the Way of St. James since the Middle Ages.
The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain
The Relics of St. James in the Crypt
The Pistoia Tradition
It is said that a small fragment of the skull of James the Elder was taken in 1144 from Santiago de Compostela and brought to Pistoia, Tuscany [Italy], where it was solemnly housed in a chapel in the Cathedral of St Zeno. In 1953 the 13-14th-century silver altar of the saint was moved to the Crucifix Chapel, where the relic is still today venerated.
The Cathedral of Saint Zeno in Pistoia, Tuscany, Italy
The Altar of St. James in the Crucifix Chapel
External links
- [ Wikipedia]
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