ST. JAMES THE GREATERApostle & patron Saint of Spain

WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUTJAMES, SON OF ZEBEDEE & SALOMEAcording to the Bible:Was a fisherman with his father and brother John, the Evangelist

Saint Mark Saint John Saint Luke Saint Mathew

VENEZIA

The TransfigurationResurrection of Jairos daughterWas James a cousin of Jesus??James was part of a prominent and choosen group of Apostles and was present at various important acts of Jesus

Was James a cousin of Jesus??ZEBEDEESALOMEJOHNJAMESVIRGIN MARYJESUS?

The legend holds it that just before his Crucifixion, Jesus divided up the world among his Apostles.

Peter went to

And James went to

HISPANIA BEFORE THE ROMANS

Iberians the natives (actually a group of different peoples with different cultures)Celts from the East & North of EuropeGreeks they colonized the coastCarthaginians in the coast as wellRomans they will conquer the whole peninsula

People whos been living around here

ROMAN HISPANIAThe north part of the peninsula has never been easy to conquer = pagan traditions were strong

JAMES is sent to HispaniaBaslica del Pilar, ZaragozaHe seems not to have been very convincing: he attracted only 7 disciples

On his way back to Holy Land, still in Hispania at Caesaraugusta

In 44 AC Herod Agrippa beheaded himHes the first Apostle who dies for Jesus

THE TRASLATIOFriends sneaked his body out of Jerusalem

Put it in a boat that with no sails, oars or sailors, traveled across the Mediterranean Sea

THE TRASLATIOthrough the Strait of Gibraltar, and north along the Iberian coast to Galicia

Padrn, where the boat finaly stopped

PADRN

Where his disciples tied the boat

Is now at Padrns churchPadrn bollard

THE LEGEND OF LUPAA tale of a very bad Queen, some Roman soldiers, angels, wild oxes, falling bridges and even a dragonwith a happy ending

THE SEPULCHER- Its actually a 1st Century Roman Sepulchre- You can still see it at the Cathedral of Santiago

http://www.archicompostela.org/web/catedral/movie.html

THE VISIGOTHS IN HISPANIAThe Barbarians took advantage of the Roman weakness

HISPANIA 8th CenturyVisigoths were fighting each other. There were basically two factions. Eventualy one of them asked the Muslims for help

HISPANIA 9th CenturySmall Christian kingdoms on the north started a Reconquista that took 800 years to complete

THE DISCOVERY OF THE TOMBIn 813 the Christian hermit Pelayo heard music and saw lights shining over a small cave in the woods on Mount LibrednHe found bones and parchment

TEODOMIR, BISHOP OF IRIA FLAVIA -Pelayo took the Bishop to the site and Teodomir authenticated the bones as those of the Apostle St. James and his disciples, Atanasio and Teodoro

ALFONSO II The Chaste KING OF ASTURIAS* He goes to see the relics and builds a small church, origin of the city of Santiago

Hes the first pilgrim

*Spain doesnt exist yet!!

The importance of having the burial place of St. James in your territoryAfter the fall of the Roman Empire, the new kingdoms were competing to prove which one was more Christian

Power of Kings emanate from God

The more Christian the more legitimate

SANTIAGO MATAMOROS (St. James the Moor-slayer)Clavijo (La Rioja)

Ramiro I the Christian King of Asturias, refused to pay the usual 100 Maidens Tribute to the Muslims.Legend has it

In 844, near Clavijo, the Christian Army waited for Abderramns Muslim troops.

Then Ramiro had a dream...

Legend has it

Santiago in Ramiros dream

Before the battle

Santiago!Santiago!

The Muslims fight back and then

SANTIAGO MATAMOROS (St. James the Moor-slayer)

Santiago the Moor-killer

Ramiro I proclaimed Saint James patron of the kingdom

ButSPOILER ALERT

There was never a battle at ClavijoThe stories about the battle are first found centuries after it allegedly occurred.

There was never a 100 Maiden TributeIts a very old but false story

Then why this legend?Muslims have consolidated their supremacy over Spain, (among other reasons, by converting much of the old Visigoth elite to Islam).

Christian Spain lives under the constant threat of Muslim power.

Its a way of encourage the Christians against the fearsome Yihad

Consequences:The Christian Kings established the Vow to Santiago

PRISCILIAN4th Century

WHO WAS PRISCILLIAN?He was born in the 4th Century in the Roman Gallaecia (today Galicia) and was a theologian, later ordained as bishop of vila.

He broke a lot of norms by, for instance, accepting women and slaves in the cult.Women could performe as priestess (a Celtic reminiscence?)

These cults were performed outside the churches, in the country, often during the nightThey considered Nature as the perfect temple of God, thats why they never built churches.

Apparently he used spells seeking to ensure the harvests.He used milk and grapes instead of bread and wine for the Consecration.

Priscillian said that the Bible must be freely read and interpreted (like Protestants will declare 12 centuries later)

He rejected the union between Church and the State. (he wanted to go back to the original Christianity as describe in the Gospels and the New testament)He condemned the corruption in the ecclesiastical hierarchy and wanted to live in povetry,

The official Church soon condemn these practicesA synod was held at Zaragoza in 380 resulting in his condemnation and excommunication.

Not happy with that, Emperor Maximianus, condemn Priscillian and 6 of his followers to death, one of them, a woman (Priscillian and his followers confessed heresy and obscene rituals under torture ).He became the first martyr inside the Church. It was the first time the Christians killed somebody because of his ideas.

He was beheaded

His followers took the remains of Priscillian and the rest of martyrs and buried them in a temple in his native land, near Iria Flavia.

Priscillianism became even stronger after the Church gave them a martyr.

Apparently the surroundings of his tomb became a favorite burial place and soon became a place of pilgrimage for his many followers.

Santiago or Priscillian?