About St. James

James was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of St. John the Apostle. He was an apparent disciple of St. John the Baptist. A fisherman, he left everything when Christ called him to be a fisher of men. He was chosen by Jesus to be one of the 12 apostles, given the mission to proclaim the good news, and authority to heal and cast out demons. To be named one of the 12, James must have had faith and commitment. But even among the apostles he held a special place. 

When Jesus raised Jairus' daughter when all thought her dead, he only allowed James, John, and Peter to come with him. Even more important when he went up to the mountain to pray, he wanted James, John, and Peter to go with him. And it was there on the mountain they were privileged to witness what no one else had seen -- Jesus transfigured in his glory. And with Simon Peter, James and John were the only apostles that Jesus gave a special name: Sons of Thunder. To be singled out in these ways, James must have been a close and respected friend of Jesus. 

It's no wonder then that James, along with John, felt that he had the right to go to Jesus and ask him to give them whatever they asked. As a mark of his love, Jesus didn't rebuke them but asked them what they wanted. They showed their lack of understanding of his mission when they asked that he let one of them sit on his right and the other on his left when he came into his glory. Jesus replied that they didn't know what they were asking. They didn't see the cross in his future, but an earthly throne. Could they drink of the cup he would drink of? They replied that they could. He assured them they would indeed drink of that cup. The other apostles were furious at this request. But Jesus used this opportunity to teach all of them that in order to be great one must be a servant. 

James and John showed further lack of understanding of their friend and Lord when Jesus was turned away by Samaritans. They wanted to use their newly found authority as apostles not to heal but to bring fire down on the town. (Perhaps Jesus gave them their Sons of Thunder nickname because of their passion, their own fire, or their temper.) Jesus did reprimand them for their unforgiving, vengeful view of their power. But despite all these misunderstandings, it was still James, Peter, and John that Jesus chose to join him in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane for his final prayer before his arrest. It must have hurt Jesus that the three of them fell asleep on this agonizing evening. James did drink of the cup Jesus drank of after the Resurrection.

After the resurrection of Jesus, and the giving of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, the Apostles were filled with courage and began to spread the good news about Jesus far and wide.  James traveled as far as Spain to preach the Gospel, but no one seemed to listen. So he went home again to Jerusalem.  It wasn't safe to be a follower of Jesus.  Acts 12:1 tells us that James was one of the first martyrs of the Church. King Herod Agrippa I killed him with a sword in an early persecution of the Church. James is called James the Greater because another younger apostle was named James. 

According to popular tradition, Anastasius and Theodore took his body and set sail from the Port of Joffa to Galicia, Spain where they buried him. Muslim invasion produced wars and depopulation which caused the location to be forgotten.

At the beginning of the 9th century a local Bishop had a vision and a bright star led him to the burial place of James, Anastasius and Theodore. The Kings of Leon, Alfonso II and Alfonso III, built a basilica at the burial site. St. James'

became the patron saint of the Kingdom of Leon which was attempting to regain Spain from Islam. Pilgrims began to arrive from all over Christendom and miracles started to happen.

Santiago's cathedral dates to 1075 when it was made an Archbishopric and started the golden age of pilgrimages. Santiago became the most visited Christian shrine in the world. Far more people went there than to Jerusalem or Rome. Saints, kings, knights, towns people, craftsmen and peasants, all came to Compostela. The route played a fundamental role in cultural exchanges between the Iberian peninsula and the rest of Europe during the Middle Ages. 

In his Cita Nuova, Dante says that "a true pilgrim is he who goes to or returns from St. James' house." Since the earliest times there has been an interest in the route.

If you'd like a little taste of the Camino -- listen to this song, The Pilgrim Road, and enjoy the pictures. If the video doesn't load, click on the youtube link at the bottom of it.