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Feast
Day: July 25
Also known as
one of the Sons of Thunder; Jacobus Major; Iago; Santiago
Profile
Son of Zebedee and Salome, brother of Saint John
the Apostle, and may have been Jesus' cousin. He is called "the
Greater" simply because he became an Apostle before Saint James
the Lesser. Apparent disciple of Saint John
the Baptist. Fisherman.
Left everything when Christ called him to be a fisher of men. Was present
during most of the recorded miracles of Christ. Preached in Samaria,
Judea, and Spain.
First Apostle to be martyred.
The pilgrimage to his relics in Compostella became such a popular devotion
that the symbols of pilgrims
have become his emblems, and he became patron of pilgrims.
His work in Spain,
and the housing of his relics there, led to his patronage of the country
and all things Spanish;
for centuries, the Spanish
army rode to battle with the cry "Santiago!"
Like all men of renown, many stories grew up around James. In one, he
brought back to life a boy who had been unjustly hanged, and had been dead
for five weeks. The boy's father was notified of the miracle while he sat
at supper. The father pronounced the story nonsense, and said his son was
no more alive than the roasted fowl on the table; the cooked bird promptly
sat up, sprouted feathers, and flew away.
Died
44
@ Jerusalem; stabbed with a sword by King
Herod Agrippa; legend says his body was taken by angels, and sailed in an
unattended boat to Spain
where a massive rock closed around it; relics @ Compostella, Spain
Patronage
against arthritis,
against rheumatism,
apothecaries,
arthritis sufferers,
blacksmiths,
Chile,
druggists,
equestrians,
furriers,
Guatemala,
horsemen,
knights,
laborers,
Nicaragua,
pharmacists,
pilgrims,
rheumatoid sufferers,
riders,
soldiers,
Spain,
Spanish conquistadors,
tanners,
veterinarians
Representation
cockle shell; key; pilgrim's
staff; scallop shell; sword; elderly, bearded man wearing a hat with a
scallop shell; man with shells around him; pilgrims
with wallet and staff; pilgrims's
hat
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