A Famous Medieval Relic of St James the Greater

All Catholics know that the church of Santiago di Compostella in Spain is one of the most important pilgrimage shrines in the world. Far less well known today is the fact that the Tuscan city of Pistoia was once another major locus of pilgrimage in honor of St James the Great. Since the middle of the 12th century, the cathedral of St Zeno has possessed a relic of the Apostle, a small piece of his skull acquired by Bishop Atto in 1145. Some years ago, I took a nighttime tour of the cathedral, during which the archpriest, Don Luca Carlesi, gave an extremely interesting presentation on its history. In the Middle Ages, the relic was a major draw for pilgrims who could not travel all the distance to Compostella. Large crowds of pilgrims were often a source of great prosperity to medieval cities, and, as Don Luca phrased it to a mostly local group of visitors, “Everything that our ancestors were able to make of the city of Pistoia in the High Middle Ages is due to the presence of this relic.”

The reliquary of St James the Apostle, made in the 15th century; it also contains relics of Maria Salome, traditionally identified as his mother, St Martin of Tour, and two local early martyrs, priests named Rufinus and Felix.

The relic was formerly kept in a special chapel gated off from the rest of the church at the back of the right nave; this chapel was the property of the city, and under its jurisdiction, not of the cathedral and its bishop and canons. The city’s governing council held its meetings in it, as a sign of the Apostle’s protection and patronage, and its constitution was kept in the small safe-room which also stored its precious objects.

Between 1287 and 1456, the chapel’s altar was commissioned in different stages. The various parts of it have been dismantled, reassembled and reordered on several occasions; during the Second World War, it was taken apart and removed to a deposit for safe-keeping. and afterwards reassembled. The current arrangement dates from the year 1953. Since the panels are made of silver, it is now kept behind rather thick glass to prevent people from touching them, which makes a certain amount of lens flare unavoidable.

Several parts of this upper panel were originally a frontal. Two of the figures were stolen and never recovered; this is why the figures which were inserted in the niches to either side of St James’ head to replace them are slightly too large.

St James with a pilgrim’s hat and staff.

The panels of the frontal have also been rearranged. The upper register shows the Annunciation and Visitation, the Birth of Christ, Christ in majesty between the Virgin and St James, the arrival of the Magi, and their adoration of the Christ Child. The middle register shows King Herod ordering the Massacre of the Holy Innocents, the arrest of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Angel’s appearance to the Three Marys at the tomb, and Christ’s to St Thomas. The lower register shows the Ascension, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Sermon on the Mount, followed by the condemnation and beheading of St James.

Continue Reading this Article. . .

The Feast of the Thunderous Heel-Grabber

School of Valencia, Circle of Los Hernandos, “Saint James the Great at the Battle of Clavijo” (Santiago Matamoros), 16th century

The Church feeds her flock in different ways throughout the year; in the summer, she excels in the presentation of her Saints, who shine like the stars on a warm night. On July 25, the Church honors an Apostle whose cult is rich in custom and lore.

Saint James the Greater

Saint James was the son of Zebedee and Mary Salome and the brother of Saint John the Apostle, both of whom our Lord nicknamed “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3, 17). James is also given the epithet “the Greater” to distinguish him from “James the Lesser” or Younger, another Apostle who was Our Lord’s cousin. “James,” which is the equivalent of the Hebrew Jacob (“Usurper” or “Heel-Grabber”), was a popular Jewish name in Palestine at the time.

James was probably introduced to Our Lord by his brother John; like Saint Peter and his brother Saint Andrew, the four had been fishermen in Galilee. Along with Saints Peter and John, James was part of a special group. Only these three “Princes of the Apostles,” as Saint John Chrysostom calls them, witnessed the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor, the miracle of raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead, and Christ’s Agony in the Garden.

James’ nickname as a Son of Thunder was well-deserved. When some Samaritans denied Jesus access to their village, James and John asked: “Lord, wouldst thou have us bid fire come down from heaven, and consume them?” Our Lord had to remind them that the Son of Man came to save men’s lives rather than destroy them (Luke 9, 53-56).

The Acts of the Apostles lists Saint James as the first of the Apostles to be martyred. Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great, curried favor with the Jews by persecuting Christians, who were rapidly increasing in number. For the Passover of A.D. 44, Herod had James slain with the sword (Acts 12, 1-2). The New Testament does not state why, but we may speculate that James’ prominence in the Christian community at Jerusalem and the vehemence of his zeal for the Gospel made him an ideal scapegoat. But calling James vehement is not to say that he still harbored a thunderous desire to rain down lightning upon his foes. An early tradition states that when the man who accused Saint James before the tribunal saw how bravely the Apostle accepted his sentence, he immediately converted and asked for his forgiveness. James did so gladly with the Kiss of Peace, and both died as martyrs.

Santiago de Compostela

Although Saint James was martyred in the spring, his feast day falls on July 25, the date on which his remains were allegedly transferred to Spain. According to legend, he preached the Gospel on the Iberian peninsula shortly after the Ascension and then returned to the Holy Land. After he was martyred in Jerusalem, his body was taken to Jaffa, where a marvelous stone ship transported it back to Spain. His disciples asked a deceitful pagan queen for a place to bury the body; they buried it at the current site of Compostela after foiling a number of her traps. The body was rediscovered in the ninth century when a star led the local bishop to its location. Hence the name Santiago de Compostela: “Santiago” is a Galician development of the vulgar Latin Sanctu Jacobu, and “Compostela” is a corruption of Campus Stellae, or Field of the Star.

Whatever the truth behind these tales, one thing is certain: Santiago de Compostela is an extremely significant pilgrimage site, third only in popularity during the Middle Ages to Rome and the Holy Land. To this day, the pilgrimage to Santiago, called El Camino or The Way, is piously made by hundreds of thousands each year, and the Pope alone still reserves the right to dispense someone of his vow to make the pilgrimage. ¡Buen Camino! is what the Spanish say to Compostela pilgrims, who traditionally wear on their chests scalloped shells, the symbol of Saint James.

And it would be difficult to underestimate the significance of devotion to Saint James on the history of Spain. During the Reconquista, when the Muslims were driven out after centuries of occupation, pious Spaniards prayed to Santiago Matamoros, Saint James the Moorslayer, who helped the Christians defeat the Moors at the legendary Battle of Clavijo. The Spanish battle cry during these wars was Santiago! or ¡Santiago y cierra, España!, which means “Saint James and close in on ’em, Spain!” The same words were used by Cortez and his soldiers when they battled the Aztecs in the jungles of Mexico.

Patronage and Customs

Saint James is the patron saint of Spain, Chile, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and a number of cities in Mexico and the Philippines, but his popularity extends beyond the borders of Hispania and her former colonies. Many French wines from the region of Burgundy bear the name Saint-Jacques because of the fossilized scallops found in the vineyards’ rich limestone deposits. James’ symbolic tie to shells also explain why he is the patron saint of oyster-fishing, and it is probably his association with Conquistadors that accounts for his patronage not only of soldiers, sailors, and equestrians, but of just about anyone who equips or helps a mounted cavalry, such as veterinarians, blacksmiths, and tanners. You might also think that Saint James is invoked against arthritis and rheumatism because the Conquistadors got stiff in the saddle after long hours of aggressive colonizing, but the more plausible answer is his miraculous cure of a paralytic as he was being led to his martyrdom.

In parts of England and France, Saint James’ Day was the occasion for various harvest thanksgivings, especially with respect to the bounty of the orchard. In the Middle Ages, it was common in certain dioceses to bless walnuts, apples, and other nuts and fruits.

Catedral de Santiago de Compostela

The Scallop

As we have already noted, the primary symbol of the Camino de Santiago is a scallop shell: in fact, its scientific name is Pecten Jacobaeus, James’s scallop (and we might as well add that the French is Coquille Saint Jacques, and the German is Jakobsmuscheln or James’ mussels). Images of scallops line the Camino pointing the way, pilgrims wear a scallop en route to signify their status, or they collect a scallop once they reach Santiago to signify their successful completion of the journey. In the Middle Ages, successful Santiago pilgrims also had scallops carved on their sarcophagi.

Las vieiras guían el Camino de Santiago

Explanations about the association of the scallop with the Saint abound. Some say that it is simply because pilgrims use scallop shells to drink water from streams, although this does not explain why it is specific to El Camino. A more likely explanation is that pilgrims who reached Santiago continued their journey to the seashore of Finisterre (“end of the earth” or “land’s end”) to collect a scallop as proof of their pilgrimage. Later, vendors collected the shells and sold them at Santiago itself. Some legends try to tie the scallop to James himself. One has him performing a miraculous healing with a scallop shell, another that his remains were discovered covered in scallop shells. In any event, the contours of the scallop make it an apt symbol for Santiago: the converging ridges on the back of the shell are like the many different pilgrimage routes in Europe that lead to the tomb of St. James.

One thing is certain: other mollusks get to share in the glory of the scallop on this day. There is an old English proverb: “He who eats oysters on St James’s Day shall not lack for money.”

A Famous Medieval Relic of St James the Greater

All Catholics know that the church of Santiago di Compostella in Spain is one of the most important pilgrimage shrines in the world. Far less well known today is the fact that the Tuscan city of Pistoia was once another major locus of pilgrimage in honor of St James the Great. Since the middle of the 12th century, the cathedral of St Zeno has possessed a relic of the Apostle, a small piece of his skull acquired by Bishop Atto in 1145. A few years ago, I took a nighttime tour of the cathedral, during which the archpriest, Don Luca Carlesi, gave an extremely interesting presentation on its history. In the Middle Ages, the relic was a major draw for pilgrims who could not travel all the distance to Compostella. Large crowds of pilgrims were often a source of great prosperity to medieval cities, and, as Don Luca phrased it to a mostly local group of visitors, “Everything that our ancestors were able to make of the city of Pistoia in the High Middle Ages is due to the presence of this relic.”

The reliquary of St James the Apostle, made in the 15th century; it also contains relics of Maria Salome, traditionally identified as his mother, St Martin of Tour, and two local early martyrs, priests named Rufinus and Felix.

The relic was formerly kept in a special chapel gated off from the rest of the church at the back of the right nave; this chapel was the property of the city, and under its jurisdiction, not of the cathedral and its bishop and canons. The city’s governing council held its meetings in it, as a sign of the Apostle’s protection and patronage, and its constitution was kept in the small safe-room which also stored its precious objects.

Between 1287 and 1456, the chapel’s altar was commissioned in different stages. The various parts of it have been dismantled, reassembled and reordered on several occasions; during the Second World War, it was taken apart and removed to a deposit for safe-keeping. and afterwards reassembled. The current arrangement dates from the year 1953. Since the panels are made of silver, it is now kept behind rather thick glass to prevent people from touching them, which makes a certain amount of lens flare unavoidable.

Several parts of this upper panel were originally a frontal. Two of the figures were stolen and never recovered; this is why the figures which were inserted in the niches to either side of St James’ head to replace them are slightly too large.

St James with a pilgrim’s hat and staff.

The panels of the frontal have also been rearranged. The upper register shows the Annunciation and Visitation, the Birth of Christ, Christ in majesty between the Virgin and St James, the arrival of the Magi, and their adoration of the Christ Child. The middle register shows King Herod ordering the Massacre of the Holy Innocents, the arrest of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Angel’s appearance to the Three Marys at the tomb, and Christ’s to St Thomas. The lower register shows the Ascension, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Sermon on the Mount, followed by the condemnation and beheading of St James.

Continue Reading this Article. . .

A Famous Medieval Relic of St James the Greater

All Catholics know that the church of Santiago di Compostella in Spain is one of the most important pilgrimage shrines in the world. Far less well known today is the fact that the Tuscan city of Pistoia was once another major locus of pilgrimage in honor of St James the Great. Since the middle of the 12th century, the cathedral of St Zeno has possessed a relic of the Apostle, a small piece of his skull acquired by Bishop Atto in 1145. Last November, I took a nighttime tour of the cathedral, during which the archpriest, Don Luca Carlesi, gave an extremely interesting presentation on its history. In the Middle Ages, the relic was a major draw for pilgrims who could not travel all the distance to Compostella. Large crowds of pilgrims were often a source of great prosperity to medieval cities, and, as Don Luca phrased it to a mostly local group of visitors, “Everything that our ancestors were able to make of the city of Pistoia in the High Middle Ages is due to the presence of this relic.”

The reliquary of St James the Apostle, made in the 15th century; it also contains relics of Maria Salome, traditionally identified as his mother, St Martin of Tour, and two local early martyrs, priests named Rufinus and Felix.

The relic was formerly kept in a special chapel gated off from the rest of the church at the back of the right nave; this chapel was the property of the city, and under its jurisdiction, not of the cathedral and its bishop and canons. The city’s governing council held its meetings in it, as a sign of the Apostle’s protection and patronage, and its constitution was kept in the small safe-room which also stored its precious objects.

Between 1287 and 1456, the chapel’s altar was commissioned in different stages. The various parts of it have been dismantled, reassembled and reordered on several occasions; during the Second World War, it was taken apart and removed to a deposit for safe-keeping. and afterwards reassembled. The current arrangement dates from the year 1953. Since the panels are made of silver, it is now kept behind rather thick glass to prevent people from touching them, which makes a certain amount of lens flare unavoidable.

Several parts of this upper panel were originally a frontal. Two of the figures were stolen and never recovered; this is why the figures which were inserted in the niches to either side of St James’ head to replace them are slightly too large.

St James with a pilgrim’s hat and staff.

The panels of the frontal have also been rearranged. The upper register shows the Annunciation and Visitation, the Birth of Christ, Christ in majesty between the Virgin and St James, the arrival of the Magi, and their adoration of the Christ Child. The middle register shows King Herod ordering the Massacre of the Holy Innocents, the arrest of Christ, the Crucifixion, the Angel’s appearance to the Three Marys at the tomb, and Christ’s to St Thomas. The lower register shows the Ascension, the Presentation in the Temple, and the Sermon on the Mount, followed by the condemnation and beheading of St James.

Continue Reading this Article. . .

St James the Greater, the Son of Zebedee

I wrote recently about some ideas for guiding principles by which we might create a canon of art for Roman Rite churches, and a schema that would guide the placement of such images in a church.

I now plan on a series of articles describing the key elements of images of the saints of the Roman Canon - Eucharistic Prayer I - and the major feasts of the year. My hope is that it may stimulate interest in some of you to realize such schemes of art in your church. As I say in the article linked above, the goal is also to engender a manner of worship in which the faithful engage fruitfully with holy images while participating in the liturgy.

This is quite a big project, and so I don’t expect to do the whole thing in the course of one year. I don’t know if I have the time to do the research and writing for the complete set in that time, but I will do the best I can. I am heartened by the fact that even for our own Shawn Tribe, who for many years was tireless in posting several times a day on this site, two years elapsed between his feature The Saints of the Roman Canon, Part 1 and its reprise The Saints of the Roman Canon, Part 2! My general plan is to cover the Saints first, and then the feasts, but I always go where my curiosity takes me, so I will throw in a great feast from time to time in this first year. I have created the tag “Canon of Art for the Roman Rite”, so that should any be interested, they can access the accumulating body of articles at any time.

Anyway, so here we go...

Today, July 25th, is the feast of St James the Greater, the Son of Zebedee.
The images of St James are simple, and it would not always be easy to recognise him - except that in order to be worthy of veneration, the name of the saint should appear on or beside every image! In traditional iconography, he is depicted bearded with short, brown curly hair. He was martyred only 10 years after the Resurrection, and is ordinarily not seen with grey hair to indicate that he did not live to old age. He holds a scroll, which is an indication of divine wisdom. In Western images, the equivalent might be also the holding of a book. The icon below is from the late 18th century.

In Western images, he is often depicted with longer hair, still usually brown and curly, and holding a pilgrim’s staff, a reference to the tradition that he is buried at Santiago de Compostela. This is, of course, still a very important pilgrimage site to this day, and many people every year follow all or part of the Way of St James from France to the final destination in Spain.

Here is a 14th century depiction by Pere Serra, who lived and worked in Cataloniam with Ss Peter, Clare, James, and John the Evangelist.

Below is one of my favourite images of him, painted by the baroque master, Guido Reni. (1636-38)

A contemporary painting by the Spanish baroque master, Alonso Cano.

And a 15th century Spanish statuette in stone.

For the fullest presentation of the principles of sacred art for the liturgy, take the Master’s of Sacred Arts at www.Pontifex.University.