St. James the Great

Apostle James was one of the first of the 12 apostles to be recruited by Jesus. He was recruited by Jesus while fishing on the sea of Galilee with his younger brother, John. He was called to help spread the gospel and together with Peter, Andrew and John. James formed the inner circle of Jesus. He was also one of the three people to witness the transfiguration of Jesus, the agony at Gethsemane, and the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus.

After Jesus was put to death and ascended into heaven, his apostles moved far and wide to spread the gospel and James’ travels took him to Spain. Unfortunately, his preaching was not received with open arms, and he was arrested in Grenada. He was soon released and he took his message to Galicia.

In January 40 A.D., James was preaching the gospel on the bank of the Ebro river, a river of the north and northeast of the Iberian Peninsula in Spain that flows into the Mediterranean Sea. While he was there, Mary the mother of Jesus, appeared to him on a pillar and advised him to return to Jerusalem once the Church had been built. The pillar remains today and is placed at the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, Spain.

James returned to Jerusalem in 44 A.D. and was taken prisoner upon his arrival under the rule of King Herod Agrippa I. The king put James to death, making him a martyr, and his body was taken by his devotees and was buried at the Santiago de Compostela in Galicia.