The Cult of Santiago

by Geri Ferguson
(English major)

During the first century Europe was plagued with many different wars for political and religious agendas. At this time Christianity was still just a new trend and seen by many the way that we see doomsday cults today. Rather than making it impossible for Christianity to get a foothold in the people, the new Christianity trend used the turmoil as a doorway through which it was able to find strong followers. Saint James, known in Spanish as Santiago, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus; during his lifetime he came to Spain to preach the gospel, probably following a route that leads to the "End of the Earth" which held a great deal of mythical and mystical value to Europeans (Lehelma). During this time the Moors, or Arabs, were in the process of expanding their territory, infringing upon many people's lands and belief systems. In the year 711 Visogothic Spain had nearly been conquered by the Moors, and the Spaniards were in dire need of a savior. Thus follows the birth of the Cult of Saint James. During the battle of Clavijo Saint James appeared as a holy warrior fighting for Ramiro I of Leon, attempting to push back and defeat the troops of Abdurrahaman II. The image of Saint James the Moor-slayer,mounted horseback striking down all Moors in his path with a mighty sword, however grotesque, was then used to strengthen the Christian resistance to the Arabs.

During Saint James' lifetime it seems that his preaching found little results. It is believed that he managed to convert only nine people to Christianity (New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1071). The route that the Camino takes is believed to have been used in Roman and even prehistoric times as a route to Finisterre, which was believed to be the "End of the Earth" (Lehelma). Saint James' teachings and preachings stayed within the general area of Galicia, the NorthWest corner of the Iberian Peninsula, where he was able to come into contact with people traveling to Finistere. Finding few converts in Spain, James returned to Palestine where King Herodes Agrippa I had him beheaded. As an apostle of Jesus there is at least one miracle attributed to James, the raising of Jairus' daughter. However it is possible that James conducted other miracles. Following James' death it seems that his disciples brought his body back to Galicia in "a miraculous boat that went without sails, steered by God himself" (Lehelma). When the boat landed, James disciples asked Queen Lupa for a place to bury his body, but being a pagan and a very unpleasant woman, she decided instead to just make the disciples lives very difficult. Over time, they managed to convert her to Christianity, though, and she became so devoted that she had her palace turned into a church that included the tomb of Saint James.

The Europeans, specifically the Spaniards, developed a cult around the idea that James helped fight off the Moors in the battle of Clavijo in the year 834, nearly eight centuries after his death. In a time when the battle over land, and the battle over souls were one in the same, the image of a religious savior fighting to maintain both the Spaniards land and their souls became a figure to rally around for them. Sculptures and paintings along the routes to Santiago de Compostela depicted Saint James mounted on a horse as a swordsman viscously defeating the dark-skinned foes. These representations of Saint James became more popular that those showing James as a peaceful preacher, due to the necessity in Spain for a warrior savior as much, if not more, than their need for a spiritual savior. However by fulfilling the need for a warrior savior the Christian faith was also strengthened in the process.

With all of the turmoil going on and the uprising of this new cult, the church decided to take advantage of the emotions in Europe surrounding the political and religious agitation. The French monks in Cluny began to promise complete absolution to all those who completed the pilgrimage to Saint James' tomb at Santiago de Compostela. The promise of absolution was a very strong incentive, and the pilgrimage routes became very heavily traveled following this promise. The Bishop of Le Puy in France, Gottsalk, was the first pilgrim to have reported making the trip in the year 950, but it is not known how many people actually made the trip before the Bishop.

By the twelfth century the pilgrimage had grown to be a very important event in people's lives. The journey itself happened to be rather dangerous and difficult for travelers on foot. Because of this, hostels and hospitals were built along the way to make the trip safer for the pilgrims, and bridges were built to make the trip more manageable. In the Codex Calixtinus that was written around 1130 by the French monk Aymeric Picaud, there is a guide to Santiago de Compostela as well as a story abut Charlamagne being instructed to follow the Milky Way to the tomb of the apostle Saint James in a dream. The Milky Way has also been used to describe how many pilgrims traveled to Santiago de Compostela, saying that there were as many pilgrims as there were stars in the sky.

Since the pilgrimage was so extensive, hostels, hospitals, and bridges were not the only new things to be created along the Camino. New towns began to emerge, and the new towns showed the effects of the pilgrims traveling from all over Europe. Santiago de Compostela became one of the world's centers of high medieval culture with Romanesque, Gothic, and Arab influences coming in and going out. The pilgrims obviously were influenced by these movements because they are infused in the new towns and cities along the Camino as well as being carried into "the farthermost [sic] corners of Europe" (Lehelma).

The Cult of Saint James was born through turmoil but survived because of faith. The fact that Spain was never conquered by the Moors and turned into an Arab nation is believed to be thanks to Saint James, and also why he is, and has been, the patron saint of Spain. Santiago de Compostela is considered one of the three most important centers of Christianity with Jerusalem and Rome being the other two. For this feat, Spain was and is grateful to Saint James, and the pilgrimage to his tomb has been a monumentous occasion for Christians all over Europe and the world.

Works Cited

Antti Lehelma. "A Short Guide For Pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela." 1 June 1999. Online Posting.