One tradition holds that James preached the Gospel in [[Spain]] before returning to [[Kingdom of Judah|Judea]] when he was put to death by order of Herod. His body was then translated to Iria Flavia (northwest Spain) and then to Compostela. There are difficulties with the plausibility of this early missionary journey, but even if James did not preach the Gospel in Spain, his body may have been brought to Compostela nonetheless. The town, especially during the Middle Ages, was one of the most important and popular [[pilgrimage]] sites. To this day, James is Spain's patron saint, and there are many towns in Spain and [[Latin America]] called Santiago in his honor. In the twelfth century the Order of Knights of St. James of Compostela were founded, invoking James as their protector in battle against [[Muslim]]s; at this time he was often called ''Santiago Matamoros'' ('St James the Moor Killer'). | One tradition holds that James preached the Gospel in [[Spain]] before returning to [[Kingdom of Judah|Judea]] when he was put to death by order of Herod. His body was then translated to Iria Flavia (northwest Spain) and then to Compostela. There are difficulties with the plausibility of this early missionary journey, but even if James did not preach the Gospel in Spain, his body may have been brought to Compostela nonetheless. The town, especially during the Middle Ages, was one of the most important and popular [[pilgrimage]] sites. To this day, James is Spain's patron saint, and there are many towns in Spain and [[Latin America]] called Santiago in his honor. In the twelfth century the Order of Knights of St. James of Compostela were founded, invoking James as their protector in battle against [[Muslim]]s; at this time he was often called ''Santiago Matamoros'' ('St James the Moor Killer'). |