July 25: St. James the Greater

Today we remember one of "the Sons of Thunder" and the Lord's cousin

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July 25th is the feast day of James the Great (also known as James, son of Zebedee) who was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.

Saint James the Great is also known as James the Greater because he was larger in size than Saint James the Less. He is also remembered as the brother of Saint John the Evangelist. They were known as “the sons of Thunder” — a nickname given to them by Jesus himself as recorded in Mark 3:17.

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He was the first apostle to die as a martyr. Herod Agrippa ordered him to be executed in Jerusalem in 44 A.D. — as recorded in the twelfth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles.

Acts 12:1-2: Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

The Chapel of St. James the Great is the traditional place where he was martyred, and it remains in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem. His head is believed to be buried under the altar, marked by a piece of red marble and surrounded by six votive lamps to this very day.

He was also the first apostle to Spain. According to tradition, most of his remains were carried off from Jerusalem after his execution and eventually buried in Spain — in the church of Santiago de Compostela.

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By the 9th century, a pilgrimage route was established in his name that is now the most famous in the Christian world: “The Way of St. James.” The so-called Camino de Santiago is one of the “three great pilgrimages of Christendom” along with Jerusalem and Rome.

The symbol of St. James the Great is the sea shell — which is often found on the shores of Galicia, Spain. The legend regarding their connection is this: James’ body was brought to Spain on a boat sailed by an angel of the Lord. As the ship found land, a wedding was taking place on shore and the young groom (on horseback) was thrown into the sea because his horse was spooked by the ship. A miracle took place: the horse and the groom came out of the sea, alive and well, and covered in seashells.

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