James the Greater

Saint James the Greater, also known as James, son of Zebedee, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. He was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the elder brother of John the Apostle. Along with Peter and John, he belonged to the inner circle of disciples who witnessed key moments in Christ's life, such as the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus nicknamed him "Boanerges," meaning "Sons of Thunder," due to his fervent temperament. According to the Acts of the Apostles (12:1-2), he was the first apostle to be martyred, beheaded by order of King Herod Agrippa I around 44 AD in Jerusalem. Medieval tradition credits him with evangelizing the Iberian Peninsula, and his legendary tomb in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain), has become one of the greatest pilgrimage centers of Christendom, known as the Camino de Santiago. He is the patron saint of Spain and pilgrims.