According to tradition, after
the death of Jesus, the apostles divided among them the places
where they should predicate, and to James fell Spain and the
occidental regions. Legend tells two versions about the presence
of the Martyr in the Iberian Peninsula; the first says that
he went through Asturias, Galice, Castile and Aragon, spreading
the word of God unsuccessfully.
During this mission the Virgin appeared before him by the
Ebro river, above a column, and ordered him to build a church
there. The second version assures that after his martyrdom,
his disciples carried his body by boat from Jerusalem to Iria
Flavia, in Finisterre. At this point , historic facts and
legend merge to obtain a colourful story. Once beheaded, his
body was thrown out of the city to feed dogs and beasts, but,
when night fell, his disciples took it and carried it to the
Port of Jope. Providentially, an empty fully-rigged boat appeared.
On the seventh day of navigation they arrived at the mouth
of the Ulloa river, in Galice. As they put the body of their
master on a heavy rock, the rock melted like wax and turned
into a sarcophagus.
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