The reputed burial place of Saint James the Great

The Santiago de Compostela Archcathedral Basilica is part of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and an integral component of the Santiago de Compostela World Heritage Site in Galicia, Spain. The cathedral is a place of Christian pilgrimage on the Way of St James and is one of the remaining churches in the world built over the tomb of an apostle. It is the reputed burial place of Saint James the Great, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ.

According to legend, the tomb was rediscovered in AD 814 by Pelagius the Hermit, after he witnessed strange lights in the night sky above the Libredon forest. Bishop Theodomirus of Iria recognized this as a miracle and informed king Alfonso II of Asturias and Galicia. The king ordered the construction of a chapel on the site, and it is said he was the first pilgrim to this shrine. This was followed by the first church in AD 829, and then in AD 899 by a pre-Romanesque church ordered by king Alfonso III of León.

In 997, the early church was reduced to ashes by Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, army commander of the caliph of Córdoba. St James's tomb and relics were left undisturbed during this time. However, the gates and the bells of the church were carried by local Christian captives to Córdoba and added to the Aljama Mosque. When Córdoba was taken by king Ferdinand III of Castile in 1236, these same gates and bells were transported by Muslim captives to Toledo to be inserted in the Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons