St James Close, Salisbury

Saint James the Less on the West Front of Salisbury Cathedral

Saint James Close in Bishopdown. to the north of Salisbury is one of the roads that are named after saints on that estate. Like the others on the estate, there is no obvious connection between the saint and the area.

There were at least three Saint Jameses:
St. James the Greater
St. James the Less
St. James of the Marches

St James the Greater

St James the Greater was the brother of Saint John the Evangelist , and possibly a first cousin of Jesus Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. James the Greater – Wikisource.

He was part of the ‘inner circle’ of apostles, together with John and Peter Thomas J. Craughwell. This Saint’s for You!: 300 Heavenly Allies Who Will Change Your Life, Quirk Books,US (1 Nov 2007). ISBN 978-1594741845.

Jesus nicknamed James and John the ‘Boanerges, which is The Sons of Thunder’ Mark 3:17, seemingly on the basis of their fiery temperament.

Saint James is the patron saint of pilgrims, and he is often depicted with a shell, either because pilgrims were supposed to use a scallop shell to drink water from streams or riversTaylor, Richard (2003). How to Read a Church: A Guide to Images, Symbols and Meanings in Churches and Cathedrals p109. Rider & Co. ISBN-10 1844130533 or because Saint James saved a man from drowning the sea when his body was returned to Spain.

Santiago Matomoros

Saint James is strongly associated with Spain.

Traditionally he was believed to have preached in Spain before his martyrdom in AD44, and his relics are believed to be preserved at Compostela.

After his martyrdom in Jerusalem, his relics were supposed to have been miraculouly transported back to Spain. Sometime susbsequent to that his relics were rediscovered in a field over which a heavenly lights were shiningSantiago de Compostela – SantiagoTurismo.com – hence Compostela, from campus meaning ‘field’ and stela meaning ‘star’.

He was adopted as the patron saint of the reconquista – the war between the Spanish Christians and the Moors.

The Moors were, broadly, north African Muslims, who occupied parts of Spain in the eighth century. The reconquista was the battle to expel the Moors which lasted for the next 800 years.

Saint James was said to have appeared in many battles, fighting on the side of the Christians. ‘Santiago‘, meaning Saint James became a battle cry of the Christian armies. The Saint was nicknamed Matamoros, meaning ‘moor-slayer’

Saint James The Less

There are four biblical Jameses who may or may not Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. James the Less – Wikisource have been the same person:

Saint James was probably named ‘The Less’ because he was physically shorter than James the Greater Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/St. James the Greater – Wikisource, although it seems to me that this does also reflect his lower prominence in Christian tradition.

Saint James of the Marches

Saint James of the Marches lived from 1391 until 1476. He preached in the marches – the border areas between Italian states.