Saint James Matamoros by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
The Moor-slayer
Venerated in
Folk Catholicism
Feast
25 July (same feast day as the Apostle James the Great)
Attributes
Riding a white steed, holding a flag and a sword
Patronage
Spain, and the Spanish people
St. James slaying Moors. (Anonymous, 18th century, Cusco School of Peru)
Saint James the Moor-slayer (Spanish: Santiago Matamoros) is the name given to the representation (painting, sculpture, etc.) of the apostle James the Great, as a legendary, miraculous figure who appeared at the also legendary Battle of Clavijo, helping the Christians conquer the Muslim Moors.
The story was invented centuries after the alleged battle was supposed to have taken place.[1][2] "Matamoros" is not a name nor an advocation of the saint. Aspects of the historical Battle of Monte Laturce (859) were incorporated into this legend of the battle of Clavijo, as Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz demonstrated in 1948.[3] Historian Jean Mitchell-Lanham says: "While this event is based on legend, the supposed battle has provided one of the strongest ideological icons in the Spanish national identity."[4]
In the 17th century, followers of his cult (Santiaguistas) proposed the patronage of Spain under his name, in contrast to those who favored Teresa of Ávila. The Santiaguistas overcame and won this religious debate, naming him the Patron Saint of Spain, until November 1760 when Pope Clement XIII rescinded this honor and officially declared the Immaculate Conception as the patroness of Spain as a country, and installed the historical apostle James as patron of the Spaniards.[1]
^ abOdio, Arnold (2010). "Clavijo, Battle of". In Rogers, Clifford J. (ed.). The Oxford Encyclopaedia of Medieval Warfare and Military Technology. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. p. 404. ISBN 978-0-19-533403-6.
^Whitman, James Q. (2012). The Verdict of Battle: The Law of Victory and the Making of Modern War. Harvard University Press. p. 47. ISBN 9780674068117.
^Sánchez-Albornoz y Menduiña, Claudio (1948). "La auténtica batalla de Clavijo". Cuadernos de Historia de España. 9: 94–139. Reprinted in Orígenes de la nación española, III (Oviedo: 1975), pp. 281–311.
^Mitchell-Lanham, Jean (2015). The Lore of the Camino de Santiago: A Literary Pilgrimage. Two Harbors Press. p. xii. ISBN 978-1-63413-333-3.
Saint James the Moor-slayer (Spanish: Santiago Matamoros) is the name given to the representation (painting, sculpture, etc.) of the apostle James the Great...
and was henceforth called Santiago Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer). ¡Santiago, y cierra, España! ("St. James and strike for Spain") was the traditional...
Matamoros is a Spanish surname and place name meaning ‘Moor killer’. It may refer to: 1999 Matamoros standoff, an armed engagement between gangsters and...
poverty, resolution and endurance of St. James the pilgrim" while de-emphasising the warrior JamesMatamoros; this choice "reconstruct[s] the paradigm...
Saint JamesMatamoros (9th cent.), or Saint James the Moor-slayer James of the Marches (died 1476), papal legate and inquisitor. Venerable James of Sclavonia...
Clavijo as JamesMatamoros (James the Moor-slayer), James is held as patron saint of the Spaniards. Because of his role in northern Spain, James is venerated...
March 14, 1989, University of Texas at Austin student Mark James Kilroy was kidnapped in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, while vacationing during spring break...
On 3 March 2023, four Americans were kidnapped in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. A U.S. official said they were likely mistaken for Haitian drug smugglers...
founded the Church of Saint James the Moor-slayer with himself as Archbishop, named after the Spanish legendary figure JamesMatamoros who helped the Christians...
The Matamoros Expedition was a planned 1836 invasion of the Mexican port town of Matamoros by rebellious Texians. As the Mexican government transitioned...
cartel based in Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico, was founded in the 1930s by Juan Nepomuceno Guerra. Originally known as the Matamoros Cartel (Spanish:...
attributes the victory of the Spaniards to the divine help of Saint JamesMatamoros, which explains why the first chapel built by the Tecuexe Catholics...
should be the nation's patron saint – the current patron Saint JamesMatamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer) or a combination of him and the newly canonized...
and supplies for the forthcoming and confusing Matamoros campaign against the Mexican city of Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Fannin had difficulty leading the...
1701-25. Torso of Pothos; 1st century. Ptolemaic lion; 325-30 BCE. Saint JamesMatamoros by João de Ruão; c. 1550. Portuguese metalwork is another highlight...
advocating a plan to attack centralist troops in Matamoros. Council members were taken with the idea of a Matamoros Expedition. They hoped it would inspire other...
was heading toward Matamoros, he sent General Urrea to march north along the coast of Texas to stop them. Urrea arrived in Matamoros and worked to secure...
debate during the mid 1600s, when followers of the mythical figure JamesMatamoros wished to impose him as the national patron saint versus the followers...
company in search of James Grant and Plácido Benavides who were leading a company of Anglos and Tejanos towards an invasion of Matamoros. The Mexicans ambushed...
known as Fort Brown right across the Rio Grande from Matamoros. On April 24, Arista arrived at Matamoros, having sent General Anastasio Torrejon with a portion...
sympathizers near Matamoros. Unknown to the Texians, on February 18, Mexican General José de Urrea led a large contingent of troops from Matamoros into Texas...
Global Information
