As the feast of St Patrick falls in the middle of this month (17th March), I thought it might be a good time to look at Santiago’s position as patron of Spain and some of the challengers whom he has faced along over the centuries. I wrote previously about how Santiago’s position as patron wasContinue reading “Patron saints for the times in which we live”
Tag Archives: Kingdom of Castile
San Jorge vs Santiago (St George vs St James)
As next Tuesday (23rd April) is St George’s Day (San Jorge), I thought one of Spain’s favourite saints deserved a look in. Naturally, he has some competition. But St George vs St James — no contest, right? Well, as ever it depends from where you’re looking, especially if you’re on the Camino Aragonés or CaminoContinue reading “San Jorge vs Santiago (St George vs St James)”
The Spanish Inquisition and the Camino
The Inquisition was an office within the Catholic Church that dealt with matters of religious orthodoxy (proper belief and practice), and the Spanish Inquisition’s reputation is not simply a result of its activities, but also of propaganda wars of the sixteenth century and later. As Spain increasingly portrayed itself as a champion of Catholicism andContinue reading “The Spanish Inquisition and the Camino”