Most of the church’s capitals feature biblical themes. However, and given that this cathedral was, and continues to be, an essential stop on the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela, we have selected three capitals where the legendary acts of the apostle Saint James are narrated.

According to the old stories, after the ascension of Christ, the apostles divided up the different parts of the world to go and preach the Gospel. Saint James went to Spain, where he didn't have much success. Upon returning to Palestine, where Christians were persecuted, Saint James was captured and brought before King Herod, a scene which, along with the decapitation itself, you’ll find depicted on the first capital. It was the year 44 BC.

Continuing with the account of the legendary events, once decapitated, the body of Saint James was dumped in a field. His disciples, however, retrieved the body and brought it to  sea, where a vessel appeared, with no crew, which they boarded. Then, guided by the hand of God, they crossed the Mediterranean, passed Gibraltar and, following the Portuguese coast, arrived in Galicia. This maritime voyage is depicted on the second capital. Look closely: in the upper right part of the capital, you’ll see the hand of God guiding the vessel!

When they got to Galicia, the disciples gave him a burial. Centuries later, in the year 813, a shepherd named Pelai, drawn by lights or stars shining in a field, discovered the tomb. The tomb’s discovery, between large curtains, is exactly what is shown on the third capital. The shepherd immediately went to inform the bishop Teodomir, who, by divine inspiration, attributed the tomb to the apostle Saint James. The field of stars, or Campus Stellae, was the origin of Santiago de Compostela, one of the most powerful pilgrimage destinations in the world, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993.