Tuesday, July 25, 2023

The Feast Of St. James The Apostle Matamoros

 



Today's the Feast of St. James the Greater, brother of St. John. He was beheaded on the orders of King Herod Agrippa around 42 A.D. and is thee patron saint of equestrians, soldiers and Spain. Here's a prayer:


GRANT, O merciful God, that, as thine holy Apostle Saint James, leaving his father and all that he had, without delay was obedient unto the calling of thy Son Jesus Christ, and followed him; so we, forsaking all worldly and carnal affections, may be evermore ready to follow thy holy commandments; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

According to legend St. James was buried in Spain and gave supernatural aid to the Christian army at Clavijo, defeating the Moslem Moors:


During the Battle of Clavijo, it is said that Saint James the Great miraculously appeared to provide assistance to an outnumbered Spanish Christian army, helping them gain victory against the Moors who had started their conquest of Hispania in AD 711. The battle is placed between AD 834 and 844, about 800 years after the death of St James the Greater. According to legend, Saint James, appeared as a warrior on a white horse amidst the Spanish army, wielding a white banner. Upon seeing him, the Christian army cried out “¡Dios ayuda a Santiago!” which translates to “God save St. James!” It is believed that more than 5,000 Moors were killed during the battle, earning St James the title Matamoros or “Moor-slayer”.

 

¡Dios ayuda a Santiago!

LSP

6 comments:

  1. For some reason the livable, lovable town of Matamoros (sister city to picturesque Brownsville, TX), which means "dead negro" did not attract the attention of Barack Hussein Obama.

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  2. That's a very strange thing, LL.

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  3. It seems that the battle of Clavijo is a fiction, first being mentioned in the 12 century on a bogus charter see "https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Clavijo". The good news is that elements of the actual battle of Monte Laturce were incorporated into the legend, and at Monte Laturce 12,000 muslim cavalry perished see "https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Battle_of_Monte_Laturce". Also for those who remembered the movie Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail, Spanish and Latin have no "J", just an "I".

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  4. Yes, Anon, I read that too.

    Also, was there really a Queen named Lupas. I'm not saying there wasn't but it is fantastical, which I love.

    Was she somehow related to LL?

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  5. I don't think that there is a blood connection, LSP.

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  6. Are you absolutely sure, Mr. Wolf?

    Perhaps it's time to research the ancient geneologies.

    That in mind, are there any descendants of the Roman nobility/Gens? The Massimo family in Italy claims lineage and if we look to the East there might be a few direct descendants from Antiquity.

    Which brings us back to Lupas, the Wolf Queen. I should claim it, LL.

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