Padron

Padron is the last major stop before Santiago and the camino history is very rich here.  First of all, just the facts, ma'am.  The Apostle James was the cousin of Jesus and the brother of John.  He was the fisherman that Jesus called to and challenged to become a fisher of men.  After the death of Jesus, all the disciples dispersed to preach. James travelled to the Iberian Penisula.  In 44 AD, he returned to Jerusalem and was promptly beheaded by Herod.  The rest is legend, not untrue just undocumented.  It's faith not fact.  It's what people believe which is different than what they know. Belief is powerful on the camino.  The followers of James put his body in a boat and sailed to Spain where he had done his preaching.  Padron is the spot where they made landfall and his body was buried near here (Santiago) and went undiscovered for almost 770 years.

A carved plaque in the church in Padron showing the journey with the body of James to Spain.

The legend - this where James first preached the gospel message.  It's on a hill above Padron.  

James may be the only apostle with three different incarnations.  He was one of the twelve disciples and cousin of Jesus.  Here he is as a pilgrim on the camino dressed in traditional pilgrim garb.

The third appearance of James is on a white horse swinging a sword.  The Moors invaded Iberia in 711 AD.  The Visigoths began the reconquest soon after.  A major victory for the Goths happened at a place called Clavijo when James appeared as a knight and rallied the Christian army.  He became known as Santiago Matamoros - James the Moor Slayer.  The statue above is in the church in Padron.