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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.
An even later tradition states that he miraculously appeared to fight for the Christian army during the legendary battle of Clavijo, and was henceforth called Santiago Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer). ¡Santiago, y cierra, España! ("St. James and strike for Spain") was the traditional battle cry of medieval Spanish (Christian) armies.
He became the patron saint of Spain and is known to Spaniards as Santiago Matamoros ("the Moor-killer"). Aspects of the historical Battle of Monte Laturce (859) were incorporated into this legend, as Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz demonstrated in 1948. [4]
¡Santiago y cierra, España! is a Spanish-language phrase. The invoking of the apostle's name ( Santiago , James in English) is said to have been a common battle cry of Christian soldiers in medieval Iberia and beyond into the Early Modern Period. [ 1 ]
This widely publicized and multi-copied book describing the legend of Santiago Matamoros or 'St. James the Moorslayer' is considered by scholars to be an early example of propaganda by the Catholic Church to drum up recruits for the military Order of Santiago. The Order was formed in order to help protect church interests in northern Spain from ...
In the next tier of carvings, St. James the Apostle, the patron saint of Spain, appears in the center as Santiago Matamoros, a warrior on horseback attacking enemy infidels. This depiction held symbolic resonance for the Spanish conquistadores and was consequently widely used in New Mexico and other Spanish colonies. [5]
Santiago Matamoros was a readily identifiable image of Spanish military superiority. In 1542, the New Laws were issued with the aim of protecting the indigenous peoples of the Spanish colonies from their overexploitation by the encomenderos.
It has bas reliefs of leaves and flowers and a sculpted image of St. James depicted as a Santiago Matamoros (Saint James the Moor-slayer) in a central niche of the upper story. The relief of Saint James is no longer the original image. The present relief which replaced the original one was installed in 1804. [7]