Martyrdom of Saint James

The story of the martyrdom of the Apostle James begins on the north-east corner of the capital. Here the episode of James being sentenced to death by King Herod Agrippa I of Judea in the year 43/44 AD is recounted.
Thanks to his enthroned position and the soldiers standing behind him, with decorated shield and sword, Herod is here presented as a ruler. The bearded apostle is dressed in a long tunic and mantle. He is distinguished by a halo and identified by an inscription: I [AC]OBVS. He is led by a henchman and points with his index finger to the king.
On the south side the execution of the Saint is represented. The executioner, with his sword arm still raised, has just decapitated James. Before him kneels the slumped body of the Apostle; his head lies before him. Here too a painted inscription identifies the saint as IACOBVS (St. James, or James the Greater).
The Holy Spirit appears over this scene, in the form of a nimbused dove breaking through cloud.
The legend of the Saint’s martyrdom ends on the following side of the capital with the translation of his relics to Spain. According to the Legenda Aurea, four disciples loaded the mortal remains of the Saint on a ship that would transport them to Iria Flavia on the coast of Galicia close to present-day Santiago de Compostela, where his relics are still venerated.
The kalathos of the capital is decorated with helices and volutes, some with mulberry-like fruits.

Saint James Santiago apostle martydrom king Herod Agrippa IACOBVS soldier sword beheading inscription Compostela dove Holy-Spirit boat sea