(^234) EARLY MEDIEVAL SPAIN
and the settlement of Compostela, the etymology of which name is
disputed, came into being. In 1095 the episcopal see was transferred
from Iria to Compostela and in 1120 it was elevated into an
archbishopric by means of the abolition of that of Merida. By that
time pilgrimage to the shrine of St James was attracting Christians
from all over western Europe and its popularity scarcely waned
throughout the rest of the Middle Ages.
St James became the patron of the whole of Spain, and as the re-
sult of reports of his miraculous appearance in a number of crucial
battles he received the epithet of 'Matamoros' or 'Moor-slayer', and is
frequently thus represented in Spanish art. The first of these manifes-
tations occurred supposedly at a battle of Clavijo in 834, in conse-
quence of which King Ramiro I gran ted the proceeds of a special and
perpetual tax to the bishopric. However, Ramiro I was not ruling in
834, no battle of Clavijo took place and the whole episode, especially
the financial arrangement, resulted from the concoction of a spuri-
ous charter, forged in Compostela in the early twelfth century, the
practical consequences of which it took over half a millenium to
undo. The history of the cult of Santiago is peculiarly rich in such
frauds.
It was given its distinctive character and impetus in the early twelfth
century largely thanks to the work of a group of Compostelan clergy
headed by Diego Gelmfrez, the first archbishop. Its earlier history,
behind the veil of the falsifications, is not so easy to detect. Archaeo-
logically the foundations of the two churches on the site give grounds
for belief in the existence of reverence for important relics there dur-
ing the Asturian period. Below the level of the earlier of these, provid-
ing a possible explanation for the origin of the relics, a cemetery of
late Roman or Suevic date has been found.
In the Early Middle Ages, the discovery and subsequent honouring
of the remains of saints, especially martyrs, was a common feature of
religious practice with a very definite role to play in expressing or
fostering the self-consciousness and unity of communities. It was usu-
ally associated with the rise to eminence of a particular group, which
could range in size from the inhabitants of a section of a town or of
a village up to a whole race. It could give a local church its roots and
provide a patron. The emergence of the cult of St James at this time
is probably indicative of the self-assertion of the Galicians, not least
towards the Asturian kings to whom they were subject. Why it was
James in particular who came to play this role for them remains
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(Ron)
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