Who is the patron saint of Spain?

According to the New Testament, James, son of Zebedee was a fisherman in the Sea of Galilee in the time of Jesus Christ. He felt the calling of God to follow Jesus as his disciple and became one of the twelve apostles. His faith was true and he never doubted the Lord, having witnessed various miracles including Jesus’s appearance on the shores of Lake Tiberias, and His resurrection.

James came to Spain to preach and spread the message of Jesus after His death. In Roman times, Spain and Portugal were known by the name Hispania, and it’s thought that James arrived on the Peninsula either by boat via the Strait of Gibraltar or via modern day Tarragona.

The Spanish equivalent of the name ‘James’ is Santiago, and so there he was known by that name. He is believed to have started preaching in the northern Spanish region of Galicia, and for that reason he is hailed there as the patron saint of Galicia, as well as the whole of Spain in general.