Zaragoza (Saragossa), Spain (40 A.D.)
Our Lady of the Pillar (Nuestra Señora del Pilar)

Summary

According to legend, in the early days of the Church on January 2, 40 AD, the Apostle James the Greater was proclaiming the Gospel in Caesaraugusta (present day Zaragoza) by the river Ebro, when he saw Mary miraculously appearing in the flesh on a pillar calling him to return to Jerusalem. The pillar, which was being carried by angels, is believed to be the same one venerated in Zaragoza, Spain today. Miraculous healings have been reported at the location.

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St. James the Greater is born the son of Zebedee and Salome and brother of John the Evangelist.

30 AD

James and John were with their father by the seashore when Jesus called them to begin traveling (Mt.4:21-22, Mk.1:19-20). According to Mark, James and John were called Boanerges, or the "Sons of Thunder" (3:17).

33 AD

Death of Christ . After the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, his Apostles began to spread the message he left throughout Israel and shortly thereafter, through the Roman empire.

35 AD

St. James the Greater travels as far west as Spain to the village of Zaragoza (Saragossa) in north east Spain to preach the Gospel but has little success.

Jan 2, 40 AD

St. James the Greater was preaching on the banks of the Ebro River in Caesaraugusta (present day Zaragoza, Spain). He is visited by the Virgin Mary in the flesh (she is still alive at this point in history) who appears standing on a six-foot tall pillar of jasper carried by angels. She gives him the pillar and a statue of her with the infant Jesus saying: "This place is to be my house, and this image and column shall be the title and altar of the temple that you shall build... and the people of this land will honor greatly my Son Jesus"

40 AD

James then builds a chapel, the first built in honor of Mary.

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James returns to Jerusalem.

44 AD

St James suffered martyrdom (Acts 12:1-2) being beheaded by King Herod Agrippa I (becoming the first apostle to be martyred for his faith) and, according to the tradition of the early Church, he had not yet left Jerusalem at this time (see Clement of Alexandria, Stromateis, VI; Apollonius, quoted by Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. VI.xviii).

44 AD

Several of his disciples took his body and returned it for final burial in Spain. The local queen, observing several of the miracles performed by James' disciples, converted to Christianity and permitted James' body to be buried in a local field.

800 AD

Eight centuries later, a cathedral in honor of St. James was erected after his gravesite was rediscovered by a local hermit. The hermit found the burial site after noticing an unusual star formation. The site for the cathedral was called Compostella (starry field), in Galicia, Spain, and it is a major pilgrimage site to this day.

1118

After the Reconquest of Zaragoza, a Romanesque style church was ordered to be built.

1434

This church was damaged by fire, and reconstruction began in the Mudejar-Gothic style.

1681

The baroque-styled Basilica-Cathedral of Our Lady of the Pillar was built starting in 1681 and officially finished in 1872. The Pilar Basilica is one of two minor basilicas in the city of Zaragoza, and is co-cathedral of the city alongside the nearby La Seo Cathedral.

1725

The Cabildo of Zaragoza decided to change the layout of the Chapel and commissioned architect Ventura Rodríguez, who transformed the building into its present dimensions of 130 meters long by 67 wide, with its eleven cupolas and four towers.