Hello everyone and welcome to another episode from ChurchMapped. Today we’re in London, England to see St. James’ Church. Wait... If we’re in London England ... then why are we looking at a flag of Spain? Ah good question. A history lesson! If you’ve seen some of our previous travel guides, such as our travel guide of St Etheldreda’s church or the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia – both in London, England. . .do check them out - you will know that following the Protestant Reformation, Catholics were increasingly restricted in being able to worship or to even have churches. However, there was one notable exception, and that was embassies of foreign countries. At the time, Mass was allowed to be held in embassies of foreign countries because it was recognised that the embassy itself was effectively part of the country it represented – in other words, something not too different from a country within a country. Catholics at the time used this opportunity to hear Mass, a bit like how people today try to watch pirate videos...well, you get the point. It had to be done in secrecy and foreign embassies were a great place to hear Mass being heard. St James’ Church Spanish Place is so-called because the chapel that existed prior to it was both connected to the Spanish Embassy and used to be situated near a place literally called Spanish Place. A significant figure behind this chapel was Dr. Thomas Hussey, who was chaplain at the Spanish Embassy. But there is also another intriguing point about St James’ Church, and that is in the words “St James”. You might think that “St James” obviously refers to a person called “St James”, but in the Bible, there are at least two men called St. James: They are generally called St. James the Greater and St James the Less. So which St. James does “St. James’s Church (Spanish Place)” refer to? It’s St. James the Greater, otherwise known as St. James, son of Zebedee, one of the 12 Apostles chosen by Christ in the Bible. Though just to be clear, that he is called “Greater” doesn’t necessarily mean he was more important. “Greater” just means taller or older...almost a bit like how the Bible traditionally designates prophets as being “major” or “minor” - it isn’t to do with their importance but the length of the particular book ascribed to them. Anyway, this dedication to St. James again explains the close association of the church with Spain. For many reasons actually. Firstly, St. James is the patron saint of Spain. Secondly, in Spain, there is an extremely popular pilgrimage known as the Way of St James or Camino de Santiago. The Way of St James describes the various routes a person can take to Santiago de Compostela, which is believed to house the remains of St James. It’s actually not clear how St James found himself in Spain, if he ever did reach Spain at all. Whether St James was ever in Spain has been a source of much controversy throughout history. On the one hand, the Bible itself mentions that St James was killed under King Herod in AD 44 – which, one would think, would be the end of it. There is also a reference in the Bible from St Paul – who we spoke about in our travel guide of the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Minnesota, United States...do check it out – who writes that he intended to go to Spain and did not intend to build on someone else’s foundation, which would suggest that he was largely entering uncharted territory and that St James was never there. On the other hand, there is a long-standing tradition that angels brought the remains of St James all the way from Jerusalem to Spain. Both Pope Leo XIII (“the 13th”) and St John Paul II also seem to confirm that St James’ body is in fact in Spain. Who knows? But the Cathedral is certainly worth visiting. And that’s where ChurchMapped can help you! ChurchMapped is an upcoming social network and travel website that provides information on churches right across the world. We produce amazing travel guides to help you explore and understand the rich heritage of a church, certainly useful on your next holiday, wedding or pilgrimage. We also offer a games, jobs, music and dating service too. Just be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com for more information. Our full website is due to launch very, very shortly. Now back to where we were. . . The Way of St James has been popular with pilgrims since at least the Middle Ages and today it seems to be exceedingly popular with American tourists. In fact, the popularity of the Way of St James goes all the way back to the beginning of the United States as a country itself. John Adams, the second president of the United States after George Washington, travelled the Way of Saint James, albeit in reverse, when he landed in Spain. He was sent by Congress to France to negotiate various treaties for the new country but along the way, in 1779, the ship carrying him and his two sons became damaged, putting all of them at risk of sinking in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Luckily, the captain of the ship found a port they could board at, that being Spain. Spain were receptive to the Americans because they were allies with France who were all enemies against Great Britain. Grrrrr…. They landed at a place called Cape Finisterre. Finisterre actually derives from the combination of two Latin words to mean, “end of the world”, because for many centuries it was believed that Spain was indeed the end of the world. The ship carrying the crew – called the Sensible. . .yup French, through-and-through – boarded at El Ferrol port. John Adams was still many miles away from Paris. He underestimated just how difficult it would be to get there from where he was but proceeded with the journey. It just so happens that by taking the journey, he walked the Camino de Santiago in reverse. John Adams would later come to regret that he didn’t use the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Santiago de Compostela. So don’t make the same mistake John Adams did! Be sure to make the trip, and here at ChurchMapped we can help you do just that! Be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com for more information. Hearing all of this, it’s easy to see why St. James’ Church seems to have the words “Spanish Place” affixed to its name. It has historically had a close connection to Spain since its founding, and interestingly, this connection persists to this very day. But that’s enough about Spain! If you want more information on churches in Spain, be sure to visit us at www.churchmapped.com. We also have an upcoming travel guide on the Convent of St Teresa of Avila in Avila, Spain. Be sure to hit that “Subscribe” information for updates as to when we publish that! St James’ Church Spanish Place is an example of Gothic architecture. We spoke about Gothic architecture in our travel guide of Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany – do be sure to check it out. That St James’ Church is designed in Gothic isn’t by accident but by deliberate design. You see, as the Catholic population grew and grew, the chapel that had existed prior to St James’ Church Spanish Place had become way too small to accommodate everyone. There was a need to expand. And so Canon William Barry – who is featured in St James’ Church here, as you can see – wanted the reknown architect John Francis Bentley to design a new church. John Francis Bentley is responsible for quite a number of churches throughout London, not least Westminster Cathedral. But he later decided to speak to Cardinal Manning – the second Archbishop of Westminster, shown here at Westminster Cathedral in London, England. . .do check our travel guide out – and they decided to launch a competition. A what? A COMPETITION. One of the rules for the competition was that the new church be Gothic. And so Gothic it was. No ifs, no buts. Interestingly, John Francis Bentley didn’t actually enter the competition, but around another nine architects did. The winner of the competition was chosen by James Fergusson and was ultimately decided to be Edward Goldie. Goldie was influenced primarily by French Gothic architecture – speaking of French Gothic architecture, be sure to check our travel guide of Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France – as well as the design by Westminster Abbey. Remember guys, Westminster Abbey isn’t the same as Westminster Cathedral. See our travel guide of Westminster Cathedral to find out what the differences between the two are. King Alfonso XII (“the 12th”), the king of Spain at the time, provided some money for the project, once again showing just how closely connected St James’ Church and Spain is and was. The church was opened in 1890, although it was partially completed, with the Spanish Ambassador also present among many other religious figures. One of the things that instantly strikes a person who visits St James’ Church Spanish Place is just how beautiful the church really is. Of course, the church commemorates its namesake St James, who we spoke about earlier, with this statue. It’s made of marble. If you take a close look, you can see that St James is wearing a hat. This is known as the pilgrim’s hat and is traditionally associated with St James himself. Let’s take a look at some of the chapels. In this chapel, we have the War Memorial chapel. This was built around 1918 by Geoffrey Webb, to commemorate the end of the First World War. In the chapel, you can see a stained glass featuring Our Lady Star of the Sea with the British Royal Navy, St Michael with the men of the Royal Flying Corps and St George with the British army. This chapel also features what are known as the “Stations of the Cross”. The Stations of the Cross are scenes showing Jesus as He was about to be crucified. Catholics usually pray before the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. Also featured in the church is this marvellous stone statue of St Joseph, the foster father of Jesus who he is holding here. It was designed by John Francis Bentley in 1891, who we spoke about earlier. Below the stone statue is a depiction of St Joseph, together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus (collectively sometimes referred to as “The Holy Family”) fleeing into Egypt. This scene is often known by the more formal name “Flight into Egypt”. They fled into Egypt after being warned by an angel that King Herod, who at that time ruled Judea, wanted to kill Jesus. Just to be clear: this King Herod is different from the King Herod that would later kill St James. Yes, I know – super confusing. But we can leave the various King Herods for another day. Also featured in St James’ Church Spanish Place is the Sacred Heart altar, which was also designed by John Francis Bentley. Shown here is the birth of Christ, followed by the Last Supper, followed by St Peter denying Christ and finally St Thomas being astonished that Christ had indeed risen from the dead. We mentioned St Peter and like many churches, is featured here in the church. Speaking of St Peter, you might want to check out St Peter’s Italian Church, which is also in London, England, whilst you are at it! Also featured in St James’ church Spanish place is this statue of St Jude. We spoke about St Jude in our travel guide of St George’s Church in Cologne, Germany – be sure to check it out! But the part of St James’ Church we feel you absolutely must see is this statue of Our Lady of Fatima. This statue commemorates the reported appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to three young children in Fatima, Portugal. Speaking of Portugal, did you know we have an upcoming travel guide of the Estrela Basilica in Lisbon, Portugal? Be sure to subscribe to us for news on when it gets published! That’s it for this episode from ChurchMapped. St. James’ Church Spanish Place is an amazing church to visit, and if you’re from Spain, you’ll probably feel right at home, now knowing just how extensive the ties are between this church and your home country of Spain. In our upcoming episodes, we’ll be heading to Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France, the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, United States, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Simon Stock in London, England. Until next time!