Christina of Bolsena, James the Greater and Christophorus

The apostle James the Greater is standing on the left. The pilgrim’s route to Santiago (= St. Jacob) de Compostella, the place where he used to preach, bears his name. As pilgrims from Santiago were known to carry scallops (also known as St. Jacob’s scallops), this is the attribute he is usually depicted with. In this miniature, however, he is carrying the sword that was used to kill him as the first of the apostles. His feast day is celebrated on 25 July. In the middle we see Christiana of Bolsena, a popular saint in the Nederrijn area. She supposedly managed to stay afloat even with a millstone tied to her neck, but was killed with arrows when the first method of execution did not work. Her feast day is on 24 July. Christophorus is depicted on the right, a giant who carried travellers across the water. One night he carried a child that kept getting heavier and heavier, which turned out to be Christ. Christophorus means ‘Carrier of Christ’, and his feast day is on 24 July as well.