Shell of Saint James Peregrinación (Pilgrimage) By Luis Davila http://obichero.blogspot.com.es T ranslation : 'You're going wrong direction! Cathedral's that way!' 'We're going to the electrician's1. He's got more relics!' 1 The Codex Calixtinus disappeared from the Museum of the Cathedral in 2011 and was found in a former Cathedral electrician's flat a year later. The Codex Calixtinus is a 12th-century illuminated manuscript. It was intended as an anthology of background detail and advice for pilgrims following the Way of St. James to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great, located in the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, Galicia (Spain). Shell of Saint James The scallop shell is the traditional emblem of James, son of Zebedee, and is popular with pilgrims on the Way of St James to the apostle's shrine at Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (Spain). Medieval Christians making the pilgrimage to his shrine often wore a scallop shell symbol on their hat or clothes. The pilgrim also carried a scallop shell with him, and would present himself at churches, castles, abbeys etc., where he could expect to be given as much sustenance as he could pick up with one scoop. Probably he would be given oats, barley, and perhaps beer or wine. Thus even the poorest household could give charity without being overburdened. The association of Saint James with the scallop can most likely be traced to the legend that the apostle once rescued a knight covered in scallops. An alternative version of the legend holds that while St. James' remains were being transported to Galicia from Jerusalem, the horse of a knight fell into the water, and emerged covered in the shells. Galego-Português: vieira Gaeilge: muirín English: Common Scallop Français: coquille Saint-Jacques Nederlands: Jakobsschelp or kammossel Scientific Name: Pecten maximus.