The church of San Giacomo Maggiore is located inside the fort of the same name above Porto Azzurro . The church was finished around 1656, according to the date written on the canvas depicting “Santa Barbara” with the fortress in hand. In the eighteenth century the church was renovated and enriched with decorations inspired by the Catalan baroque, then destroyed in the twentieth century and replaced by the frescoes of the Elban Allori. A silver bust of “Santa Barbara”, the paintings with the “Saints Giuseppe and Simeone”, as well as the tombstones of Spanish generals who commanded the square of Longone, remain as evidence of the original layout.
San Giacomo
San Giacomo il Maggiore , so named to differentiate it from the Apostle of the same name (Giacomo di Alfeo). Tradition has it that it was one of the apostles who embarked on a difficult work of evangelization. In fact, he went as far as Spain, to spread the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Once back in Judea, the saint was the victim of the persecutions of King Herod Agrippa I, the latter, despotic and unpopular, tried to gather support by killing Christians. The Saint was killed by a stab wound, becoming the First Apostle Martyr.
How to reach Chiesa in Porto Azzurro
To date, it is not possible to reach the church, which is located inside Fortress San Giacomo (Fortress Longone) in Porto Azzurro, now a penitentiary.
At the moment the church is being restored; it seems that at the end of the works, visits will be allowed.