The culture of pilgrimage, especially Jacobean, characterized the history of Pistoia from the 12th to 14th centuries. This splendid period was marked by flourishing trade, crafts and commercial interactions with the rest of Europe, as the city boasted important links to other regions, including the via Francigena and the way of Saint James.

The cult of the Apostle James, who was venerated in Santiago de Compostela in Spain, was brought to Pistoia by Bishop Atto, with the arrival of one of the saint’s relics in the city itself.
The chapel and altar were consecrated on 25 July 1145, which still remains as the feast day of the city’s Patron Saint.