The construction of St. Jaume's Church is a consequence of the increasing devotion that Alcudia and the neighbouring villages felt for Saint Christ. It was believed that Saint Christ had sweated water and blood in 1507 in the cave of Sant Marti (on the outskirts of the city) to implore for rain during a drought. The first stone was laid on 8 December 1675 and the works finished in 1697. The chapel is notable for the central dome and four side chapels along with the altar piece which is a spectacular work of baroque art. The latter shows the l'horror vacui and is the work of sculptor Mateu Joan i Serra and was made between 1699 and 1703. The altarpiece was restored in 2007 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Saint Christ.
The main altar piece was constructed over two periods, the stonemasonry is that of sculptor Llorenc Ferrer i Marti, the rest was made by Miquel Arcas. In the centre of the altarpiece is an image of Saint James, patron saint of Alcudia and the parish.
The construction is neo-Gothic with a major reconstruction of part of the building being completed in 1893.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.