collective-history: Badge of the Order of Santiago de Compostela The religious Order of St. James (Sant Iago) was a military order established in 1171 at the pilgrimage cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Spain to protect it from attacks by Muslims. Pilgrims to the church frequently ate scallops and attached the empty shells to their hats. Thus, members of the order adopted the scallop shell as their badge. Artist: attributed to Ioseph Rossel ca. 1670s