 In 1250 , relics of St. James were brought to the church and its dedication was changed . It was usually known in contemporary documents as S. Jacobus de Portico , where the Porticus in medieval Rome was the covered passage linking Saint Peter 's with the Tiber ( Porticus Sancti Petri ) . In 1198 Pope Innocent III ( r . 1198 – 1216 ) entrusted the Chapter of Saint Peter ( Italian : Capitolo di San Pietro ) with the church 's care , and in 1275 the church became a parish . 
