St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas
The fame achieved by Roman Catholic saint, Nicholas of Myra (died 345 AD) has continued to grow since his imprisonment and subsequent death at the hands of the Roman Emperor, Diocletian. The much-loved figure that we associate with the Christmas holiday came to be known simply as "Santa Claus."
Separating fact from legend in the story of St. Nicholas is not difficult. So little is known of his personal life, that we must rely on the legends that have survived. As early as the sixth century, churches were being built in his honor throughout Europe. By the Middle Ages, he had become the patron saint of both Greece and Russia. Devotion to Nicholas declined during the Protestant Reformation of the fifteenth century. The Netherlands was the only Protestant nation to maintain and embellish the legend of Nicholas. The Dutch kept his feast day of December 6 as the time to lavish presents on children who left their shoes out the night before. It was the Dutch who brought the custom of "Santa Claus" to the United States. By the middle of the nineteenth century America had embraced the custom as the center around which all of Christmas revolved.
Born to Wealth
Nicholas of Myra was born early in the fourth century AD in Patara, a city in the ancient district of Lycia, in southernAsia Minor (modern Turkey). His parents were wealthy and Nicholas might have lived the life of a spoiled son. Instead, it was reported that from childhood he lived a holy and humble life. When his parents died of a plague, Nicholas began to serve the poor near his home and in the surrounding towns and countryside.
An editorial from a December 1998 issue of The Ukranian Weekly, noted that, according to legend, Nicholas, became the bishop of Myra after the bishop of that city died and other bishops gathered to elect a new prelate. They asked God to show them a worthy successor. Apparently the oldest of the bishops had a vision in his sleep that the first man to enter the church in the morning to pray should be consecrated. That person was Nicholas.
By the time Nicholas died, on December 6, 345, word of his kind deeds and purported miracles was widespread public knowledge. The Roman Emperor Diocletion persecuted him for his Christian faith. Nicholas was buried in the church at Myra, where he had served as bishop. By the eleventh century, his reputation had spread as far as Italy, due in part to merchants and sailors who traveled throughout Europe and Asia. Italian sailors took Nicholas' bones to Bari, in the Puglia region of southern Italy. A Benedictine abbot named Elia ordered the construction of a cathedral to properly house the relics. Pope Urban II officially dedicated the Basilica San Nicola when the relics were entombed. These bones reportedly turned into liquid. The container holding this liquid is still carried as the centerpiece in a parade honoring him in Bari, on his feast day of December 6. Reportedly, the scent of this liquid is like that of a sweet perfume, making him the patron saint of perfumers.
One of the most famous stories about Nicholas was that he used his wealth to protect three young girls, whose father was too poor to provide them with adequate dowries. Without dowries, the girls were doomed to a life of prostitution as the only means of supporting themselves. Nicholas, it was said, put gold in each of three bags and threw them at the girls' window. In a book titled Saints Preserve Us! authors Sean Kelly and Rosemary Rogers explain that three balls representing financial aid in time of need, became the emblem of the pawn brokers guild. Their symbol was derived from this legend of St. Nicholas.
Defender of Christianity
In author John Delaney's Dictionary of the Saints, Nicholas is said to have forced a governor, Eustaathius, to admit that he had been bribed to condemn three innocent men to death. Nicholas appeared in Emperor Constantine's dream to inform the emperor that three imperial officers, condemned to death at Constantinople, were innocent. Constantine freed them the next morning. As a result, Nicholas became known as the patron saint of prisoners.
A rather offbeat story recounted by Kelly and Rogers, tells of Nicholas visiting a local butcher during a famine. To his surprise, he was served meat. Suspecting the worst, Nicholas proceeded to his host's cellar, finding three barrels containing three murdered boys in brine. The bishop lost no time in restoring them to life, and "has been a patron of children-in-a-pickle ever since." His acts of kindness and miracles for children, carried the reputation of Nicholas to the far corners of the Roman Empire.
Some argue that Santa Claus is based on the Germanic god, Thor, who was associated with winter and the Yule log and rode on a chariot drawn by goats named Cracker and Gnasher. That the historical person of Nicholas became transformed into the kindly Santa Claus from a pagan legend was due to the notoriety he gained by extending a helping hand in the aid of children. His was not an age known for protecting children. Instead they were often left to beg when they lost their parents or lived in poverty.
Perhaps the most significant aspect of the Nicholas legend was that his story influenced future generations to demonstrate kindness to children, at least once a year. The modern tradition has remained true to the simple bishop of Myra, who devoted his life to helping the poor.
Further Reading
Delaney, John J. Pocket Dictionary of Saints, Image Books, 1983.
Kelly, Sean and Rosemary Rogers, Saints Preserve Us! Random House, 1993.
Koenig-Bricker, Woodeene. 365 Saints, HarperSanFrancisco, 1995.
St. Joseph's Daily Missal, official daily prayer and Mass book of the Roman Catholic Church, 1955.
The Ukranian Weekly, December 13, 1998.
Encyclopedia Brittanica, 1995. Available at: http://www.brittanica.com. □
Nicholas, St.
Nicholas, St.
Nationality/Culture
Christian
Pronunciation
saynt NIK-uh-luhs
Alternate Names
Appears In
Christian mythology, tales of Christmas
Lineage
Unknown
Character Overview
One of the most popular saints in Christianity, St. Nicholas is the patron (guardian) of children, unmarried women, sailors, and merchants, as well as the patron saint of Russia. He has long been associated with winter, and is the model for the myth of Santa Claus.
Little is known for certain about the life of St. Nicholas. According to tradition, he was born in the seaport of Patara in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) and became bishop of Myra in the fourth century CE. He was persecuted and imprisoned for his Christian faith.
After his death around 350 CE, St. Nicholas was buried in the church at Myra. In about 1087, his relics—holy artifacts associated with him, including his remains—were moved to Bari, Italy, which became a popular pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages. The church of San Nicola in Bari remains the main shrine to St. Nicholas.
St. Nicholas had a reputation for kindness and generosity, especially to the poor, and these traits became the basis for various legends. According to one story, St. Nicholas helped three poverty-stricken girls escape a life on the streets by giving them bags of gold to serve as dowries (the property and money a woman brings to her future husband). In another tale, he miraculously brought back to life three young children who had been chopped up by an evil butcher and put in a barrel to cure and be sold as ham. In yet another legend, St. Nicholas saved the lives of three drowning sailors by stopping a violent storm that threatened to overwhelm them.
St. Nicholas in Context
During the Middle Ages, devotion to St. Nicholas spread throughout Europe, and it became customary to give gifts to children on the saint's feast day, December 6. The people of Holland called him Sinte Klaas, and when Dutch settlers came to North America, they brought the traditions associated with him to the New World.
When the English took over the Dutch colony of New Netherland, they adopted the tradition of Sinte Klaas. But to avoid celebrating the feast day of a Catholic saint, English Protestants transformed him into a non-religious figure based on both Sinte Klaas and the Germanic god Thor , a figure also associated with winter. In addition, they moved the feast day from December 6 to Christmas Day, December 25. The name Sinte Klaas was eventually transformed into Santa Claus, the jolly figure who brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve.
Key Themes and Symbols
St. Nicholas is a symbol of generosity, as shown by the giving of gifts in his honor. He is also closely associated with the guardianship of children, as illustrated in the tale about him saving a group of children from being eaten. More generally, those who St. Nicholas protects can be classified as helpless. St. Nicholas is often associated with money, as in the story of the three girls without a dowry, and has been adopted as a symbol for pawnbrokers; the three bags of gold given by St. Nicholas as dowries are traditionally shown as three gold balls on pawnshop signs.
St. Nicholas in Art, Literature, and Everyday Life
St. Nicholas, in the form of Santa Claus, is one of the most recognized figures in the world. The physical appearance of Santa Claus was first described in Clement Moore's 1822 poem “The Night Before Christmas,” and his image has remained the same to this day. He is usually depicted with a thick white beard, and wearing a red suit and hat. Santa Claus appears in coundess stories, songs, television shows and movies. Some notable appearances include: the C. S. Lewis fantasy novel The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (1950); the film Miracle on 34th Street (1947); the animated television classic Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (1970), inspired by a 1934 Eddie Cantor song; the 1994 film The Santa Clause and its sequels, starring Tim Allen; and the 2004 film ThePolar Express, based on a 1985 Caldecott Medal-winning book by Chris Van Allsburg.
Read, Write, Think, Discuss
Santa Claus is a unique mythical character in modern society. Although very few adults believe he exists, nearly all children up to a certain age believe in his existence. What purpose does the myth of Santa Claus serve in contemporary Western societies? Do you think a belief in Santa Claus and other mythical figures is healthy and helpful for young children?
SEE ALSO Thor
Nicholas, St.
Nicholas, St.
One of the most popular saints in Christianity, St. Nicholas is the patron of children, unmarried women, sailors, and merchants, as well as the patron saint of Russia. He has long been associated with winter and served as the basis for Santa Claus.
Little is known for certain about the life of St. Nicholas. According to tradition, he was born in the seaport of Patara in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) and became bishop of Myra in the a.d. 300S. He was persecuted and imprisoned for his Christian faith.
After his death around a.d. 350, St. Nicholas was buried in the church at Myra. In about 1087, the relics of the saint were moved to Bari, Italy, which became a popular pilgrimage site in the Middle Ages. The church of San Nicola in Bari remains the main shrine to St. Nicholas.
patron special guardian, protector, or supporter
relics pieces of bone, possessions, or other items belonging to a saint or sacred person
St. Nicholas had a reputation for kindness and generosity, especially to the poor, and these traits became the basis for various legends. According to one story, St. Nicholas helped three poverty-stricken girls escape a life on the streets by giving them bags of gold to serve as dowries. In another tale, he miraculously brought back to life three young children who had been chopped up and put in a barrel of saltwater to serve as bacon. In yet another legend, St. Nicholas saved the lives of three drowning sailors by stopping a violent storm that threatened to overwhelm them.
During the Middle Ages, devotion to St. Nicholas spread throughout Europe, and it became customary to give gifts to children on the saint's feast day, December 6. The people of Holland called the saint Sinte Klaas, and when Dutch settlers came to North America, they brought the traditions associated with him to the New World.
dowry money, goods, or property that a woman brings to her husband at marriage
When the English took over the Dutch colony of New Netherland, they adopted the tradition of Sinte Klaas. But to avoid celebrating the feast day of a Catholic saint, English Protestants transformed him into a nonreligious figure based on both Sinte Klaas and the Germanic god Thor, a figure also associated with winter. In addition, they moved the feast day from December 6 to Christmas. The name Sinte Klaas was eventually transformed into Santa Claus, the jolly figure who brings gifts to children on Christmas Eve.
See also Santa Claus; Thor.
Nicholas
St Nicholas of Myra a 4th-century Christian prelate, said to have been bishop of Myra in Lycia; his relics were translated to Bari in Italy in 1087.
Legends of the saint include the stories that he gave three bags of gold as dowries to three girls about to be sold into prostitution, and that he restored to life three boys who had been murdered and pickled in a brine tub; he also saved from death three men who had been unjustly condemned, and three sailors off the coast of Turkey. He is patron saint of children, sailors, Greece, and Russia; of pawnbrokers (from the connection made between the three golden balls of a pawnbroker's sign and the three bags of gold given as dowries); and of perfumiers (because a fragrant substance is said to have been emitted from his shrine at Bari). The cult of Santa Claus (a corruption of his name) comes from the Dutch custom of giving gifts to children on his feast day.
Three boys in a tub, three moneybags, and a ship, are all emblems of St Nicholas. His feast day is 6 December.
St Nicholas of Tolentino (1245–1305), an Augustinian friar, born in Ancona, and named for St Nicholas of Myra; he was renowned as a preacher, and for his care of the sick and destitute. His usual emblems are a basket of loaves of bread (traditionally given to the sick, or to women in labour) and a star, and his feast day is 10 September.