St. Nicholas of Myra

Feast Day; December 6

St. Nicholas, also known as Nicholas of Myra, is one of the most popular and well-known saints. He is the patron of many countries, dioceses, churches, and cities, as well as children, sailors, and merchants. In many countries, children receive gifts on his feast day, St. Nicholas Day, which is celebrated December 6.

There is little definitively known about St. Nicholas’ life, other than he was a fourth-century, Greek bishop of Myra in Lycia (now part of Turkey).

Nicholas is believed to have been born in the third century in the village of Patara in Asia Minor. He was the only child of parents who raised him to be a devout Christian, but they died during an epidemic when Nicholas was still young. They left Nicholas an inheritance, which he is said to have given away to assist those in need.

Nicholas was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man and was known for his generosity and his love for children. By the Middle Ages, stories and legends of Nicholas’ generosity and concern for the poor had spread throughout Europe. In one popular story, Nicholas, while a bishop, saved three young girls from a life of prostitution when he secretly delivered three bags of gold to their father for their dowries. This secret and charitable gift-giving is the origin of the Saint Nicholas tradition still observed in some countries today.

Some sources say that Nicholas was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution, but there is no historical certainty that he suffered persecution for his faith. Likewise, while some sources place him at the Council of Nicaea in 325 and say he was an outspoken critic of Arianism (a belief that questioned the deity of Jesus), it is not certain that Nicholas attended.

Varying accounts put St. Nicholas’s death in either 345 or 352. Relics of the saint had been kept in a church in Myra, but in 1087, when the area came under assault by anti-Christian forces, they were moved to the city of Bari in southern Italy (some reports have them stolen away by Italian merchants). A church was built there to honor the saint. The Basilica di San Nicola remains a popular pilgrimage destination today.