The Church And Tomb Of Saint Nicholas

The true Saint Nicholas, not the jolly Old Saint Nick Coca Cola has given us, was born in the year 270 and became bishop of Myra in Asia Minor.

There are two famous stories linked to Saint Nicholas, one comes from ancient folklore, the other from historical accounts. The first is depicted below in an ancient work at the Church of San Saba in Rome. There was once a poor man with three daughters who was unable to afford a dowry for all three to marry. When Saint Nicholas heard this, he prepared three bags full of gold coins and tossed them into the poor man’s house through the window. In the painting below you can see the three daughters sleeping on the same bed with their father on the side. Saint Nicholas is above tossing a white bag through the window.

The second story involves Saint Nicholas’ presence at the first ecumenical council held at Nicea in 325. As the Egyptian priest Arius presented his views which would eventually be condemned by Nicea, Nicholas became furious, got up and punched Arius. Nicholas was punished for the assault, but after pleading for forgiveness, was reinstated as bishop. Nicholas became a champion for orthodoxy in the church as the Creed of Nicea became the official profession of faith for the early church.

Below are pictures of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari, southern Italy, where the remains of the saint are entombed. The relics of Saint Nicholas were originally revered at Myra until a group of sailors from Bari took them to their hometown in 1087. The Basilica in Bari has become a place of pilgrimage for both Western and Eastern Christians, as well as a place of ecumenical dialogue led by the Dominican priests who staff the basilica.

Let us pray.

We humbly implore your mercy, Lord:
protect us in all dangers
through the prayers of the Bishop Saint Nicholas,
that the way of salvation may lie open before us.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, pray for us!

The Church and Tomb of Saint Nicholas