San Nicola
The Life of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas is considered a miraculous saint and his figure gave rise to the tradition of Saint Nicholas, who passes on the night between the 5th and 6th of December bringing gifts to children. Saint Nicholas was born in Patara, a Greek city in Lycia. There is not much information about his childhood, but his figure merged with that of the monk Nicholas, who lived between 500 and 564. Later, Saint Nicholas moved to Myra where he was ordained a priest and later acclaimed as a bishop. After being imprisoned and exiled due to the persecution of Diocletian, he was released by Constantine I in 313 and resumed his apostolic activity. Saint Nicholas would have been one of the participants in the Council of Nicaea in 325 where he delivered a speech against Arianism. He died on December 6th, 343 in Myra.
The Transfer of Saint Nicholas' Relics
After Saint Nicholas' death, his relics remained in the Cathedral of Myra until 1087. Later, the city was conquered by the Muslims and the cities of Venice and Bari competed to take possession of the Saint's relics and bring them to the West. Sixty-two sailors from Bari organized a maritime expedition, managed to take Saint Nicholas' bones and arrived in their city on May 9th, 1087. The relics were temporarily entrusted to a Benedictine monastery and then transferred to the crypt of a new church dedicated to the saint, the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, which was not yet completed. Pope Urban II presided over the solemn ceremony. From that moment on, Saint Nicholas was also known as Saint Nicholas of Bari. However, the sailors from Bari had willingly or mistakenly left out the smaller bones which were taken in a subsequent expedition by Venetian sailors and kept in the Church of Saint Nicholas at Lido. The relics of Saint Nicholas are kept, according to tradition, at the Basilica of Saint Nicholas and at the Church of Saint Nicholas in Venice, Lido.
The Cult of Saint Nicholas
The cult of Saint Nicholas first spread in Anatolia with numerous pilgrimages to his tomb. Later, thanks to numerous Greek and Latin writings, his veneration extended throughout Europe. In particular, in Rome and in southern Italy, which was then under Byzantine rule, Saint Nicholas was considered a protector. The tradition of Saint Nicholas, who brings gifts to children on December 6th, spread throughout Europe thanks to the figure of Saint Nicholas. There are numerous legends associated with Saint Nicholas, such as the salvation of the three sailors.
In conclusion, Saint Nicholas is considered a miraculous saint with a very interesting life full of adventures. The story of his relics, in an attempt to bring them to the West, was at the center of a competition between the cities of Bari and Venice. The cult of Saint Nicholas spread throughout Europe thanks to his writings and his figure, which remains at the center of the beloved Saint Nicholas tradition among children all over the world.
