A breif history of Saint Nicholas

It seems appropriate to begin this short series of posts about the orgins of Saint Nicholas on Saint Nicholas day.  A boy was born to aged parents in the second century in the Roman province of Lycia now a part of Turkey.  The boy was named after his  uncle Nicholas who was Father Superior of a monastery.  It was their hope that he would go into the Church.

An epidemic went through the area killing both his parents. His uncle instructed him to give away all his worldy goods.  Legend tells that a neighbouring family fell on hard times leaving the three daughters without a dowery for marriage.  Nicholas heard of their plight, disguised himself and tossed a bag of coins through their bedroom window.  The bag  of money landed in a shoe or a stocking starting the tradition of leaving socks or shoes out on Christmas eve.  Nicholas threw a bag a coins in the window a second and third night but was caught by the girls father.  Nicholas swore him to secrecy but alas the story has been told for centuries.
I studied my Santa collection and chose a few who I think look most like the original Saint Nicholas.  The one above looks like the man who carved him.

Nicholas did enter the Church and went on a pilgramage to Jeruslalem which had been destroyed by the Romans.  A storm blew up on his return voyage, he prayed and the sailors prayed with him.  They were delivered safely to Myra the capital of Lycia just east of Patera where Nicholas was born.  Nicholas found a church where he planned to give thanks but the current bishop was retiring and the convocation declared that the first person to enter the church would be worthy of the title.  Nicholas is now the Bishop of Myra and became the patron saint of sailors.  He preformed miracles and spread the word of Christ throughout the region.

This little needlepoint was one of my first and I got a bit caried away with the French knots in the beard.  He looks like a cartoon character that had soap on his toothbrush rather than toothpaste.  He has the bishops hat.

Below is the book Who is Santa Claus by Robin Crichton published in 1987 so no longer in print and hard to find except in used books.  --Ann--