Information about Saint Nicholas Part of the Saint Nicholas Page honoring Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

A very condensed version of the life of Saint Nicholas

Saint Nicholas is is most famous for the gifts of money he made to a suddenly impoverished family, to allow the daughters to be married rather than to be given over to prostitution. On three separate nights, he secretly left money at the house of the family. He was discovered on the third night by the father, who was sworn to secrecy.

Nicholas was born in Patara in Lycia (now an abandoned site in Asia Minor), the only child of well-to-do Christian parents Theophanes and Nona in the middle of the Third Century A.D. He was orhaned at an early age. His uncle was Bishop Nicholas of Patara, who, recognizing Nicholas's true dedication to Christ, made him in turn a reader, a priest, and a teacher of the local flock.

Upon the death of the archbishop of nearby Myra, the council that was to pick the new leader were shown by God that Nicholas was to be the new archbishop, and so he became Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. He used his inheritance and his considerable influence to help those in need. His kindness endeared him to the people, though he was imprisoned for a time for his profession of Christianity, which was still illegal in the Roman Empire.

The title "Wonderworker" was bestowed on Nicholas because of the numberous miracles that he performed by the power of God; some while he was still alive, and some after his passage into the presence of God. Among these, he saved mariners from a storm; prevented the execution of three innocent men; restored to life a young boy tragically murdered; and helped preserve Myra from famine by miraculously appearing to the captain of a ship laden with grain and bidding him to come to Myra.

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint (better, "protector") of children, mariners, pawnbrokers (go figure), and the countries of Greece and Russia, to name just a few of those who have turned to this saint of God for assistance. He departed this life on December 6, c. 330 A.D.

This page features links to many sources of information about Saint Nicholas. This page deals more with the real person of Nicholas rather than the derivative legendary Santa Claus.

Found here are:

• Orthodox Christian sites
• Other church and church-related sites
• More-recent encounters with Saint Nicholas
• Other Saint Nicholas sites and links
• Orthodox Catechism
• From the encyclopaedia

Orthodox Christian sites

• Our Holy Father Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra , from the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.
• History of Saint Nicholas, from the parish web page of Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, San Jose, CA, home parish of the author of the Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Pages.
• Saint Nicholas - history
• Sainted Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia from the Orthodox Church in America.
• Saint John the Baptist Russian Orthodox Church has a life story of St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker.
• At the Slava Gallery Website, click on the "Selected Saint" icon, which at this writing is an icon of Saint Nicholas, and which brings up a story of Saint Nicholas. Otherwise visit the icons section. Slava Gallery provides inconographer, restoration service, and catalog.
• St. Nicholas, from the web pages of American Romanian Orthodox Youth. Article derived from Orthodox Saints, Volume 4 Oct-Dec, by George Poulos; Holy Cross Orthodox Press; 1993.
• Two entries from a Coptic (i.e., Egyptian) Orthodox Copt-Net site:
  • Saint Nicholas
  • Santa Claus
• Saint Nicholas: Bishop of Myra from the Coptic Orthodox Church.
• Santa Claus, the account of Saint Nicholas from the Coptic Church's Synaxarium. From St. George Coptic Orthodox Church, Astoria, NY
• Saint Nicholas with history, from SS Peter & Paul Orthodox Church, Meriden, Connecticut (OCA)
• Saint Nicholas life, from Saint Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKees Rocks PA
• Will the Real Santa Please Stand?. From Orthodox Family Life (published by St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Mogadore, Ohio), hosted by TheoLogic Systems.
• Saint Nicholas, from Saint George Greek Orthodox Church, Des Moines, Iowa
• A story of Saint Nicholas from St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, Chisholm, Minnesota
• Life of Saint Nicholas from the web page of St Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Melbourne, Australia
• Saint Nicholas life from Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Cathedral, Los Angeles
• St. Nicholas the Wonder-worker, Bishop of Myra, from Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Myrtle Beach (Surfside Beach), South Carolina
• From the saints pages of Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, Staten Island, NY we find Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, along with an icon and the apolytikion.
• Most Holy Saint Nicholas, from Saint Nicholas Orthodox Christian Church, Pinellas Park, Florida
• From Saint Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, Orange Connecticut, an unusual icon of Saint Nicholas and a lengthy explanation of the saint's life.
  
• Do You Believe in Santa Claus?, from Orthotracts, an Orthodox ministry whose purpose is "Communicating the Historic Orthodox Christian Faith" via tracts.
• Saint Nicholas, Saint Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Church, Shreveport, Louisiana

Other church and church-related sites

• The Story of Bishop Nicholas, from Orthodox Christian Outreach, Phoenix, Arizona
• NICHOLAS of Myra; a profile, plus list of which saint is patron of what and much more. Hosted by the Catholic Forum.
• Saint Nicholas of Myra links - that's all
• The Synaxarion account of Saint Nicholas. The Synaxarion is an official church history. From the Divine Office (i.e., order of services) publishing section of Rongolini. I cannot determine whose church history is being presented, though there are hints that it's of the Melkite Catholic Church.
• Saint Nicholas from the Domestic Church online magazine for Catholic families.
• The Real St. Nick, from the Assemblies of God.
• How does Santa Claus fit with Christmas? From the Northwestern Lutheran archive .
• St. Nicholas with scenes from his life, from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
• Saint Nicholas - A Creative Giver, from Historic Trinity Lutheran Church, Detroit, Michigan
• Father Christmas - a saint in prison!, from the very busy Ashtead Parish Anglican site, Ashtead, Surrey, England.
• Scroll past Wenceslas to Saint Nicholas in Wenceslas and Nicholas, from Claves Regni, the on-line magazine of St. Peter's Church, Nottingham.
• A long story of Saint Nicholas from Saint Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church, Fontana, CA
• Life of Saint Nicholas, from Saint Nicholas of Myra Byzantine Catholic Church.
• Saint Nicholas of Myra from Saint Patrick's Catholic Church, Washington, D.C.
• Saint Nicholas from 1 Way Only -- a Christian nondenominational ministry.
• From the Roman Catholic Passionist site Bread on the Waters:
  • St. Nicholas
  • Children Pray: The Story of St. Nicholas for young children.
• The Quest for the Historical Santa Claus from St. Thomas Net Ministry.
• St. Nicholaslife story with icon, from St. Therese Byzantine Catholic Church, St. Petersburg, Florida.
• The Real St. Nick (Santa Claus) from the Christian Articles Archive of Joyful Heart Ministries
• Santa Claus (with history). From Kountry's Christmas Site
• Saint Nicholas of Myra, a story from Father Pat's Place, associated with Holy Family Catholic Church, Arcadia WI.
• Links to Saint Nicholas information, from the Religion and Spirituality section of The Open Directory Project.
• The Story of Saint Nicholas, from the English Speaking Society of St. Nicholas

More-recent encounters with Saint Nicholas

• A Miracle Wrought By St. Nicholas In Kiev In The 1920s
• Another recounting of the miracle above, with others, hosted by Saints Peter & Paul Orthodox Church (OCA), Manville, New Jersey
• St. Nicholas appears to Tlingit believers , from the Saint Nicholas parish of Juneau, Alaska
• Translation of the relics of Saint Nicholas.
• Saint Nicholas performs a miracle in the Life of St. King Stephen of Decani , King of Serbia.
• St. Nicholas appears to Tlingit believers

Other Saint Nicholas sites and links

• Saint Nicholas of Myra text, icons, figure
• Saint Nicholas of Myra text, paintings
• A Origem de Papai Noel, just in case you read French.
• All About Saint Nicholas poem, tentative history
• The Lives and Legends of St. Nicholas
• Saint Nicholas Day from the Instructional Materials Center of the University of Missouri - Kansas City.
• The Story of St. Nicholas from MasterControl of the Baptist Home Mission Board.
• The Real Saint Nicholas . Click on the Quick Links for more pages at the site, or search for Nicholas. From Christmas.com .
• Historia Sancti Nicolai by Iacobus de Voragine (A.D. 1230-1298), in case you read Latin. From George Mason University Department of Modern and Classical Languages, Fairfax, Virginia
• Bishop Nicholas of Myra: Legends and sources , from Eldrbarry's Story Telling Page
• From Non-Stop New York
  • Non-Stop New York Salutes: San Nicola, Patron Saint of Children History - with tacky "I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus" mood music.
  • How the Dutch of "New Amsterdam" Brought St. Nick to N.Y. with them.
• Saint Nicholas from Pawnbrokers World. Saint Nicholas, somehow, has become the "patron saint" of pawnbrokers, as we are reminded by the three golden balls seen at pawn shops.
• Was Santa Greek? from the Greece for Visitors of About.com section.
• Biography: Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, philanthropist (6 Dec 326). From James Kiefer's Christian Biographies.
• Saint Nicholas's remains in Ireland? An old legend, claims the site, tells that Irish monks removed the relics of St. Nicholas from his shrine in Demre, Turkey, to prevent them falling into the hands of the invading heathen hordes. Hear about it in the song The Bones of Santa Claus. From the website of singer/entertainer Wild Bill Watkins. (I think he made this all up, but it was fun to think about.)
• THE STORY OF SAINT NICHOLAS, from Orthodox Catechism
  • Ten Questions and Answers about St. Nicholas from St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Dallas TX

  From the encyclopaediae

  • Nicholas, Saint (Encarta)
  • Nicholas, Saint from Electric Library presentsEncyclopedia.com.
  • Nicholas, Saint from Encyclopedia Britannica.

  What is a "Wonderworker"?

  A wonderworker is one who performs miracles, or wonders. The Orthodox Church recognizes many wonderworkers; those who by the grace of God have been granted the power to perform miracles, whether in the flesh, or through their intercessions on our behalf. Here are but a few of them: St Charalambos The Wonder-Worker, St. Gregory the Wonderworker, Saint John Maximovitch, St. Herman of Alaska Wonderworker of the Americas Saint Nectarios the Wonderworker St. Spiridon the Wonderworker

  
  

  Return to the Saint Nicholas Page.

  Please send any comments on this page to stephenparsons@yahoo.com

  Last modified December 3, 2006

  Copyright © 1999-2006, Stephen Parsons