Saint Nicholas: The true story of Santa Claus
He was ordained and appointed abbot of a monastery by his uncle, the archbishop of Myra in Lycia. When the Archbishop passed away, Nicholas was elected to the vacant see. Throughout his life, he retained the bright and guileless manners of his early years.
St. Nicholas is the special protector of the innocent. When he heard that three girls were being abandoned by their father, he intervened. He set out at night and flung a bag of gold into the father's house. Upon awakening, the father deemed the gift a godsend and dowered his eldest child. St. Nicholas was overjoyed and did likewise for the second daughter. During his third attempt, he was discovered. The father approached Nicholas and kissed the latter's feet saying, "Why dost thou conceal thyself from me? Thou hast delivered my soul and my daughters from sin."
St. Nicholas is usually depicted beside a vessel. It represents where three children were trapped, and Nicholas either saved them or raised them to life. St. Nicholas' relics were transferred to Bari, Italy, in 1807. There, after fifteen centuries, "the manna of St. Nicholas" still flows and cures illnesses.
nicholas the boy who became santa