Nicholas was born in 270 AD in Patara, Lycia (now Turkey) to wealthy Christian parents. He lost his parents to the plague when he was still young and was raised by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara. As a young man, Nicholas donated much of his inheritance to charity. According to legend, Nicholas learned of three young sisters who could not become married because their family was too poor to afford their dowries. St. Nicholas tossed a bag of gold coins through the window of their home on three occasions so that each sister had the dowry needed in order to be married. He was ordained a priest and later became Bishop of Myra. He attended the Council of Nicea in 325, staunchly defending the faith against the Arian heresy. The justice, charity and generosity of St. Nicholas became well known through miracles such as providing bread during times of famine, calming waves during a storm for sailors and saving three falsely accused men from death. He died in 343 and was buried in his home town of Myra. When Myra fell into the hands of the Saracens in 1087, representatives from Bari, Italy obtained his relics. A new church was built in Bari to enshrine his remains. The relics of St. Nicholas are said to exude a sweet-smelling myrrh with curative properties. St. Nicholas is best known as a patron of Children. He is an especially important figure in Holland, and Dutch immigrants brought the legend of Sinterklaas to America in the 1700s. St. Nicholas went through many transformations in America, helped by the poet Clement Clarke Moore and cartoonist Thomas Nast. Legends of his kindness and charity have shaped the identity of this saintly bishop into today's Santa Claus.
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Will Receive 1 St. Nicholas Figurine
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Size:~ 4 Inch x 1 Inch
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Material: Polyresin
- Comes with prayer card
- Made in China
- Each one will be slightly different by size, shape, and appearance due to manufacturing!
Prayer Card:
You were revealed to your flock as a measure of faith. You were the image of humility and a teacher of self-control. Because of your humble life, heaven was opened to you. Because of your poverty, spiritual riches were granted to you. O holy Bishop Nicholas, we cry out to you: pray to Christ our God that our souls may be saved.
*A tropar (or troparian) is a type of hymn in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
