Nickolaos Of Myra and The Legend of Santa Claus

Picture
Nickolaos Of Myra
REFERENCES
 
Excellent references for everything in this article - and more - are found on a number of websites.  The following are from www.stnicholascenter.org and from www.wikipedia.com.
 
Willis Jones, The Santa Claus Book, Walker Publishing Company, 1976, p. 123, which includes a letter from the director of the Office for Divine Worship of the Archdiocese of Chicago.
Wire

 Services--United Press International
The Canonization of Saints Catholic Apologetics
The Commemoration of Saints and Heroes of the Christian Church in the Anglican Communion Lambeth Conference 1958
Canonization The Orthodox Church in America
Saint Wikipedia
Canonization of Saints Religion Facts
Beatification and Canonization Catholic Encyclopedia
Was  St. Nicholas Real?Ask a Franciscan, St. Anthony Messenger Press

  1. Book of Martyrs. Catholic Book Publishing. 1948.
  2. "Serbia". Saint Nicholas Center. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  3. "Who is St. Nicholas?". St. Nicholas Center. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  4. "St. Nicholas". Orthodox America. Retrieved 7 December 2010.
  5. Cunningham, Lawrence (2005). A brief history of saints. Wiley-Blackwell. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-4051-1402-8. “The fourth-century Saint Nikolaos of Myra, Greek Anatolia (in present-day Turkey) spread to Europe through the port city of Bari in southern Italy… Devotion to the saint in the Low countries became blended with Nordic folktales, transforming this early Greek bishop into that Christmas icon, Santa Claus’.”
  6. Lloyd, John; Mitchinson, John (December 2008). The book of general ignorance (Noticeably stouter edition). Faber and Faber. p. 318. ISBN 978-0-571-24692-2.
  7. Jones, Charles W. (1978). Saint Nikolaos of Myra, Bari, and Manhattan: Biography of a Legend. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-40700-5.
  8. "The Calendar [page ix]". Prayerbook.ca. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  9. "St. Nicholas Bethel Baptist Church". Stnicholasbethelbaptist.com. 2 June 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  10. "St. Nicholas United Methodist Church - Church Gazetteer". Stnicholascenter.org. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  11. "St Nicholas' Cardonald Parish Church - Church Gazetteer". Stnicholascenter.org. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  12. "New York’s Dutch Cathedral: The Collegiate Church of St. Nicholas, Fifth Avenue". Andrewcusack.com. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  13. Domenico, Roy Palmer (2002). The regions of Italy: a reference guide to history and culture. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 21. ISBN 0-313-30733-4. “Saint Nicholas (Bishop of Myra) replaced Sabino as the patron saint of the city… A Greek from what is now Turkey, he lived in the early fourth century.”
  14. Burman, Edward (1991). Emperor to emperor: Italy before the Renaissance. Constable. p. 126. ISBN 0-09-469490-7. “For although he is the patron saint of Russia, and the model for a northern invention such as Santa Claus, Nicholas of Myra was a Greek.”
  15. Ingram, W. Scott; Ingram, Asher, Scott; Robert (2004). Greek Immigrants. Infobase Publishing. p. 24. ISBN 9780816056897. “The original Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas, was a Greek born in Asia Minor (now modern Turkey) in the fourth century. He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life to Christianity.”
  16. Lanzi, Gioia (2004). Saints and their symbols: recognizing saints in art and in popular images. Liturgical Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-8146-2970-9. “Nicholas was born around 270 AD in Patara on the coast of what is now western Turkey.”
  17. Collins, Ace (2009). Stories Behind Men of Faith. Zondervan. p. 121. ISBN 9780310564560. “Nicholas was born in the Greek city of Patara around 270 AD. The son of a businessman named Theophanes and his wife, Nonna, the child’s earliest years were spent in Myra… As a port on the Mediterranean Sea, in the middle of the sea lanes that linked Egypt, Greece and Rome, Myra was a destination for traders, fishermen, and merchant sailors. Spawned by the spirit of both the city’s Greek heritage and the ruling Roman government, cultural endeavours such as art, drama, and music were mainstays of everyday life.”
  18. Faber, Paul (2006). Sinterklaas overseas: the adventures of a globetrotting saint. KIT Publishers. p. 7. ISBN 9789068324372. “The historical figure that served as model for the Dutch Sinterklaas was born around 270 AD in the port of Patara in the Greek province of Lycia in Asia Minor (present-day Turkey). His Greek name Nikolaos means something along the lines of “victor of the people”.”
  19. Lanzi, Gioia (2004). Saints and their symbols: recognizing saints in art and in popular images. Liturgical Press. p. 111. ISBN 0-8146-2970-9. “Nicholas was born around 270 AD in Patara on the coast of what is now western Turkey; his parents were Epiphanius and Joanna.”
  20. "St. Nicholas: Father of Beit Jala". Saint Nicholas Center. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  21. "Stories from Beit Jala". Saint Nicholas Center. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  22. Federer, William J. (2002). There Really Is a Santa Claus - History of St. Nicholas & Christmas Holiday Traditions. Amerisearch, Inc. p. 26. ISBN 978-0965355742.
  23. Davis, Leo Donald (1990). The First Seven Ecumenical Councils (325-787) Their History and Theology. Liturgical Press. p. 58. ISBN 0-8146-5616-1.
  24. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/my-kind-of-santa/
  25. Ci sono ossa di san Nicola anche a Venezia? (in Italian)
  26. Are all the bones in Bari? (in Italian)
  27. "Relics of St. Nicholas - Where are They?". Saint Nicholas Center. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  28. de Ceglia, Francesco Paolo: "The science of Santa Claus : discussions on the Manna of Nicholas of Myra in the modern age". In Nuncius - 27 (2012) 2, p. 241-269
  29. Santa's tomb is found off Turkey The Independent, 17 December 1993. Retrieved 10 June 2012.
  30. "Turks want Santa's bones returned". BBC News. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  31. "‘Santa Claus’s bones must be brought back to Turkey from Italy’". Todayszaman.com. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  32. http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/fileadmin/user_upload/conservationplans/Newton_Jerpoint.pdf (pg.79)
  33. http://www.stnicholascenter.org/Brix?pageID=409 (Dutch)
  34. Le Saux, Françoise Hazel Marie (2005). A companion to Wace. D.S.Brewer. ISBN 978-1-84384-043-5.
  35. "Pilgrimage to the Holy Land". Saint Nicholas Center. Retrieved 31 December 2014.
  36. Bennett, William J. (2009). The True Saint Nicholas: Why He Matters to Christmas. Howard Books. pp. 14–17. ISBN 978-1-4165-6746-2.
  37. English, Adam, and Crumm, David (2 December 2012). "Adam English digging back into the real St. Nicholas". ReadTheSpirit online magazine.
  38. Carus, Louise (1 October 2002). The Real St. Nicholas. Quest Books. p. 2. ISBN 9780835608138. “In Myra, the traditional St. Nicholas Feast Day is still celebrated on December 6, which many believe to be the anniversary of St. Nicholas's death. This day is honored throughout Western Christendom, in lands comprising both Catholic and Protestant communities (in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Saint's feast date is December 19). On December 5, the eve of St. Nicholas Day, some American boys and girls put their shoes outside their bedroom door and leave a small gift in hopes that St. Nicholas soon will be there.”
  39. "Anatomical Examination of the Bari Relics". Saint Nicholas Center. Retrieved 6 December 2013.
  40. "The Real Face of Santa". (navigate to 4th of 4 pictures)
  41. "Greece". St. Nicholas Center. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  42. "Feasts and Saints, Commemorated on May 9". Orthodox Church in America. Retrieved 4 April 2012.
  43. "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker". Synaxarium (Lives of Saints). Coptic Orthodox Church Network. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  44. "Commemorations for Kiahk 10". Coptic Orthodox Church Network. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
  45. "People of Color in European Art History". Retrieved 20 December 2013.
  46. This operetta is translated in Croatian as: "Sveti Nikola dolazi" and partly in Hungarian: "Jön a Mikulás".
Further reading External links[edit]

(original tomb at Church of Saint Nicholas, Myra, Turkey)
Colonnade Statue St Peter's Square

 Sources: Lawrence Wilson, MD


You can also click on this video to watch the Santa Claus story