St Nicholas

St Nicholas (270 – 343) was the patron saint of boys, of sailors, of Russia and Aberdeen, as well as other towns. He is fabled to bring presents to good children on Christmas eve. He was bishop of Myra, and had taken a special interest in the young. He was persecuted under Diocletian. He is generally represented in bishop's robes, and has either three purses or three children as his attributes. The three children and the three purses refer to one and the same story: St. Nicholas, on learning that a father who had three daughters was tempted by extreme poverty to expose them to a life of dishonour, went by night and threw into the window of the house three bags of money which served as a marriage portion for each, and thus rescued them from a life of shame.

Nearby pages
St Ninian, St Olaf, St Olga, St Omer, St Oswald, St Pachomius