The Original Santa: The Wonderworker Saint Nicholas of Myra (vegetarian), Part 2 of 2

Anthropologists who studied the Saint’s relics confirmed he was a vegetarian. They also found that he lived in cold, damp conditions for many years, perhaps from the time he was confined due to the persecution of Christians. It is also believed that Saint Nicholas traveled to the Holy Land of Palestine and/or Egypt in His youth.

One document mentions three Roman officers who had witnessed Saint Nicholas rescuing three innocent men from execution in Myra and supported the Saint’s determination for justice. However, they, too, were sentenced to death after being wrongly accused. That night, Emperor Constantine had an extraordinary vision. A man appeared before him in his night chamber, confronting him in the name of Christ to release the unjustly convicted men. The perplexed Emperor Constantine immediately called for the officers to offer an explanation. The three officers spoke of their sincere prayers to Saint Nicholas to help them out of their predicament. Emperor Constantine soon granted their release; furthermore, he ordered that the three officers travel to Myra with gifts to give thanks to Saint Nicholas for saving their lives.

It is said that on Saint Nicholas’ return to Myra, by ship, a terrifying storm suddenly brewed in the Mediterranean. The Saint, however, just sat down and began to pray, and the petrified sailors were amazed that the wind and waves almost immediately abated. There are many stories and Christian iconography that tell of Saint Nicholas appearing upon the sea, in the company of sailors, which is why he is also Patron Saint of Sailors and Voyages.

Saint Nicholas is venerated as a worker of miracles and Patron Saint of not only sailors and voyages, but also bankers, pawnbrokers, marriageable maidens, students, children, paupers, judges, and even repentant criminals.

In the year 325, the increasingly tolerant Roman emperor Constantine the Great invited all Christian bishops to a meeting that would decide a universal moral platform, amongst other issues, for Christianity as a religion. This historical event is now known as the Council of Nicaea. One of the most contentious issues was the nature of the Holy Trinity.

In any case, the First Council of Nicaea voted decisively against Arius, declaring, once and for all, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is Divine. Moreover, Saint Nicholas did end his days, 18 years later, still as the Bishop of Myra.

He passed away on December 6, in the year 343, aged 73 years old. This day is reserved by Western Christian denominations as the feast day of Saint Nicholas, while Eastern denominations, their calendar calculating differently, have allotted December 19 to the Saint.