Saints
Bicci di Lorenzo’s Nicholas climbing to a window to pass in gold, while inside a poor father and his three daughters wait. (the whole work, uncropped)
Bicci di Lorenzo, Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. 88.3.89 (Gift of Coudert Brothers, 1888). Public domain (CC0), The Met Open Access; rights checked 21 October 2026.

Saint · Early Church

Saint Nicholas of Myra

Period
4th century
Feast day
6 December
Associated region
Myra, Lycia (modern Turkey)

Bishop of Myra and one of the most widely venerated saints in East and West.

Key timeline

2 events
View timeline in full
  1. 4th centuryTraditional

    Bishop of Myra

  2. 1087

    Relics taken to Bari

    Sailors from Bari remove the relics from Myra.

The workbook’s dates (270–343) are traditional. Nicholas’s cult spread across the Byzantine world and, after the relics were taken to Bari in 1087, across the Latin West.

Principal written sources

  • Greek Lives of Nicholas (medieval)

Full timeline

  1. 4th centuryTraditional

    Bishop of Myra

  2. 1087

    Relics taken to Bari

    Sailors from Bari remove the relics from Myra.

The Dutch Sinterklaas tradition, carried to North America, contributed to the figure of Santa Claus.

Feast day
  • 6 December
Venerated in (starting dataset)
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox.
Patronage and roles (starting dataset)
Children, Sailors, Russia, Greece
Places
Patara · Myra · Bari (relics)

Accounts in the starting dataset

The source workbook lists these under “Confirmed Miracle / Key Event”. The Atlas does not treat them as confirmed: each is labelled by the kind of evidence behind it.

  • LegendHagiographical legend

    “Secretly tossing 3 bags of gold through a window to save 3 poor girls”

    Told in medieval Greek Lives; no contemporary evidence.

  • LegendHagiographical legend

    “Calming a roaring sea storm saving sailors on voyage to Myra”

    Basis of his patronage of sailors.

About the image · Attributed image

Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries, by Bicci di Lorenzo (1433–35). A later work of art, shown as a depiction and not as a likeness: no likeness of Nicholas survives.

Bicci di Lorenzo, Saint Nicholas Providing Dowries. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, acc. 88.3.89 (Gift of Coudert Brothers, 1888), 1433–35. Public domain (CC0), The Met Open Access; rights checked 21 October 2026. Source

Editorial status

Editorial draft. Built from the starting workbook with editorial corrections and framing. It has not yet been checked against independent sources.

References

  • Workbook linkNot yet checked

    britannica.com

    Link supplied in the source workbook (“Top 100 Saints”, row 45). It has not been checked to confirm that it supports every claim in that row.

Original workbook record

Imported unchanged from “Top 100 Saints”, row 45. Values here are the starting dataset, not verified facts; where the Atlas differs, the reason is noted below.

#
37
Saint / Title
Saint Nicholas of Myra
Primary Traditions Veneration
Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox
Feast Day(s)
Dec 6
Era / Lived
270 – 343 AD
Origin / Region
Myra, Lycia (Modern Turkey)
Patronage & Major Roles
Children, Sailors, Russia, Greece
Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 1
Secretly tossing 3 bags of gold through a window to save 3 poor girls
Confirmed Miracle / Key Event 2
Calming a roaring sea storm saving sailors on voyage to Myra
Key Contribution / Historical Significance
Wonderworker bishop who inspired Santa Claus tradition; defender of Nicene orthodoxy.
Reference Link
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Nicholas-of-Myra

Editorial notes on this record

  • Era / Lived: 270–343 are traditional dates with no contemporary support.
  • Key Contribution: “Defender of Nicene orthodoxy” rests on later tradition of his presence at Nicaea.
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