The wonderworker of Myra
Hand-painted icon of Saint Nicholas
Bishop of Myra, in Lycia, in the 4th century, Saint Nicholas is perhaps the best-loved saint in both East and West. His relics have rested in Bari since 1087, and his basilica draws Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims from all over the world.
How Saint Nicholas is painted
- Half-length, frontal, with a high forehead, short white hair and beard: the face of wisdom and gentleness.
- He wears the bishop's vestments: the phelonion and the white omophorion with large crosses.
- With his right hand he blesses, with his left he holds the Gospel, closed or open.
- Often, above on either side, Christ handing him the Gospel and the Mother of God handing him the omophorion: according to tradition they returned the signs of his ministry after he had been stripped of his episcopal dignity at the Council of Nicaea.
- In icons with scenes from his life, his miracles surround the central image: the three maidens saved by the gift of gold, the sailors in the storm, the three innocent men set free.
For whom
Saint Nicholas is patron of Bari, of children, sailors and seafarers, travellers and students; in the northern tradition he became Santa Claus, the bringer of gifts. His feasts are 6 December and, in Bari, 9 May, the anniversary of the translation of his relics. It is a gift for those named Nicholas or Nicole, for a child, for someone setting out, for a family linked to the Orthodox world. Like every icon by Concetta Basile, it is fully gilded with 23¾ karat gold, with inscriptions in Greek or Latin, and is commissioned with an offering proportionate to the time and materials of the work.
Frequently asked questions
Are Saint Nicholas of Myra and Saint Nicholas of Bari the same saint?
Yes: he is the bishop of Myra, in Asia Minor, who died around the middle of the 4th century. He is called «of Bari» because his relics were brought there by sailors from Bari in 1087.