The Bishop of Myra was born into a wealthy family of Greek Christians sometime around 270 A.D. in Patara, Turkey.  When he was young, both of his parents died in an epidemic.  The orphan inherited his parents’ vast wealth and could have lived out the remainder of his life in veritable comfort.  Rather than keeping the money for himself, he chose to use his inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the poor.  The orphan’s uncle, who was the bishop of Myra at the time, recognized his nephew’s religious devotion and pious ways and ordained him as a priest.

 

The priest heard about a devout Christian man who had once been wealthy but was now poor.  The devout man had three daughters who were nearing marrying age, but without proper dowries were at risk of being forced into prostitution.  The priest learned of the plight of the devout man and his daughters.  He wanted to help the struggling family, but the devout man refused to accept charity.  Late one night, the priest threw a small purse filled with gold coins into the open window of the devout man’s home.  Without knowing who the coins came from, the devout man could not return them.  Believing them to be a gift from God, the devout man paid for his daughter’s dowry and for her wedding.  The devout man still fretted over his two other unmarried daughters.  Late one night soon after the wedding, the priest threw another purse filled with gold coins into the devout man’s window.  Again, the man was unable to determine who had left the coins.  After his second daughter’s marriage, the devout man was determined to learn the identity of person responsible.  He stayed at the window for two days and nights.  On the second night, he heard the sound of another purse filled with gold coins as it plopped on the floor of the room.  The devout man jumped out of the window and caught the priest as he tried to escape.  The devout man fell to his knees and thanked the priest.  The priest quickly pulled him back to his feet, looked around to make sure no one had seen, and asked him not to tell anyone that it was he, the priest, who had given the purses of gold coins. 

 

Several miracles were attributed to priest, one of which occurred while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land.  During the trip across the Mediterranean Sea, a violent storm battered the ship.  Everyone but the priest feared the worst.  The priest began praying.  At that moment, the high waves were instantly calmed, and the ship continued its journey without further incident.  News of the miracle preceded the priest.  While in Palestine, the priest stayed in a crypt near Bethlehem.  A church named after the priest still stands above this crypt. 

 

When the priest returned to Myra, he learned that the bishop who had replaced his uncle had recently died.  The other priests selected him as the new Bishop of Myra, a post he retained until he died of old age.  The bishop was buried in a crypt within the church.  By 520, the church had deteriorated to nothing more than a pile of rubble.  In that year, the emperor of Rome had another church built on the site and named it in honor of the orphan who became a priest, who became a bishop, who became a saint.   The church, which still stands, is called St. Nicholas Church.  St. Nicholas, the miracle-worker and gift-giver, was the origin of Santa Claus.

3.     Expedition Unknown, Season 14, Episode 7, “‘Twas the Search for St. Nick,” aired November 20, 2024, Discovery Channel.