In France, Relics of Saint Nicholas — the Prototype of Santa Claus — Stolen and Destroyed from Church
The arrested suspect confessed that he burned the relic, believing the veneration of relics to be idolatry.
Interior of the Gothic Basilica of Saint Nicholas in the French city of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. Photo: Catholix.fr
In the French city of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port, Lorraine, stands a large Gothic basilica, where pilgrims have come for centuries to venerate the relics of Saint Nicholas. This very saint became one of the prototypes of Santa Claus. Every December, a solemn torchlight procession is held in the city, and preparations are now underway for the next celebration.
However, this year, as the Daily Mail writes, preparations have been overshadowed by a theft. On November 2, priests reported to the police that a relic — a small bone fragment believed to be part of the relics of Saint Nicholas — had disappeared from one of the basilica's chapels. It was kept in a reliquary beneath his statue.
Police identified the suspect and arrested him. The man confessed to breaking a glass display case and stealing the relic. He then burned the bone fragment and crushed it. The arrested man explained his act as a desire to destroy what he considered a manifestation of fetishism.
The parish stated that they perceive the incident not only as a loss of historical value but also as a blow to the faith and traditions of many generations of pilgrims.
Meanwhile, the main relics of the basilica were not affected. Its treasury still holds seven other bone fragments attributed to Saint Nicholas. The most revered relic is housed in a richly decorated hand-shaped reliquary. The destroyed fragment, however, was located separately — it was placed beneath the saint's statue in the early 2000s.
Hand-shaped reliquary containing one of the main relics of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in the French city of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port. Photo: Catholix.fr
Why this relic is so important
Saint Nicholas lived in the 3rd–4th centuries and was a bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey. According to Christian tradition, he helped the poor and secretly distributed gifts. Particularly well-known is the story of how Nicholas gave gold to three girls from a poor family to save them from destitution and prostitution.
It was the tradition of secret gift-giving, associated with Saint Nicholas, that over time became one of the foundations of the modern image of Santa Claus.
In 1087, sailors transported the saint's relics from Myra to the Italian city of Bari. And in 1098, the French knight Aubert de Varangéville brought a bone fragment from there to Lorraine, which, according to tradition, was part of Nicholas's right-hand finger.
Since then, Saint-Nicolas-de-Port has become an important pilgrimage center. In the 15th century, a large Gothic basilica began to be built here in honor of the saint, who is considered the patron of Lorraine.
Every year on December 6, the city celebrates Saint Nicholas Day, and on the eve, a traditional torchlight procession is held. This year, it is scheduled for December 5.