Second Step, Saint Nicholas in Europe: From Triumphal Spread to Fragmentation (12th-16th Century) (Part 1)

Confined to his Asian tomb, Nicholas left the Christian West in peace for six centuries, but the arrival of the Turks in the 11th century triggered a cascade of real or spiritual relocations that would transform the Lycian bishop into a pagan Germanic gnome, and later into an American marketing icon. The bishop’s body was transported to Bari in Italy, and a stolen finger was taken to Lorraine. His installation quickly led to the almost universal spread of his cult in Europe and his legends, where children are often featured, notably in the most famous one where the Saint resurrects three children killed, dismembered, and salted by a butcher!

Image Alessandro Altieri

Text Translation from french version Gilles Fumey