Saint Nicolaus

St. Nicholas is one of the best-known saints of Christendom, and he is often regarded as the inspiration for today’s Santa Claus. He lived in what is now Turkey, and there are many stories about his life of great deeds, including the time he saved three girls from prostitution by handing out bags of gold. It is stories about events like this one that later turned him into a symbol of benevolence.

St. Nicholas is celebrated on December 6th, but in northern and western Europe during the nineteenth century that celebration increasingly evolved into the Christmas holiday we know today focused on the birth of Jesus.