Miracle Worker
The Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari, visited for centuries by both Catholic and Orthodox pilgrims, brings its treasures to Moscow.
By Anna Malpas
Published: July 8, 2005
The patron saint of pawnbrokers and the protector of sailors, but best known as Santa Claus, St. Nicholas wears many guises. Revered by Catholics and Orthodox Christians alike, the saint is now the central figure of an exhibition at the Historical Museum, which opened last month with the approval of the Russian Orthodox Church and features unique items such as the seal from his tomb in southern Italy.
All of the treasures on display come from the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari, which has housed the relics of St. Nicholas since 1087. The Basilica is also home to a priceless collection of religious artworks that reflect centuries of donations from grateful pilgrims. Never before exhibited in Russia, the gifts testify to the long tradition of pilgrimages by Orthodox Christians to Bari -- a tradition that is now being revived.
Little is known about St. Nicholas, although he is believed to have been the bishop of Myra, in what is now Turkey, in the fourth century. According to one legend, he helped three girls without dowries to marry by secretly giving each of them a bag of gold. This story became popular in Holland, and settlers took it to North America. In this way, Santa Claus -- a name deriving from the Dutch term for St. Nicholas -- became associated with Christmas gift-giving.
There is no sign of the red-coated Santa Claus at the exhibition, however. Instead, many of the silver busts and sculptures of the saint depict him holding three gold balls. Derived from the story of the three bags of gold, these balls have become the symbol of pawnbrokers, for whom St. Nicholas is the patron saint. He is also said to protect children and to help sailors caught in storms arrive safely back to shore.
Every year on May 22, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the anniversary of the day when the remains of St. Nicholas arrived in Bari by ship from their original home in Myra. The relics were brought to the Italian city in a canny bid to attract more pilgrims. A 12th-century parchment with a list of the sailors responsible is on display at the Historical Museum.
Bari became a place of mass pilgrimage by Russians in the late 19th century. Among the visitors were Prince Konstantin, the brother of Tsar Alexander II, who donated one of the items on display, a silver icon lamp. Another pilgrim, the future Tsar Nicholas II, helped raise funds to build a Russian Orthodox church in Bari, whose construction began in 1913.
Now Russian pilgrims are once again flocking to the shrine at Bari, said Eleonora Mancini, one of the exhibition's organizers from the Rome-based communications company Edindustria, speaking by telephone from Italy on Monday. "The majority of foreign believers who visit the Basilica come from Russia," she said.
In a sign of growing links between the two countries, in 2003 Russia presented Bari with a statue of St. Nicholas, sculpted by the artist Zurab Tsereteli, which now stands opposite the Basilica.
Historical Museum
This seal guarded St. Nicholas' grave for over 800 years.
The exhibition in Moscow is the first time so many important artifacts have been shown together outside the Basilica, Mancini said. One of the oldest items on display is the 11th-century seal of St. Nicholas' grave, whose surface has been rubbed smooth by the kisses of millions of pilgrims over the years. The damage became so bad that the original seal had to be replaced by a modern copy in 1953.
Since they were first kept in Myra, the saint's relics are said to have emitted a colorless liquid substance, usually called "manna," which is believed to have healing properties. The large painted glass bottles traditionally used by Bari families to store the manna are among the 64 items on display.
The exhibition's curator is Gerardo Cioffari, a historian and Dominican priest based at the Basilica. The financing for the exhibition also came from Italy. Its sponsors include the local government of Bari and the defense and engineering company Finmeccanica.
The Russian Orthodox Church played no part in the exhibition's organization or funding but has given its approval, Mancini said. The deputy head of the Moscow Patriarchate's foreign relations department, Bishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, attended the June 22 opening.
Nevertheless, the exhibition is intended to have only a "cultural character," not a religious one, Mancini stressed, and it does not include any of the saint's relics. On Monday, though, one visitor crossed herself in front of an 18th-century Russian icon of the saint. Another wrote in the visitors' book: "Holy Father Nicholas, Save Russia!"
"The Treasures of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in Bari" (Sokrovishcha Baziliki Svyatogo Nikolaya v Bari) runs to Aug. 28 at the Historical Museum, located at 1/2 Red Square. Metro Ploshchad Revolyutsii. Tel. 692-3731.