Saint Nicholas of Myra Medal Necklace - Bishop, Protector, Patron of Children

About Saint Nicholas of Myra

Nicholas was born in Patara, in what is now southern Turkey, in the third century, to wealthy Christian parents who died when he was young. He used his entire inheritance to help the poor, the sick, and families in crisis - not as an occasional act of charity but as a systematic disposition of everything he owned. He was appointed Bishop of Myra while still a young man, imprisoned under Emperor Diocletian's persecution of Christians, and released when Constantine came to power. He then attended the Council of Nicaea in 325 - the council that defined the doctrine of the Trinity and produced the Nicene Creed - as one of its participating bishops.

The story most people know, stripped of its seasonal coating, is this: Nicholas heard that a man in his diocese had three daughters but no money for their dowries, which in that era meant they faced destitution or worse. On three separate nights, Nicholas threw a bag of gold through the family's window - anonymously, in the dark, without being seen or thanked. That act of secret, practical, immediate generosity is the origin of every tradition that followed, from the stockings hung by the fireplace to the gifts left in shoes on December 6. The cultural figure of Santa Claus is a 1,700-year-long echo of a bishop who gave away his inheritance and then kept giving.

He died in Myra on December 6, 343. His relics were later moved to Bari, Italy, where the Basilica di San Nicola was built in his honor and where they remain today, still drawing pilgrims from across the Catholic and Orthodox world.

Saint Nicholas of Myra's feast day is December 6. Before the legend, before the tradition, before any of it, there was a bishop in southern Turkey who gave away everything he had and kept giving - quietly, directly, and without waiting to be thanked.

His Patronage

Nicholas of Myra is the patron saint of children, sailors, the falsely accused, merchants, students, unmarried women, and repentant thieves - among well over a hundred documented patronages, more than any other saint in the Catholic Church. He is venerated not only by Catholics but by Orthodox Christians throughout Greece, Russia, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East, where he is among the most beloved saints in the entire tradition.

He is sought by parents who want their children protected, by sailors and those who work at sea, and by anyone who has been wrongly accused or treated unjustly. He is a natural baptism saint for a child named Nicholas, and a confirmation saint for a boy who wants a patron of genuine and active generosity rather than suffering or martyrdom. His feast day, December 6, is celebrated as a gift-giving day throughout Europe entirely independently of Christmas - in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and across Eastern Europe, December 6 is Nicholas Day, and the gifts left in shoes and stockings that night are his.

His feast day is December 6. He gave away his inheritance, attended the council that defined the Creed, and has been the patron of more human situations than any other saint the Church has ever named.

The Saint Nicholas of Myra Medal

This medal depicts Nicholas full-face in full episcopal vestments: the mitre on his head, the cope across his shoulders, the pallium marking his authority as bishop. He holds a bishop's crozier in his left hand and raises his right in blessing. The background is dense baroque scrollwork that fills the entire field around him - the most ornate and formally episcopal composition in this catalog. He is shown as what he was: a bishop, not a gift-giver, not a seasonal figure. The vestments, the crozier, the blessing hand - these are the markers of a man who held authority in the Church and used it consistently in the service of people with no power at all. The metal forms the illustration itself: black ink is applied to the pendant surface and the gold or silver shows through as the image. A shatterproof liquid glass coating seals the surface.

Personalization and Engraving

The optional engraving on the reverse is rendered in Tangerine cursive. Two lines, up to 20 characters each. Two lines that fit:

Line 1: "Give in secret."
Line 2: "God sees it all."

For a baptism or confirmation gift, most people engrave the recipient's name and the date. For a name-day gift on December 6, a name and the year. For a child, a name and birthdate.