The 9th
of May each year is normally a period of great festivity in Bari (Puglia) as
the locals, together with thousands of visitors, celebrate San Nicola of Bari.
This year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the annual event is much quieter
and more solemn without the participation of the general public. This does not
take away from its importance though as one of the biggest religious festivals
in Italy.
Some of you
might claim not to know who San Nicola is but I am sure you actually do know
him but with a different name:
San Nicola
> Saint Nicholas > Sinterklaas > Santa Claus
So how did a
saint become associated with Christmas? There is a story that describes the secret
generosity of San Nicola who delivered presents by night without being seen. A
man with three daughters could not afford the expected dowry so that his
daughters could get married. The risk was that the girls would be forced into
prostitution to earn the necessary money. San Nicola took pity on the plight of
the three daughters and on three separate occasions, he threw a sack of gold
coins through the window of the house under the cover of darkness.
From this
story, you can see similarities with the idea of Santa Claus passing on
Christmas Eve night to leave presents without anybody seeing him. Just a story?
In 1425, the Italian painter Gentile da Fabriano painted the Quaratesi Polyptych,
an incredibly ornate altarpiece commissioned for the Church of San Niccolò
Oltrarno in Florence. In the 19th century, the masterpiece was
divided into separate pieces that are currently spread between Florence, Rome, London
and Washington.
The sections
that made their way to Rome are inside the Pinacoteca (art gallery) of the
Vatican Museums. One of panels on display is entitled “The Gift of the Three
Golden Balls” and recalls the story of San Nicola’s generosity. Next time you
come to the Vatican, I will be happy to show it to you.
Written by:
Robert Coghlan
Photos by:
Robert Coghlan
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| Photo from internet. Image from Vatican Museums |
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