Italy: St. Nicholas’ Relics Travel to Russia
St. Nicholas is celebrated in Italy, on December 6.
The relics of St. Nicholas of Myra , kept in the basilica of Bari, in the south of Italy, will be in Russia from May 21 to 28, 2017, thanks to an agreement made between Pope Francis and the Patriarch of Moscow, Kirill.
According to Interfax, quoted by cath.ch on May 5, the decision was made when the two men met in Cuba on February 12, 2016. “It is a unique event, since the relics have never left the Basilica of San Nicola de Bari since they were placed there 930 years ago,” explained the Metropolitan Hilarion when questioned by the Russian press. He recalled that hundreds of Russian faithful go to Bari every year to venerate the relics. But “for most of them, it is hard to make the journey.”
Nicholas of Myra is the patron saint of Russia, and his feast is celebrated on December 19 in the Orthodox calendar. Many churches and monasteries in the country are consecrated to him. According to cath.ch, “icons of St. Nicholas can be found in almost every church and home.” In the West, the feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated on December 6, especially in the northern and eastern European countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, northern and eastern France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Tradition has it that “he brings presents to all the good children.”
Since 2010, Turkey has been demanding that the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra, taken by sailors in 1087 and brought to Italy just after Myra fell into Muslim hands, be returned. According to an article by C News in January of 2013, a Turkish archeologist in charge of excavations on the Myra-Andriake site filed an unsuccessful request with the Vatican for the relics to be returned to his country. Three years earlier, a similar request had already been made to the Italian government…
Sources: cath.ch/cnews – FSSPX.News 5/18/17
