St Nicolas City Map Poster

About St Nicolas

Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of children, sailors, merchants, archers and students in Greece. He was also a patron of the Varangian Guard (the elite guard of the Byzantine Emperors) who protected him from his enemies while he travelled from town to town giving away gifts. The Russian Orthodox Church venerates Saint Nicholas as an apostle; they celebrate his feast day on 6 December according to both Old Style (Julian calendar) and New Style dates. The Eastern Orthodox Church observes two feasts dedicated to St. Nicholas: one on 19 December or 3 January according to local calendars where 5 January is observed as Christmas Day by those churches which follow the traditional Julian Calendar rather than adopting Revised Julian calendar for their liturgical year; another feast dedicated specifically to St Nicholas' memory occurs annually on May 9th/22nd , when it coincides with either Ascension Day or Pentecost Sunday .