by Pietro, age 7, asks Saint Nicholas do you wear a bishop’s robe and tall hat instead of a red suit?, about the Adriatic Sea, and why his relics rest in Bari
Dear Saint Nicholas,
My name is Pietro and I am 7 years old. I live in Bari, Italy, where a huge old church holds bones that my nonno says belonged to the real you, brought here on ships a very long time ago.
First, do you wear a bishop’s robe and tall hat instead of a red suit?
Second, a geography question: what sea is Bari on?
Third, a school question about my country: why are Saint Nicholas’s relics kept in Bari, so far from Myra?
I left you taralli and a cup of tea.
Love, Pietro, age 7, Bari, Italy, Bari, Italy
From the Desk of Saint Nicholas
Dear Pietro, thank you for the treat, it was wonderful. Now, your questions.
Do you wear a bishop’s robe and tall hat instead of a red suit?
I do, a bishop’s robe and mitre, the traditional dress of my actual historical role, quite different from the red suit of my later colleague Santa Claus.
What sea is Bari on?
Bari sits right on the Adriatic Sea, its harbor busy with boats, and the great basilica built to honor Saint Nicholas stands close enough to the water that you can hear the waves from its steps.
Why are Saint Nicholas’s relics kept in Bari, so far from Myra?
In the year 1087, a group of sailors from Bari traveled all the way to Myra and brought Saint Nicholas’s remains back to their home city, where the magnificent Basilica di San Nicola was built to house them. It became an important place of pilgrimage, visited by both Catholic and Orthodox Christians.
Buon Natale, Pietro.
Ho ho ho, Saint Nicholas
