St. Nicholas Brooch

We are pleased to bring you this excellent badge of St. Nicholas performing one of the miracles he was famous for in the Middle Ages. During a time of famine, an evil innkeeper lured three boys into his establishment, where he slew them, then butchered the remains and set them to cure in salt. St. Nicholas bishop of Myra happened along and when he was served the cannibal feast he realized what was on his plate and restored the boys to life through prayer. This badge is based on one found on Kunera (No. 07861), described as being in the Basel Historisches Museum inv. 1904.2151.

Nicholas is the patron saint and protector of: children, students, and coopers (because of the story of the murdered children whose bodies were salted and placed in a barrel);  pawnbrokers and unmarried people (because he provided dowries for three young women whose father could not provide for them and who was going to sell them into prostitution); and sailors (he calmed a storm he was sailing though by prayer). He is also the patron of : archers, brewers, the falsely accused, fishermen, merchants, pharmacists, and repentant thieves.

St. Nicholas’ feast day is December 6.