**The Holy Land, with Jerusalem and Bethlehem, is actually further south, space constraints prevent accurate placement

Along the Lycian coast Photo: H Haskell Used by permission

St Nicholas lived most of his life in Lycia, in Asia Minor, a Hellenic Greek province within the Roman Empire. The area is located on what is now the southern coast of Turkey. He was born in Patara. As a young man he went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, where he lived for a time. Returning by sea, he came to Myra (now Demre), fifty kilometers east of Patara, where he was elected Bishop. While serving as Bishop, Nicholas traveled to Constantinople (now Istanbul) to plead with the emperor on behalf of the people for lower taxes. In AD 325 he gathered with all the other bishops for the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (now Iznik).

These are places St Nicholas lived and visited:

Patara Nicholas' birthplace and childhood home
The Holy Land Place of pilgrimage
Myra (Demre) Service as bishop and burial place
Constantinople (Istanbul) Journeyed to petition for his people
Nicaea (Iznik) First Ecumenical Council

More information

Saint Nicholas Bishop of Myra: The Life and Times of the Original Father Christmas by D. L. Cann, Novalis/Twenty-Third Publications, 2002
Describes the culture and places of the Graeco-Roman Empire that was home to St Nicholas
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