Legend of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas,
Bishop and Confessor, from Myra, in Asia Minor, to Bari, in Italy
by Orderic Vitalis
Historia ecclesiastica, VII: 12-131, translated by M. T. Anderson
In the year of our Lord’s Incarnation 1087, 10th indiction, on the 9th of May, the corpse of Saint Nicholas, archbishop and confessor, was transported from Myra to Bari. How and by whom this translation was carried out, John, Archdeacon of the Church of Bari, has recounted brilliantly. It seemed right to me to pull some extracts from his narrative and to include them in my work as a reminder of so glorious an event for the instruction of the erudite who have not yet laid their eyes upon John’s account but who have, by chance, cast a glance at my book.
At the time of the Emperor Alexis, the Turks and other heathen peoples who wanted to give free rein to their fury poured over the borders and, with God’s permission, devastated Lycia and other regions inhabited by Christians. Due to the sins of the Christian people, they destroyed churches, profaning in various ways the sanctuaries and the Cross and images of Christ, and they delivered to the flames many towns and their citizens. They rampaged like this for many years and massacred countless Christians.
Thus Myra, the seat of Lycia, was given over to the dominion of the Turks, and its inhabitants, as a punishment for their sins (it seems to me) were driven out. Some citizens of Bari, who were on the way to Antioch on three ships to do business, sent a pilgrim, as soon as they had arrived rejoicing on the shores of Myra, to explore the church found within the city walls. On his return, he reported that there were many Turks gathered there for the funeral of the commander of the place, whose body was displayed there. At this news, the men of Bari raised their sails and turned the prows of their ships toward Antioch, where a favorable wind delivered them within just a few days. There they encountered a fleet of Venetian ships and immediately began, as is the custom, to ask each other lots of questions. Among the Baresi there was someone who was a friend known to the Venetians: they started to talk between them about the body of Nicholas. Now, the Venetians had no hesitation in revealing to them what they had already been planning to do for some time. They confessed that they had iron bars and hammers, and on the spot they exposed the plan they had adopted and which they proposed to carry out. As soon as they had heard these words, the Baresi were even more impatient to attempt the adventure and to see it through, not so much for their own glory and their own renown – and not for the greatness of their country – but for the love of such an eminent confessor. They finished the business that had brought them to Antioch and as quickly as they could, set out on the return route, with God’s guidance. They approached the shore of Myra, taking advantage of a favorable wind; they decided, feeling their first ardor abandon them, to continue onwards – but a contrary wind blowing from the north rose up at God’s command and forced the men of Bari to remain in that place, the south wind having suddenly died down. Recognizing that this was the will of God, they took up their weapons and formed a raiding party, leaving some of their number to guard the boats. Well-equipped and on their guard, as if confronting enemies, they hastened to the church, which was about three miles from the shore.
Then they entered the church’s cloister, set aside their weapons, entered into the holy sanctuary with great humility and hastened to beseech the holy bishop. When each was finished with their devotions, they undertook to question the sacristans about where the body of Nicholas reposed. These men showed them the spot and, after having taken some of the sainted liquor, they gave it to them. Lupo, a priest of Bari, received the holy oil in a glass ampulla and set it down in a high place, so that it would be safe. But it happened by chance that, as they talked, the ampulla fell on the marble floor without breaking, to the great astonishment of everyone. Then the men of Bari started to discuss the reason for their mission with the three monks charged with the protection of the relics: "We have come to remove the holy body and transport it to our homeland. It is for this reason, actually, that we have been sent by the Roman Pontiff and that we have come here borne on three boats. If you consent to give us your permission, we will give you a hundred gold solidi from our ship."
At these words, the monks were struck with astonishment and horror and responded: "How do you dare to embark on such a thing, which no mortal has ever attempted with impunity? Who would have the temerity to be either buyer or seller? What else could be so precious or so admirable as to compare with so great a treasure? If the lords of the earth, acting not in audacity, but with prayers and supplications, have never attempted such an act, how do you expect you will fare? Cease your pursuit of evil, for it displeases the Divine Majesty! Or go ahead and try – here’s the place." In saying these words, they thought that what the men of Bari wanted to do was impossible. For almost two hundred Olympiads had passed since Nicholas had quit this world, he who, they say, had attended the Council of Nicaea in the time of the blessed Pope Sylvester and the Emperor Constantine – and in all that time, no one had been able to steal by secret trickery or seize through open violence or be granted by the Lord through prayer even one of the saint’s relics. The men of Bari were worried, because they were few among so many in a strange land, and the sun was about to set, and the return to their ships was going to be dangerous. But despite that, they sought comfort in God, and first seized the monks and put the prisoners under close guard. They cautiously positioned lookouts charged with watching in all directions for any approach, while the rest spread out on all sides of the building, weapons ready. Boldly, XL and IIII of the most honest young men went outside, ready to resist, while the two priests, Lupo and Grimoald, with a few others remained in the church and began the prayers called litanies. But they were seized with so much fear that they could barely express clearly the words they’d begun.
However Matthew, one of the sailors, grabbed an iron hammer and battered the marble paving stones until they broke, under which he discovered a bed of mortar. When one of them took the chunks and lifted them, there appeared the lid of a marble sarcophagus. Full of joy at the sight, they rushed to excavate deeper, and then, with the aid of a hatchet, they burst the old lime seal and removed the pieces. Once these were cleared away, a chest was unearthed, which young Matthew attacked with his iron hammer: he broke one of the sides and immediately the most vivid scent escaped, which filled all who were present with a gorgeous, sweet delight. Then the young man inserted his hand and could feel that the coffer [urna], which was not small, was brimming with liquid, which, it seemed to him, filled it up almost half way. He plunged his right hand in and discovered the precious treasure which he explored with great zeal and, without any fear, he quickly began to pull pieces out. To find the head, he climbed entirely into the bath of liquid and had to use both hands and feet to search for the skull, which he finally discovered; and it was only after this that he climbed out of the sarcophagus, his whole body soaked and his clothes impregnated with this salutary liquid. This occurred around 800 years after the death of Saint Nicholas, on the 12th of the kalends of May [April 20th].
At that point, because they did not have a box and their expedition had had such a quick and unexpected outcome, they wrapped the holy relics in the tunic of the priest Lupo as best they could and they all followed Lupo, who carried the blessed burden. Praising God for this most holy loot stolen not from their enemies – but a treasure [gazophilacio] belonging to the Lord Himself – they returned to the shore. Some also carried off fragments of the marble sarcophagus [urna, once again] which they had broken, from which many church altars and portable altars were consecrated by bishops throughout Italy. Once back at the port, they quarreled over which ship would carry the much-desired burden. Indeed, each one of them wished to have such a companion, such a patron. At last, all of them agreed peacefully that Matthew should carry it in his ship, if he himself would first convince them of his good intentions by swearing an oath. That is what happened.
So they boarded the ship, wound the relics in another new and white cloth, and stored them in a wooden vessel in which the sailors used to keep wine. It is not necessary to linger on the anguish of the citizens of Myra when they discovered the blow they’d suffered. Indeed, as soon as the inhabitants of the castrum of Myra, which is located on a hill about a mile from the basilica, heard the news, they immediately came running from all sides; furious and greatly saddened, they gathered at the shore, tearing out their hair and beards, mourning their shepherd and lord, and wailing out this mournful song:
Alas, what a miserable age! What is happening to us?
What disgrace to our homeland do we see before us?
The gifts God gave us, kept closely for so many years,
Swiftly were snatched from us – we lost them so easily.
Up until now, this land of Lycia was rich
And adorned with unearthly treasure,
Celebrated throughout the world with high praise
And protected by the virtues of a generous father.
Unhappy Myra: you have lost forever your gifts
And your sacred cult; you will always be miserable.
O Nicholas, father worshipped throughout the world,
Why have you forsaken our country – or rather, yours?
Here you were born and nurtured by holy parents,
Here child and youth and man and pious elder,
Here father and lord, shepherd and kind guardian,
Here in your homeland you remained, in life and in death, until today.
Whenever this land was crushed by adversity,
She asked quickly for help from your alms, father.
In the midst of trouble, you were here with the hope of salvation,
Offering protection to the people afflicted.
Being here, you favored their prayers,
Received their wishes, and granted all their requests.
You hurried to all corners of the globe
From your sacred tomb, spreading salvation.
Yet he knew (alas!) that the crowd of the faithful
Would still quit all worship and all honor.
The gift of God and the first grace disappear,
And all that shall remain is the memory of old tales.
Shepherd of your rightful flock, who will feed us?
When you leave the herd, the wolf will soon come.
Our strength, consolation, grace, you are all
Relief, all hope, salvation, sole cause for joy.
Woe to us wretches, we have lost all these things,
And give ourselves up to grief and perpetual sorrow.
Woe! Who granted the power to accomplish
Such evil and to profane this holy place?
Who granted the outrageous right to commit this crime?
What sacrilegious thief would plunder in this way?
But the fortunate one devours the prize,
While we unfortunates are oppressed by evil.
While the Myrans made their lamentations heard, without being able to avenge the misfortune they suffered, the sailors of Bari, full of joy, rushed to ready the sails and rowed to the island of Kekova [Cacabum] by the middle of the night, and from there steered for the isles of Megista [Majestras]. Leaving these islands, they arrived after an exhausting effort by the rowers at a place called Macri, where they remained for three days, stranded by a contrary wind blowing from the north. At this they were worried, and began to doubt whether they actually had the body of Saint Nicholas with them, or whether he really did wish to be spirited away by them. One of their number, Eustasius, freed them from this doubt by a dream, and, at the same time, was utterly overcome with terror when he saw in this dream blood flowing from his tongue due to the bites of leeches.
Then, by common decree, they brought forth the small fragments of the relics which some of them had secretly taken away for themselves, and after swearing that they would not keep any more pieces back, Romuald revealed two of the teeth and the small joints which he had hidden. All the others brought back the chips which they had secretly pilfered and put them back in place on the body. Then a fair wind blew and the ship ploughed a broad furrow in the sea. Saint Nicholas appeared in a dream to one of the sailors, named Disigius: he comforted him and predicted that they would enter the port of Bari on the XXth day after the removal of the body. Disigius told the company what he had seen, and it gave them great confidence.
A little bird appeared suddenly to the sailors, flying around the ship, and it cheered them by its frequent visits. Often the sailors could smell a perfume of great beauty and, comforted by other favorable signs, they were full of joy; thus they neared their own shores. Guided by God, they reached the port of San Giorgio, which is situated about five miles from the walls of Bari; and they sent messengers to the clergy and the people of Bari. And behold, the whole city was immediately filled with unexpected joy and soon people of both sexes and all ages crowded out to the shore. The sailors entrusted the box with the remains to the pious Helias, abbot of the monastery of St. Benedict, which is situated above the harbor. He reverently accepted the sacred trust, deposited the bones in St. Benedict’s church on the ninth of May, and carefully guarded them for three days.
Ursus, archbishop of Bari, a holy man favored by God, known and intimate with the lords of Italy, was absent at the time. Indeed, there was a ship standing ready at the port of Trani on which the prelate was about to embark the next day on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. But a messenger came and found him with a letter from the people of Bari, which informed him of the news of great joy. He delayed his voyage and, elated, hastened back to Bari. The corpse of Saint Nicholas was welcomed by the inhabitants of Bari and the feast of his Translation was fixed for the VIIth day of the Ides of May [May 9th]. They carried the body to the palace of the catepan and, at the demand of the sailors and all the people of Bari, they reposed the bones with all honors in the Church of Saint Stephen Protomartyris, which had been built three years earlier by the archbishop.
Then they began to build their own basilica for Saint Nicholas, and entrusted the holy body, the offerings of the faithful, and the construction of the basilica itself to the abbot Helias, and with the consent of the archbishop and the favor of all, they appointed him as prefect over all that was to be done. Quickly, diverse multitudes from all the provinces of Hesperia [Italy] gathered, and innumerable signs and miracles were daily performed by God. On the first day that the holy body was deposited in the Church of Saint Benedict, we are told, more than XXX sick people of both sexes and all ages were delivered from many kinds of infirmities, and having been granted the work of perfect sanctity, they returned safely, with thanksgiving, to their own homes. And in the days that followed, how many demoniacs or deaf, how many lame or dumb or blind, in short, how many others oppressed by many kinds of illnesses were completely relieved and healed, we are unable to record and count in detail.
John, deacon of Bari, mentioned earlier, from whose brief book I have extracted these words, wrote of twelve exemplary miracles, but neither he nor anyone else was able to make known to posterity all the healings and other assistance which Almighty God has mercifully shown to those servants who requested aid from the merits of the most holy bishop Nicholas, down to this day. In conclusion, by God’s permission, several churches have obtained portions of the holy relics of the aforesaid, and not only the Italians and Pelasgians: other nations also give thanks to God for the holy gifts entrusted to them.
Christopher, a certain soldier who was present at the Translation of the noble Nicholas, kept one rib in his sleeve. Not long after, he fell ill, and sought refuge at the monastery of Venosa, where he begged the Archimandrite Berengar to be allowed take holy orders; he presented the rib of St. Nicholas to the Abbey of the Holy Trinity of Venosa and recovered from his illness.
At about the same time, Stephen, cantor of the monastery which Count Fulke the Elder had constructed at Angers in honor of Saint Nicholas, brought himself to Apulia and, with the permission of his abbot, Noël, voluntarily left monastic orders. He lived in Bari as a clerk, gained the confidence of the sacristans of the basilica of the holy bishop and subsequently succeeded in exercising great influence over them. At last, having observed the arm of St. Nicholas, which was suitably plated in silver and kept outside the mausoleum as a sign to the people, he secretly stole it and fled for Gaul, wishing to enrich his country and his convent with such a treasure. In truth, as soon as the Baresi discovered this theft had been committed, they sent messengers in all directions to the borders to ask friends and patrons to see that all the roads by which he might go to Frankia were carefully guarded, lest a thief of this kind should get away. Stephen made a detour to Venosa, full of fear, and while he hid himself there for the winter to await the gentle spring, he fell sick. Subsequently, as his funds ran out, the necessity of buying food forced him to peel the silver off the arm. During this time the news spread across Italy and Sicily that the arm of St. Nicholas had been stolen by a man from Gaul. Finally, as word got around about the theft, people were informed that certain Venosi and the monastic servants there had seen and recognized the silver plating which covered the arm, the rumor of this affair having arrived in the heart of the monastic community: then Erembert, a brave monk, charged with some servants of the monastery to the dying ex-monk and, abruptly confronting him, tore at St. Nicholas’s arm, horribly exposing it. When Stephen saw that he was caught, and in such a maelstrom, not knowing where to turn, pale and trembling, he yielded up his precious charge to the assaulting monk. This prize, Erembert received with great joy, and immediately led the monks and the people of the city to the monastery of the Holy Trinity, praising God, and there, to this day, St. Nicholas miraculously helps those who faithfully pray to his relics in times of need. The Erembert we speak of was a Norman by birth, an effective knight before his conversion, but afterwards a fervent monk of the order.
At the same time, a certain knight from Normandy, William Pandulfus, went to Apulia, and because he loved St. Nicholas very much, he made many inquiries about his relics, and with God’s help, he procured from the Translators of the relics one tooth and two fragments from the marble tomb. For he was brave in arms, gifted with genius, notable among his peers for his good sense and his wealth, and well known to the lords of England and Italy. Having received the tooth of such a baron, he returned to Normandy, and on a particular day he brought many people to his own estate, which is called Noron, in order to receive the remains in a suitable manner. Thus, in the year 1092 after the Incarnation of Our Savior, 15th indiction, the tooth of the blessed confessor Nicholas was delivered from Apulia to William Pandulfus with other relics, and received with honors in the church of Noron, which had originally been built in honor of St. Peter. Roger, abbot of Ouche and Raoul, at that time abbot of Sées, who would later become Archbishop of Canterbury, attended the reception; the holy relics were welcomed in the month of June, amidst the eagerness of the monks and the dancing of the laity and installed with great care in a silver casket which the knight had prepared with great liberality. Often the sick and feverish implored aid from the relics, and by the pious merits and generosity of the princely Nicholas, they obtained the desired health.
A little later, this hero laid the foundations of a new church and, thanks to his offering of twenty marks of silver, he carried out a large part of the work, but because of several misfortunes of which he was the victim, the construction halted, and the death of the founder prevented the completion of the church. He died on the 16 of the kalends of May [April 16] and his wife Lezeline on the 11th of the kalends of October [September 2]: they lie entombed in the cloister of the monks of Saint-Evroult; their sons Philippe, Robert, Yves, and Arnoul apparently do not intend to follow the pursuits of their parents in ecclesiastical matters.
We have inserted this truthful narrative of the Translation of the corpse of Saint Nicholas into our work – and we faithfully beseech the Wonder-worker of these miracles that he remembers us and takes pity on those who remember him, and that he prays to God on our behalf without cease.
Link
- Text taken from Pierre Bouet’s edition of this passage from Orderic Vitalis’s Historiae ecclesiasicae. Pierre Bouet, "Orderic Vital et la Translation du Corps de Saint Nicolas," Nicolaus Studi Storici, vol. 22, no. 42-43 (2011), pp. 109-142. Bouet not only presents the text, but lays out the points of similarity and difference from the account of John the Archdeacon. back
- lupus. A possible pun on the name of the priest who gathered the bones, Lupo. back
- In Orderic Vitalis’ account, this word is irudinum, or leeches; but in John the Archdeacon’s version, hyrundines, swallows. back
From M. T. Anderson, Stealing St. Nicholas: The Original Texts, used by permission.