The festive season is upon us. While children in Britain and the US eagerly await Santa Claus and his sleigh full of presents from Lapland, Dutch kids look out for the steam boat that brings Sinterklaas or Saint Nicholas to their shores from Spain. But the real Saint Nicholas was born in Turkey and lies buried in the city of Bari in Southern Italy. At the foot of the basilica where his relics are interred, the Dutch embassy recently organised a conference on the links between Bari and the Netherlands. Not much is known about this saintly figure, but that makes the legend all the stronger.

Three traditions come together in the mediaeval chapel under the basilica of San Nicola, a white sandstone colossus in the centre of Bari. In local tradition, Nicola has been adopted as the patron saint of the southern Italian city. However, Nikóla the Charitable is also Russia’s patron saint, according to Russian Orthodox tradition. In Dutch folk tradition, Sinterklaas showers Dutch children with presents each year on 5 December. Surrounded by devout, singing Russians and locals making signs of the cross, I find myself standing in front of the remains of the character at the centre of the Netherlands’ most important feast. 

Within the central altar, in a shrine covered in red velvet and gold, lie the relics of the saint. His remains were brought to Bari in the year 1089. According to Gerardo Cioffari, priest and expert on Saint Nicholas, it was an act of pure thievery. “Until the Norman conquest, Bari had been one of the most important cities of southern Italy. The Normans moved the court to Palermo and Bari lost its position of prominence. In a cunning attempt to recapture their former glory, the inhabitants stole the remains of the most popular saint of the age and housed them in the basilica.”

Conference
Bari’s ploy worked. The Normans ruled half of Europe at the time and news of Saint Nicholas’ arrival in the city spread like wildfire across the continent, attracting hordes of pilgrims. Bari flourished as never before. 

In addition to being a Dominican monk, Pater Cioffari is an academic at the centre for Saint Nicholas research, next to the basilica. He is regarded as one of the world’s leading authorities on the subject. In this capacity, he was also invited to attend the conference Saint Nicholas: the link between Bari and the Netherlands, organised by the Dutch embassy.

Source of evil
In front of a packed audience, Pater Cioffari recounts the handful of facts and the many legends that surround the figure of Saint Nicholas. He was an active bishop who saved three innocent citizens from being beheaded. He also saved three girls from prostitution by coming to their house at night and leaving gifts so that they could marry. “These facts, in addition to later legends, gave rise to the tradition of the good Saint loved throughout the Netherlands. And in Dutch tradition, Sinterklaas became the feast of kindness and generosity.”

We also know that Nicholas was born in Myra, in present-day Turkey, and lies buried in Bari. Yet the Sinterklaas songs sung by Dutch children insist that the Saint’s steam boat comes from Spain. Pater Cioffari has a simple explanation. “Before the country embraced him with gusto, the protestant Netherlands did its best to combat the popularity of Catholic Saint Nicholas. Since the Netherlands was at war with the Spaniards, Spain was therefore seen as the source of all evil, including the pernicious Catholic Saint Nicholas.” 

Proof
“It’s an interesting theory,” says John Helsloot, Sinterklaas expert at Amsterdam’s Meertens Institute and also one of the speakers at the Bari conference. “I reckon the reason behind the Spanish connection is much more prosaic: the Dutch word for Spain (Spanje) provided a handy rhyme for one of the best-loved Sinterklaas songs. And that was enough to forge the link. I think Spain simply stands for any far off imaginary country. After all, Sinterklaas himself is an imaginary figure.”

John Helsloot, sporting a tie that features the Saint’s staff and mitre, is a specialist in Sinterklaas celebrations in the Netherlands. Holding the conference directly opposite the basilica where the saint’s relics are kept makes it special. Since those relics exist, can we say that Sinterklaas is more than just a tale Dutch parents tell their children? Does Sinterklaas really exist? “You don’t need to come to Bari to figure that out,” exclaims Mr Helsloot. “Of course Sinterklaas exists! It makes no sense to go in search of evidence to prove his existence. In this case, belief wins over proof.”