Bone fragments attributed to Saint Nicholas, the historical figure who inspired the legend of Santa Claus, were stolen from a church in France and later destroyed, according to reports.
Priests at the Saint Nicolas de Port basilica, one of the few sanctuaries in France holding a relic of the saint, reported the theft of a reliquary containing a bone fragment on November 2. Police arrested a suspect who reportedly confessed to acting impulsively, driven by a desire to destroy the relic due to his belief that devotion to bones constituted idol worship.
The suspect admitted to breaking the display case, then burning and crushing the relic, the Saint Nicolas in Lorraine Parish stated. "Beyond the heritage value of this object, what touches us today is, above all, a profound attack on our history, our faith and the devotion of generations of pilgrims," the priests said.
The desecration occurred weeks before the Feast of Saint Nicolas, celebrated annually on December 6, marking the anniversary of his death. Saint Nicolas, who lived between 270 and 343 AD, is known for his generosity, particularly the story of giving three daughters bags of gold to prevent them from falling into prostitution.
The relic that was destroyed had been placed beneath a statue of Saint Nicolas in the patronal chapel in the early 2000s. The basilica's main relic remains secured in its treasury.
Saint-Nicolas-de-Port has been a pilgrimage site for followers of the saint for nearly a millennium. The tradition of the relic's presence there began in 1087 when Italian sailors reportedly took Saint Nicolas' skeleton from Myra, in modern-day Turkey, to Bari. In 1098, a bone fragment, believed to be from the saint's 'blessing right hand,' was brought to Lorraine.
The town became an important destination in medieval Europe, attracting pilgrims such as Joan of Arc, who visited in 1429. The saint's significance grew when Duke René II named him the patron saint of Lorraine after the Battle of Nancy in 1477, commissioning the Gothic basilica to house his relics.
The basilica has survived numerous conflicts, including the Thirty Years' War and both World Wars. During the French Revolution, its reliquaries were melted down, and the building was temporarily repurposed.
Recent archaeological work in Demre, Turkey, believed to be Saint Nicolas' burial site, has revealed what researchers suggest could be the location of his original tomb. In 2022, excavations beneath St Nicolas Church unearthed flooring from an earlier church, offering a potential glimpse of the sanctuary from the saint's lifetime.