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founding 1 angel Nicholas is the patron beau ideal of just about everything. He is the national saint of Russia and Greece and churches named after him number in the thousands - more than four hundred in Great Britain alone. He is the patron saint of judges, murderers, pawnbrokers, thieves, merchants, paupers, scholars, sailors, bakers, travelers, maidens and poor children. Saint Nicholas was born in the Middle East about 350 miles northwest of Bethlehem in the fourth century. Perhaps the most famous story of all tells how he helped leash unfortunate young sisters who all had suitors but had no dowries because their father, a poor overlord, could not raise the money. So they could not marry. Now the bishop Nicholas was a shy man and did not like to give money directly, so he thought of a way to give it anonymously. When the first girl was ready to marry, the good bishop tossed a bag of gold into the house at night. Later, when the second daughter and third daughter prepared to m arry he did the same thing. But when the third daughter prepared to marry, the poor nobleman was determined to find out who had been so generous. So he unbroken watch and saw the bishop drop another bag of gold into the house. It has been express that Saint Nicholas climbed on the roof and dropped the third bag of gold down(a) the chimney where it landed in a stocking hung to dry, giving us a reason to hang up Christmas stockings today. Nicholas begged him to keep the secret, but, of course, the news got out. From then on, whenever anyone acquire an unexpected gift, they thanked Nicholas. Six hundred years later, the Russian Emperor Vladimir visited Constantinople and hear all the wonderful stories about Bishop Nicholas and decided to make him the patron saint of Russia. The stories even spread to the Laplands - to the people of the reindeer sleds. Statutes and pictures had shown him holding the three bags and when taken as the patron saint of the merchants, the bags became gold balls, representing moneylenders and today, pawnbrokers in Italy. The day of remembrance of Nicholas death, December 6th, either 345 A.D. or 352 A.D., is so close to Christmas that, in many countries, the two merged.I think Saint Nicholas is the helper of all that lives from criminals to babies. Anyone who need help he would help.