Nicholas the Pilgrim (; ; 1075 – 2 June 1094), sometimes Nicholas of Trani, is a saint of the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.
Biography Nicholas was born at Steiri in Boeotia, Greece, where his solitary life as a shepherd led him to contemplative spirituality, as part of which he developed the constant repetition of the phrase Kyrie Eleison. This brought him conflict and aggression in populated places, and he suffered much oppression.Archdiocese of Trani, Barletta, Bisceglie and Nazareth (publ.), 2004: San Nicola il Pellegrino: Atti, testimonianze e liturgie in occasione dei festeggiamenti del IX centenario della sua morte. 10 anni dopo. Trani His mother, believing that he was possessed by demons, sent him to live at the Hosios Loukas monastery but the monks became annoyed with his almost insane behaviour, such as the constant exclamation of the Kyrie Eleison, and expelled him.
When he was nineteen, Nicholas decided to go on a pilgrimage to Rome. In Naupaktos he embarked on a ship to Otranto and spent some time in the Greek-populated regions in Apulia before dying in Trani.Natale Albino, Ad ogni passo, ad ogni battito. Storia del pellegrino Nicola, Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB), Bologna 2024
Veneration Three years after Nicholas' death, archbishop Bisantius of Trani commissioned the building of a new cathedral dedicated to Nicholas and asked in 1098/99 while participating in the Lateran council Pope Urban II for his permission for the sanctification of Nicholas. Trani Cathedral is dedicated to him, and he is the patron saint of the city.Santiebeati.it: San Nicola il Pellegrino Nicholas' life is known primarily from three sources, of which the earliest was written three years after his death based on information provided by his travel companion Bartholomew.
His feast day is 2 June. The annual procession through Trani in his honour is held in the last week of July. In Orthodox tradition he is regarded as a Fool for Christ. "Άγιος Νικόλαος ο Προσκυνητής ο δια Χριστόν σαλός." In: ΠΕΤΡΙΔΗΣ ΙΚΑΡΟΣ. ΕΜΠΑΙΖΟΝΤΕΣ «ΗΜΕΙΣ ΜΩΡΟΙ ΔΙΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΝ...» ΜΟΡΦΗ ΕΚΔΟΤΙΚΗ. Μάρτιος 2008. .
References
External links Santiebeati.it: San Nicola il Pellegrino Traniviva.it (official portal of the municipality of Trani): account of Saint Nicholas of Trani https://www.dehoniane.it/9788810000052-ad-ogni-passo-ad-ogni-battito
Sources Cioffari, Gerardo, 1994: San Nicola Pellegrino. Levante editore Archdiocese of Trani, Barletta, Bisceglie and Nazareth (publ.), 2004: San Nicola il Pellegrino: Atti, testimonianze e liturgie in occasione dei festeggiamenti del IX centenario della sua morte. 10 anni dopo. Trani Natale Albino, Ad ogni passo, ad ogni battito. Storia del pellegrino Nicola, Edizioni Dehoniane Bologna (EDB), Bologna 2024.