Medieval St. Nicholas ring found in Galilean garden

DISCOVERY: Israeli Gardener Born on Christmas Day Finds 700-year-old Ring With Image of St. Nicholas. Artifact may date from after the Crusader period and could have been worn by a pilgrim hoping for the saint’s protection during a quest to the Holy Land (Ruth Schuster, Haaretz).

A gardener weeding a lot in northern Israel has found a bronze ring from the Middle Ages bearing the image of St. Nicholas, the bishop of ancient Myra, Turkey, and the inspiration behind the tradition of Santa Claus. Nothing quite like it has been found in Israel before.

In one of those bizarre coincidences, the finder, Dekel Ben Shitrit, 26, was born on Christmas Day. His girlfriend’s name is Nicole, he adds.

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Naturally he posted a photo on Facebook.

This is the most comprehensive article on this story, but it is a premium piece in Haaretz, so when you get to it it may not be available anymore. But here are a couple more articles.

Galilee gardener digs up medieval ring bearing smiling St. Nicholas. 700-year-old bronze band is emblazoned with image of patron saint of pilgrims, whose reputation for gift-giving turned him into Santa Claus in Christian West (SUE SURKES, Times of Israel)

Found: A 700-Year-Old Ring Adorned with St. Nicholas. It was probably lost by a medieval pilgrim on his way to the Holy Land (Vittoria Traverso, Atlas Obscura)

I know this ring isn't ancient, but it's old and very cool.

Some past posts on St. Nicholas are collected here.

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