Israeli Gardener Finds 700-Year-Old Ring with Image of St. Nicholas

Israeli Dekel Ben Shitrit saw an old ring among the weeds with the image of a human figure engraved on the front. After turning it in to the Israel Antiquities Authority, researchers say the image could depict Saint Nicholas of Nazareth:

The ring was examined by the IAA’s Dr. Yana Tchekhanovets, an expert on Byzantine-era archaeology. The superbly preserved artifact bears the image of a bald man bearing a stick, whom Tchekhanovets believes represents St. Nicholas holding a bishop’s staff. . .

Nicholas was the patron saint of wayfarers, including pilgrims and sailors in the eastern Christian world, Tchekhanovets explains. Christian pilgrims coming from all over the Byzantine Empire including Turkey, the Balkans, Greece and Russia would often wear icons of Nicholas to hopefully ward off trouble, she says: This ring could well have belonged to a pilgrim.

IFCJ News