Saint Nicholas of Myra (270 - 343), was a historic 4th-century Saint and Greek Bishop of Myra. Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolas the Wonderworker. He had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, and thus became the model for Santa Claus. His reputation evolved among the faithful, as was common for early Christian saints.
Saint Alexander Nevsky (†1263), proclaimed Saint of the Russian Orthodox Church by Metropolite Macariy in 1547, was the Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir during some of the most trying times in Russian history. Commonly regarded as the key figure of medieval Russia, rose to legendary status on account of his military victories over the German and Swedish invaders while employing collaborationist policies towards the powerful Golden Horde.
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