St. Nicholas of Flüe, married with ten children, resigned from important positions, left the world at the age of fifty and became a hermit. He is the patron saint of Switzerland.
Newsroom (21/03/2025 09:42, Gaudium Press) The son of fervent Catholic shepherds who enjoyed honest well-being, Nicholas was born in Switzerland in 1417.
From the time he was a boy, contemplating the beautiful panoramas, his soul was always focussed on the supreme source of what is true, good and beautiful: God.
While maintaining his innocence, he received several supernatural visions. Aiming for holiness, he intensified his prayers and penances, making rigorous fasts, with a constantly cheerful and affable countenance.
We have interspersed historical data[1] about this saint with comments made by Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira.
He was tall and slim, with tanned skin. Two strands of beard came down from his chin. His gaze was energetic and penetrating. His voice sounded manly, dignified and imposing.
‘How different that is from certain images you see in churches, where you get the impression that if that figure spoke it would emit a hoarse, soft sound!’
Switzerland: a period of military glory
At the age of 23, summoned by the magistrates, he took up arms against the canton of Zurich, which had opposed the Helvetic Confederation.
‘Switzerland was divided, as it is today, into cantons, i.e. provinces so small that they could almost be compared to municipalities.
‘At the time of St Nicholas of Flue, these cantons were almost completely independent of each other. They had a vague confederation and lived in a certain struggle with each other, because political influence within Switzerland was disputed by neighbouring countries.
‘Each group of cantons – French, German, Italian, etc. – was worked on by the power that was close to it. So it was a very intense political game.
‘You have to consider that this was Switzerland’s military century. It was during this period that the Swiss began to prove themselves to be great military men, supplying mercenary troops to the whole of Europe.
‘The Swiss Guard, which still serves the Popes, is reminiscent of this tradition. So at that time Switzerland was entering its relatively rapid period of military glory.’
The beauty of the spirit of hierarchy
At the age of thirty, he married a virtuous farmer’s daughter and they had ten children. He continued his life of prayer and penance.
He took part in other battles in which he fought holding a sword in one hand and a shield and the Rosary in the other. A warrior of unusual bravery, he was awarded the country’s highest honour.
‘Who, seeing a Rosary today, would say: ‘That object reminds me of a warrior’? On the contrary, most people will associate the Rosary with a symbol of a man incapable of war, in such a way that the ‘white heresy’ [sentimental] mentality has transformed the moral physiognomy of the Catholic, and the idea of the warrior Catholic has faded away. This is a grave injustice to the Rosary.
When the fighting was over, they wanted to make him mayor, but he didn’t accept because of the humility of his origins.
‘Look at the beauty of the spirit of hierarchy! They offered him a public office, but he declared that he didn’t want to do it because he was from a very humble background, out of respect for the people of higher status in his canton.’
Supernatural visions on the slopes of the Alps
But he agreed to be a judge, a position he held with rare skill for nine years. He left it to devote himself to herding and continued to receive many supernatural visions.
‘How beautiful the simplicity of this man who, having been a warrior, chosen as mayor and judge, retires to private life and goes to guide flocks!
‘Is there anything more beautiful than a shepherd having visions on the slopes of the Alps? What a marvellous thing! In that poetic nature, he plays the oliphant and suddenly hears an Angel who continues his playing. This Angel goes to heaven and the cattle quietly return to the fold, guided by another angelic spirit.
‘A vision is made, in one of those Swiss twilights or dawns, when the snow turns pink, light blue, and the sky is tinged with all colours. An Angel in the midst of the innocence of that nature is something absolutely superior!’
Interior of the house of St Nicholas of Flüe, Sachseln (Switzerland)
For 20 years, he fed only on the Eucharist
With the approval of his wife and children, at the age of 50 he became a hermit, living next to a chapel where he attended daily Mass. For two decades, he fed only on the Holy Eucharist, which he received once a month.
Loved and revered by his fellow citizens, who often called on him to appease disputes between the cantons, he always succeeded in these missions.
‘Look at the political outlook of the Middle Ages, even though it was already decadent. Those cantons, as we’ve said, had feuds among themselves that even led to wars.
‘In these disputes, surely one of the parties was not right – when it didn’t happen that both parties were in bad faith; to avoid bloodshed, both sides would go to the Saint. And St Nicholas of Flue was never unsuccessful in his mission.
‘Now, what mission has the UN really succeeded in? Moreover, with what confidence was a saint sought, and with what thousand reservations is the UN sought? What good is a legal apparatus when holiness is lacking?’
Mortal remains covered in decorations
Shortly before his 70th birthday, Nicholas was struck by violent pains and said: ‘Oh, how terrible death is!’ But, full of trust in Our Lady, he breathed his last breath with great calm on 21 March 1487.
His remains were laid to rest under the high altar of the church in Sachseln – the village where he was born – adorned with gold and diamonds, bearing around his neck decorations from numerous military orders that had been won by his descendants while serving in other countries.
‘The descendants of this saint, when they won insignia, sent them to be placed on his corpse. What respect for tradition and love of the past that indicates!
‘Those who deny any value to heredity are in for a real blow. The hero who takes the decoration off his chest to honour the Saint, his ancestor, implies that it is more beautiful to be descended from Saint Nicholas than to be covered in all the honours of the earth. This attitude is dense, full of meaning.’
‘Let us ask St. Nicholas of Flue for the grace not to vulgarize the heavenly favours we have received in our daily lives. May he take pity on us and dwell on our weakness, and give stability to the good thoughts that may pass through our souls.”[2]
By Paulo Francisco Martos
[1] Cf. ROHRBACHER, René-François. Lives of the Saints. São Paulo: Editora das Américas. 1959, v. 5. p. 390-411.
[2] CORRÊA DE OLIVEIRA, PLINIO. A perfect warrior. In Dr Plinio. São Paulo. Ano XXI, n. 240 (March 2018), p. 26-30.
Related Images:
