You know who he is, right? Santa Claus.
According to legend, and this is tough to prove, Saint Nick (who lived from 270 to 343) was famous for giving gifts to people. He also pulled off several miracles, thus causing him to become a saint.
In fact, Nicholas is the patron saint of merchants and sailors ... and the Netherlands had bunches of those. So he became very popular there. It is believed that celebrating his work made the journey to the New World when the Dutch put in a claim for what is now New York City. Old Saint Nick caught on there, and the idea of sharing gifts caught on.
The church was built in the 1880s and was promoted to basilica minor in 2012.
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