NICHOLAS of Flüe
Also known as
Nicholas von Flüe; Bruder Klaus
Memorial
21 March
Profile
Born a peasant. Soldier.
Married layman, and father of ten. Became a hermit in 1467, with the approval
of his family; he is reported to have survived solely on Holy Communion. His
reputation for sanctity spread, and he attracted spiritual students. In 1481 he
was called on to mediate a dispute that threatened civil war in Switzerland. He
succeeded in averting the conflict, then retired to his hermitage. He is considered
by many to be the father of this country, honored by both Swiss Protestants and
Catholics for his wisdom, holiness and work to unify Switzerland.
Born
21 March 1417 at
Sachseln, Canton Obwalden, Lake Lucerne, Switzerland
Died
21 March 1487 of
natural causes with his wife and children at his side
Beatified
1 February 1649
by Pope Innocent X
Canonized
15 May 1947 by Pope
Pius XII
Patronage
councilmen, difficult marriages,
large families, magistrates, parents of large families, separated spouses,
Switzerland
Biography
Had Nicholas not been a saint, or
had he eaten and drunk like other saints, Switzerland with all it has meant for peace and humanity would
probably not exist today. For Nicholas's entire life was ordained in view of
his vocation to save his country.
Nicholas von Flue was born on March 21st, 1417 in the Canton of Unterwalden on
the lake of Lucerne, a citizen of a peasant democracy and a farmer's son. As
he grew up he proved himself a capable farmer, and the
ability he displayed in the local parliament, of which every male citizen was a
member, led to his election at an early age as councillor
and judge. He also proved himself a capable commander of troops. In the war
against the duke of Tirol
he persuaded his compatriots to respect a convent of nuns. Though willing to
perform his military service, Nicholas condemned as immoral, wars of aggression
and the slaughter of non-combatants inevitable in any major modern war. About
the age of thirty he married a farmer's daughter, Dorothy Wiss,
and built a farmhouse to receive her. The couple had ten children and
descendants survive to this day.
Nicholas had thus approved himself to his countrymen as a
thoroughly capable man, as farmer, military leader, member
of the assembly, councillor, judge and father of a
family—also a man of complete moral integrity. All the while, however, he led a
life of contemplative prayer and rigorous fasting. He was the subject of
symbolic visions and a diabolic assault.
After some twenty years of married life, in 1467 Nicholas
received a compelling call to abandon his home and the world and become a
hermit. Though she had just borne his tenth child his wife heroically
consented. His neighbors, however, even his older children, regarded his action
as indefensible, unbalanced, immoral and irresponsible. He set out for Alsace, where he intended to live. Had he carried out his
intention his vocation would have been missed. A storm, however, symbolically
interpreted, and friendly advice not to settle where the Swiss were detested
made him turn back from the border. At the same time he became incapable of
eating or drinking—a condition which continued for the rest of his life. As an
act of obedience to a bishop he once ate with acute agony a piece of soaked
bread. (The problem of prolonged fasting is more fully discussed in the account
of St. Lidwina of Schiedam.)
He resumed to his native canton, passing the first night
undiscovered in the cow-shed of his farm and settled in a hermitage at Ranft within a few miles of his home. It was no temptation
to return home, as he never felt the least desire for his former life. Symbolic
visions continued to be a feature of his contemplation, and when, after a
month's strict surveillance, his countrymen were convinced that his fast was
genuine, they recognised his sanctity and vocation,
and he became a spiritual guide whose advice was widely sought and followed.
Pilgrims came from distant parts to consult him. He acquired influence with
Duke Sigismund of the Tirol, whom he confirmed in his neutrality when the Swiss
confederacy met and defeated Charles of Burgundy. Everything was ready for the
climax of Nicholas's life: the accomplishment of his unique vocation.
The victorious cantons were at loggerheads. The rural
cantons opposed inflexibly the demand of Zurich and Lucerne that Freiburg
and Soleure be admitted to the confederacy. A
conference held at Stans, December 1481, failed to
reach agreement. Next day the delegates would disperse and a civil war ensue
which would presumably have destroyed the confederacy. The parish priest, once
Nicholas's confessor, hurried to Ranft and laid the
matter before the hermit. During the night Nicholas dictated suggested terms of
agreement. The priest resumed in time to persuade the delegates to give a
hearing to the proposals of a man so widely respected for his well tried
practical abilities and so widely venerated for his holiness. The terms
suggested—the conditional admittance of Freiburg
and Soleure—were unanimously accepted and embodied in
the agreement of Stans. Switzerland had been saved.
Nicholas survived his achievement almost six years,
universally revered, visited and consulted. On March 21st 1487, his seventieth birthday, he died, apparently of his first
illness. One is glad to know that his wife and children attended his deathbed.
After all, she had never lost her husband completely. Honored by Swiss
Protestants, venerated by Swiss Catholics, Nicholas's cult, uninterrupted since
his death, was officially sanctioned by Clement IX (1667-9). In 1947 he was
canonized by Pope Pius XII.Click Here to Learn about his spiritual journey
Taken from "The Saints: A concise Biographical
Dictionary", edited by John Coulson, published
by Hawthorn Books, Inc. 1960.