St. Nicholas' Cross

also known as St. Olga's Cross

Like most saints, there is no single specific cross associated with St. Nicholas. If you are interested in learning more about Saint Nicholas, a good source is stnicholascenter.org.

Many associate St. Nicholas with Santa Claus, rather than Saint Nicholas himself or his cross.

Even so, he is one of the most popular saints, especially for Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox. Due to his charity and concern for the welfare of children, the Archbishop Nicholas (280-342 A.D.) of the Mediterranean port of Myra (Turkiye) became Saint Nicholas and is the patron of children and travellers.

This Eastern background is the reason the St. Nicholas Cross is usually an Eastern Orthodox style superimposed on a Budded Cross and often embellished with the acronym IC XC NIKA. 

For a little more on Santa Claus, see Pagan background of Christmas. See also the Christmas Natal Cross.

The pattern is used to name several other crosses, such as St. Olga's Cross. That's not a reference about the time when Olga was cross, rather it's about the time when she stopped being cross.

She was a queen in the 10^th century in the medieval state of Kievan Rus', today's Ukraine. Her husband, Prince Igor, was killed by the Drevlians, a forest-dwelling East Slavic tribe. She then embarked on a mission of vengeance which included burning the Drevlian city of Iskorosten (modern-day Korosten). and killing many Drevlians.

She later converted to Christianity, marking a significant moment in the history of Kievan Rus'. She is now remembered for her wisdom, strong leadership, and the steps she took to transform Kievan Rus' into a more centralized and Christianized state, which eventually incorporated Drevlian territory.

Note to Putin: Don't underestimate the inherent strength of Ukrainians.