21 March: Saint Nicholas of Flüe, Patron Saint of Switzerland and the Pontifical Swiss Guard

A hermit, worker of peace and reconciliation

Nicholas was a hermit, who mediated and advised his fellow citizens and reconciled opposing hearts. Although he lived far away from the world in the solitude of a cell nourished by the Eucharist alone, he was able to prevent the onset of war between brothers, using the Rosary he always carried with him as his only weapon. Known as Bruder Klaus and Saint Nicholas of Flüe, he was born in 1417 in the small village of Flüeli, Obwalden, which was part of the Confederation of eight Cantons of central Switzerland. His family earned a living from agriculture.

He was a man of great virtue and civic commitment, who served as a judge in his community. He felt the call of the Lord from a young age and dedicated himself to an ascetic life of prayer and frequent fasting.

Between 1440 and 1444, he enlisted as a soldier, and later as an officer, and fought in the wars between the Swiss Confederates and the Habsburgs. At the end of this military period, he returned home, married Dorothea, and had 10 children.

After 20 years, as his vocation grew ever stronger, the Lord heard his heartfelt prayers and granted him three graces he had asked for: his wife and children's approval of his departure, the strength not to yield to the temptation to turn back and the ability to live without eating or drinking.

When he was 50 years old, Nicholas decided to dedicate himself entirely to God and asked his wife and adult children for permission to leave the family and become a hermit, which they granted.

Nicholas wanted to withdraw among the monastic communities of Alsace, with which he had come into contact, and dedicate himself completely to a life of prayer and meditation. However, because of the complex historical period of the Swiss Confederation, marked by conflict and the end of the Western Schism, Nicholas was unable to distance himself as he had wished and was unable to go further than Liestal, in the Canton of Basel. He settled near his home, in the Ranft valley.

He built a modest cell with wooden planks, which locals later turned into a chapel and lived in solitude for 20 years, wearing rough clothes, walking barefoot, carrying the Rosary in his hand and consuming only the Eucharist. Despite his secluded life, he was never truly alone. His reputation as a hermit attracted people from all over, who came to him seeking advice and spiritual assistance. His life of prayer and sacrifice left a profound mark on the spiritual history of Switzerland.

In 1481, the Confederation of the Eight Cantons was facing serious internal division that risked spilling over into civil war. The conflict was between the people who lived in urban cantons, which had greater economic power, and those who lived in the rural cantons, who feared that the Confederation might expand toward Fribourg and Solothurn. The situation of discord threatened the stability of the Confederation.

During the Diet of Stans, a critical moment in the history of the Swiss Confederation, Heini (or Heimo) Amgrund, a bourgeois from Lucerne, concerned about the possible failure of negotiations and the risk of conflict, decided to walk to Nicholas' hermitage in Ranft at nighttime to seek his advice. The following morning, just as it seemed that negotiations were about to fail, Heini Amgrund arrived with his message, gathered the delegates of the Diet and told them what Nicholas had said.

Because Nicholas had forbidden that his message be shared with anyone outside of the circle of delegates, his words remain unknown. However, thanks to his spiritual mediation and wisdom, Fribourg and Solothurn joined the Confederation, which led to the "Agreement of Stans", also known as the "Convention of Stans", that marked the end of the crisis and the strengthening of the unity of the Confederation. This is why Switzerland considers him the Father of the Nation.

His reputation as a mediator went far beyond the mountains, so much so that the Emperor of Austria and the Duke of Milan sent messengers to Ranft to seek his opinion on delicate matters.

In 1482, Nicolas was once again involved in a dispute, this time between the city of Constance and the Confederation, over the right of jurisdiction over Thurgau. Once again, with his wisdom, he was able to restore peace and resolve the conflict.

Nicolas spent the rest of his life in solitude in his cell at Ranft, where he died on 21 March 1487. He was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1947. He is also the Patron Saint of the Swiss Guard.