Saint-Nicolas-de-Port
Saint-Nicolas-de-Port | |
|---|---|
The basilica in Saint-Nicolas-de-Port | |
Location of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port | |
| Coordinates: 48°37′54″N 6°18′11″E / 48.6317°N 6.3031°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Meurthe-et-Moselle |
| Arrondissement | Nancy |
| Canton | Jarville-la-Malgrange |
| Intercommunality | Pays du Sel et du Vermois |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Luc Binsinger |
Area 1 | 8.23 km2 (3.18 sq mi) |
| Population (2022) | 7,363 |
| • Density | 890/km2 (2,300/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 54483 /54210 |
| Elevation | 201–292 m (659–958 ft) (avg. 232 m or 761 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Saint-Nicolas-de-Port (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃ nikɔla də pɔʁ]) is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département in north-eastern France.
The town's basilica, Saint Nicolas, is a pilgrimage site, supposedly holding relics of Saint Nicholas brought from Italy. It is one of France's Monuments historiques, and a minor basilica since 1950.
The town's inhabitants are known as Portois. In the past, the Portois were known as loudmouths; their neighbours across the Meurthe at Varangéville liked to gather on the opposite river bank to bombard them with a chorus indicating a wish to defecate in their mouths:
- Booyaî d'Senn 'Colais,
- Tend tet ghieule quand je...
which in the local Lorrain dialect means:
- Loudmouths of St Nicks,
- Open your gob when I'm taking a...
St Nicholas-de-Port is also known for fossil remains of very early (late Triassic) ancestral mammals.