CHICAGO | Just at that time of year when children start asking questions about Santa Claus, there's a museum-quality exhibit that tells the whole story.

An exhibition of art and activities that tell the life story of St. Nicholas, fourth-century bishop of ancient Myra, is open at St. James Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Chicago. Admission is free.

"This exhibit should help people understand that there is a person behind Santa Claus," said Carol Myers, founder of St. Nicholas Center in Holland, Mich. "The actual St. Nicholas is really about compassion and not about consumption."

St. Nicholas and his alter ego, Santa Claus, have been portrayed in art for centuries, from ancient paintings to famous works by Norman Rockwell and Samuel Wyeth. The exhibit brings together several well-known works from private collections.

"We developed the exhibit because we had a lot of pieces that are museum-quality. They are something we ought to share and to use to tell the St. Nicholas story," Myers said.

The exhibit, titled "Who Is St. Nicholas" explains the legends, faith traditions, folk tales and international customs surrounding the ever-popular Christmas personality. It also covers the modern development of Santa Claus, as his image was created in a 1931 Coca-Cola advertising campaign -- or was it?

"Actually, that image was pretty well established before Coca-Cola. There are images going back to the 1300s that show Santa Claus looking exactly like that," Myers said. "People say that Santa wears red and white because those are the Coca-Cola colors. But Coca-Cola only solidified that particular image of Santa Claus. Back then, there were big magazines. Coca-Cola used that image of Santa Claus in its magazine ads and on billboards."

In addition to artwork, toys and pictures of both Nicholas the saint and Santa Claus the cultural icon, the exhibit features hands-on activities for children and panels that explain St. Nicholas' life story.

"The exhibit is designed so that the lower section of each panel is something of interest to children," Myers said.

The display at St. James Cathedral, 65 E. Huron in downtown Chicago, is the world's first showing of the St. Nicholas exhibit. The exhibit is closed Dec. 24-27 and on New Year's Day.

For the rest of the season, the exhibit is open seven days a week until Jan. 4.