Nicholas the miracle worker life and persecution. Read with this material

In the courtyard of St. Michael-Athos desert in the village of Beregovoye there is a church of St. Nicholas.

This is how St. Nicholas addressed the rescued sailors, desiring to save not only their bodies, but also their souls:

“Children, I beseech you, think within yourself and correct yourself in your hearts and thoughts to please the Lord. For even though we hid ourselves from many people and considered ourselves righteous, nothing can be hidden from God. Therefore, strive with all diligence to preserve the holiness of the soul and the purity of the body. For as the Divine Apostle Paul says: "Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will punish him" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).

Childhood years of Nicholas

Saint Nicholas of Christ, the great Wonderworker, a quick helper and a fair intercessor before God, was raised by the Lycian country. He was born in the city of Patara. His parents, Feofan and Nonna, were pious, noble and rich people. This blessed couple, for their charitable life, many alms and great virtues, was honored to grow a holy branch and "a tree planted by streams of water, which bears its fruit in its season" (Ps. 1:3).

When this blessed boy was born, he was given name Nicholas, which means the winner of the peoples . And he, with the blessing of God, truly appeared as the conqueror of malice, for the good of the whole world. After his birth, his mother Nonna was immediately freed from her illness. and from that time until her death remained barren. By this, nature itself, as it were, testified that this wife could not have another son like St. Nicholas: he alone had to be the first and last. Sanctified in the womb by divinely inspired grace, he showed himself to be a reverent worshiper of God before he saw the light, began to work miracles before he began to feed on his mother's milk, and was a faster before he got used to eating food. After his birth, even in the baptismal font, he stood on his feet for three hours, supported by no one, giving honor to the Most Holy Trinity, whose great minister and representative he was to appear later.

It was possible to recognize the future miracle worker in him even by the way he clung to his mother's nipples; for he fed on the milk of one right breast, thus signifying his future standing at the right hand of the Lord along with the righteous. He showed his fair fasting in the fact that on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate mother's milk only once, and then in the evening, after the parents had performed the usual prayers. His father and mother were very surprised at this and foresaw what a strict faster their son would be in his life. Accustomed to such abstinence from infancy, Saint Nicholas spent his whole life until his death on Wednesday and Friday in strict fasting. Growing over the years the lad also grew in his mind, perfecting himself in virtues, which he had been taught from pious parents. And he was like a fruitful field, accepting and growing the good seed of teaching and bringing new fruits of good manners every day. When the time came to study the Divine Scripture, Saint Nicholas, by the strength and sharpness of his mind and the help of the Holy Spirit, in a short time comprehended much wisdom and succeeded in book teaching as befits a good helmsman of Christ's ship and a skilful shepherd of verbal sheep. Having reached perfection in word and doctrine, he showed himself perfect in life itself. He avoided vain friends and idle conversations in every possible way, avoided conversations with women and did not even look at them. Saint Nicholas kept true chastity, always contemplating the Lord with a pure mind and diligently visiting the temple of God, following the Psalmist who says: "I would rather be at the threshold of the house of God" (Psalm 83:11).

In the temple of God, he spent whole days and nights in God-thought prayer and reading divine books, learning the spiritual mind, enriching himself with the divine grace of the Holy Spirit, and creating in himself a dwelling worthy of Him, according to the words "You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16)

Saint Nicholas fully devotes himself to God

The Spirit of God truly dwelt in this virtuous and pure youth, and as he served the Lord, his spirit burned. No habits characteristic of youth were noticed in him: in his disposition he was like an old man, which is why everyone respected him and marveled at him. An old man, if he shows youthful passion, is a laughingstock to everyone; on the contrary, if a young man has the disposition of an old man, then he is revered by everyone with surprise. Youth is out of place in old age, but old age is worthy of respect and beautiful in youth.

Saint Nicholas had an uncle, the bishop of the city of Patara, named after his nephew, who was named after him Nicholas. This bishop, seeing that his nephew was succeeding in a virtuous life and in every possible way withdrawn from the world, began to advise his parents that they should give their son to the service of God. They obeyed the advice and dedicated their child to the Lord, which they themselves received from Him as a gift. For in ancient books it is told about them that they were barren and no longer hoped to have children, but by many prayers, tears and alms they asked God for a son, and now they did not regret bringing him as a gift to the One who gave him. Bishop receiving this young old man who has "the gray hair of wisdom and the age of old age, the life is undefiled" (cf. Prem. Solom. 4:9), elevated him to the priesthood.

When he ordained Saint Nicholas to the priesthood, then, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, turning to the people who were in the church, he prophetically said:

“I see, brethren, a new sun rising over the earth and presenting a merciful consolation to those who mourn. Blessed is the flock that is worthy to have him as a shepherd, for this one will kindly save the souls of the erring, nourish them in the pasture of piety and be a merciful helper in troubles and sorrows.

This prophecy was actually fulfilled afterwards, as will be seen from what follows.

The service of St. Nicholas to the people

Having taken the rank of presbyter, Saint Nicholas applied labors to labors; awake and abiding in unceasing prayer and fasting, he, being mortal, tried to imitate the incorporeal. Leading such an equal-angelic life and day by day flourishing more and more with the beauty of his soul, he was fully worthy to rule the Church. At this time, Bishop Nicholas, wishing to go to Palestine to worship the holy places, handed over the management of the Church to his nephew. This priest of God, Saint Nicholas, having taken the place of his uncle, took care of the affairs of the Church in the same way as the bishop himself. At this time, his parents passed into eternal life. Having inherited their estate, Saint Nicholas distributed it to those in need. For he did not pay attention to fleeting wealth and did not care about its increase, but, having renounced all worldly desires, with all zeal he tried to surrender himself to the One God, crying out: "To Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul" (Psalm 24:1). "Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God" (Psalm 142:10); "In You I was left from the womb; from my mother's womb You are my God" (Psalm 21:11).

And his hand was stretched out to the needy, on whom it poured out rich alms, like a deep river, abounding in jets. Here is one of the many works of his mercy.

Saint Nicholas saves his father and his three daughters with alms

There lived a certain man, noble and rich, in the city of Patara. Coming into extreme poverty, he lost his former significance, for the life of this age is impermanent. This man had three daughters who were very beautiful in appearance. When he had already lost everything necessary, so that there was nothing to eat and nothing to wear, he, for the sake of his great poverty, planned to give his daughters to fornication and turn his dwelling into a house of fornication, in order to thus earn his livelihood and acquire clothing and food for himself and his daughters. O woe, what unworthy thoughts does extreme poverty lead to! Having this impure thought, this man already wanted to fulfill his evil intention. But the All-Good Lord, who does not want to see a person in perdition and philanthropicly helps in our troubles, put a good thought into the soul of His saint, the holy Priest Nicholas, and by secret inspiration sent him to a husband perishing in soul, for comfort in poverty and a warning from sin. Saint Nicholas, having heard about the extreme poverty of that husband and having learned by God's revelation about his evil intention, felt deep compassion for him and decided with his beneficent hand to draw him, together with his daughters, as from fire, from poverty and sin. However, he did not want to show his beneficence to that husband openly, but decided to give him a generous alms in secret. So St. Nicholas acted for two reasons. On the one hand, he himself wanted to avoid the vain human glory, following the words of the Gospel: "Be careful not to do your charity before people"(Matthew 6:1).

On the other hand, he did not want to offend her husband, who was once a rich man, and now fell into extreme poverty. For he knew how hard and insulting almsgiving is for one who has passed from wealth and glory to squalor, because it reminds him of his former prosperity. Therefore, Saint Nicholas considered it best to act according to the teachings of Christ: "When you do charity, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."(Matthew 6:3).

He avoided human glory so much that he tried to hide himself even from the one to whom he was beneficent. He took a large bag of gold, came at midnight to the house of that husband and, throwing this bag out the window, he hurried back home. In the morning the man got up and, finding the sack, untied it. At the sight of gold, he was horrified and could not believe his eyes, because he could not expect such a blessing from anywhere. However, turning over the coins with his fingers, he was convinced that before him, in fact, gold. Rejoicing in spirit and wondering at this, he wept for joy, thought for a long time about who could have done him such a good deed, and could think of nothing. Attributing this to the action of Divine Providence, he incessantly thanked his benefactor in his soul, giving praise to the Lord Who cares for all. After this, he married off his eldest daughter, giving her as a dowry the gold miraculously given to him, Saint Nicholas, having learned that this husband acted according to his desire, loved him and decided to do the same mercy to his second daughter, intending to protect and legally marry her from sin. Having prepared another bag of gold, the same as the first one, he threw it at night, secretly from everyone, through the same window into her husband's house. Getting up in the morning, the poor man again found gold. Again he was astonished, and falling to the ground, shedding tears, he said:

— Merciful God, the Builder of our salvation, who redeemed me with Your very blood and now redeems my house and my children from the nets of the enemy with gold, You Yourself show me a servant of Your mercy and Your philanthropic goodness. Show me that earthly Angel who saves us from sinful death, so that I can find out who uproots us from poverty that oppresses us and delivers us from evil thoughts and intentions. Lord, by Your mercy, secretly done to me by the generous hand of Your saint, unknown to me, I can give my second daughter in marriage according to the law and thereby avoid the nets of the devil, who wanted to increase my already great death with a nasty profit.

Having thus prayed to the Lord and thanked His grace, that husband celebrated the marriage of his second daughter. Trusting in God, the father had an undoubted hope that He would give the third daughter a lawful spouse, again granting with a secretly beneficent hand the gold needed for this. To find out who and where brings him gold, the father did not sleep at night, lying in wait for his benefactor and wanting to see him. It wasn't long before the expected benefactor appeared. The saint of Christ, Nikolai, quietly came for the third time, and, stopping at his usual place, threw the same bag of gold through the same window, and immediately hurried to his house. Hearing the sound of gold thrown through the window, that husband ran as fast as he could after the saint of God. Catching up with him and recognizing him, because it was impossible not to know the saint by his virtue and noble birth, this man fell at his feet, kissing them and calling the saint the deliverer, helper and savior of souls who had come to extreme death.

“If,” he said, “the Great Lord in mercy had not raised me with your bounty, then I, an unfortunate father, would have perished long ago along with my daughters in the fire of Sodom. Now we have been saved by you and delivered from a terrible sin."

And many more similar words he said to the saint with tears. As soon as he raised him from the ground, the saint took an oath from him that he would not tell anyone about what happened to him for the rest of his life. Having said much more to his benefit, the saint let him go to his house.

Of the many deeds of the mercy of the saint of God, we told only about one, so that it would be known how merciful he was to the poor. For we would not have enough time to tell in detail how generous he was to the needy, how many the hungry he fed, how many he clothed the naked, and how many he redeemed from moneylenders.

Pilgrimage of Saint Nicholas to Palestine. Taming the storm. Sailor Resurrection

After this, the Monk Father Nicholas wished to go to Palestine in order to see and bow to those holy places where the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, walked with His most pure feet. When the ship sailed near Egypt and the travelers did not know what awaited them, Saint Nicholas, who was among them, foresaw that a storm would soon rise, and announced this to his companions, telling them that he saw the devil himself entering the ship so that everyone drown them in the depths of the sea. And at that very hour, unexpectedly, the sky was covered with clouds, and a violent storm raised a terrible commotion on the sea. The travelers were horrified and, despairing of their salvation and expecting death, they prayed to the Holy Father Nicholas to help them, who were perishing in the depths of the sea.

“If you, the saint of God,” they said, “do not help us with your prayers to the Lord, then we will immediately perish.”

Commanding them to be of good courage, to place their hope in God, and without any doubt to expect a speedy deliverance, the saint began earnestly to pray to the Lord. Immediately the sea calmed down, there was a great silence, and general sorrow turned into joy.

The overjoyed travelers gave thanks to God and His saint, the Holy Father Nicholas, and were doubly surprised - and his prediction of a storm and the end of sorrow. After that, one of the sailors had to climb to the top of the mast. Descending from there, he broke off and fell from the very height into the middle of the ship, killed himself to death and lay lifeless. Saint Nicholas, ready to help before it was called for, immediately resurrected him with his prayer, and he got up as if waking up from a dream. After this, having raised all the sails, the travelers continued their voyage safely, with a fair wind, and calmly landed on the coast of Alexandria. Having healed many sick and demon-possessed people here and comforted the mourners, the saint of God, Saint Nicholas, again set off along the intended path to Palestine.

Having reached the holy city of Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas came to Golgotha, where Christ our God, stretching out His most pure hands on the cross, brought salvation to the human race. Here the saint of God poured out warm prayers from a heart burning with love, sending thanks to our Savior. He went around all the holy places, everywhere doing fervent worship. And when at night he wanted to enter the holy church for prayer, the closed church doors opened of their own accord, opening an unobstructed entrance to the one for whom the heavenly gates were also opened.

Return home to Lycia. Desire for the Silent Monastic Life

Having stayed in Jerusalem for quite a long time, Saint Nicholas intended to retire to the desert, but was stopped from above by a Divine voice, admonishing him to return to his homeland. The Lord God, who arranges everything for our benefit, did not deign that the lamp, which, by the will of God, was supposed to shine for the Lycian metropolis, remained hidden under a bushel, in the wilderness. Arriving on the ship, the saint of God agreed with the shipbuilders to take him to his native country. But they planned to deceive him and sent their ship not to Lycian, but to another country. When they sailed from the pier, Saint Nicholas, noticing that the ship was sailing along a different path, fell at the feet of the shipbuilders, begging them to send the ship to Lycia. But they did not pay any attention to his prayers and continued to sail along the intended path: they did not know that God would not leave His saint. And suddenly a storm came up, turned the ship in the other direction and quickly carried it towards Lycia, threatening the evil shipbuilders with complete destruction. Thus, carried by Divine power across the sea, Saint Nicholas finally arrived in his fatherland. In his gentleness, he did no harm to his evil enemies. He not only did not get angry and did not reproach them with a single word, but with a blessing he let them go to his country. He himself came to the monastery, founded by his uncle, Bishop of Patara, and called Holy Sion, and here for all the brethren he turned out to be a welcome guest. Having received him with great love, as an angel of God, they enjoyed his divinely inspired speech, and, imitating the good morals with which God adorned His faithful servant, they were edified by his life equal to the angels. Having found in this monastery a silent life and a quiet haven for contemplation of God, Saint Nicholas hoped to spend the rest of his life here indefinitely.

The call of the saint to the archpastoral service

But God showed him a different path, for he did not want such a rich treasure of virtues, with which the world should be enriched, to remain enclosed in a monastery, like a treasure buried in the ground, but that it be open to everyone and a spiritual purchase be made by it, acquiring many souls. . And then one day the saint, standing in prayer, heard a voice from above:

“Nicholas, if you wish to receive a crown from Me, go and strive for the good of the world.

Hearing this, Saint Nicholas was horrified and began to think about what this voice wants and requires from him. And again I heard:

“Nicholas, this is not the field where you must bear the fruit I expect; but turn and go into the world, and may my name be glorified in you.

Then Saint Nicholas understood that the Lord required him to leave the feat of silence and go to the service of people for their salvation.

He began to think about where he should go, whether to his fatherland, the city of Patara, or to another place. Avoiding the vain glory among his fellow citizens and fearing it, he planned to retire to another city, where no one would know him. In the same Lycian country there was the glorious city of Myra, which was the metropolis of all Lycia. Saint Nicholas came to this city, led by God's Providence. Here he was not known to anyone; and he dwelt in that city like a beggar, having nowhere to lay his head. Only in the house of the Lord did he find shelter for himself, having in God the only refuge. At that time, the bishop of that city, John, the archbishop and primate of the entire Lycian country, died. Therefore, all the bishops of Lycia gathered in Myra to elect a worthy one to the vacant throne. Many men, revered and prudent, were intended to be John's successors. There was great dissent among the electors, and some of them, moved by divine zeal, said:

- The election of a bishop to this throne is not subject to the decision of people, but is the work of God's building. It is fitting for us to make a prayer so that the Lord Himself will reveal who is worthy to take such a dignity and be the shepherd of the entire Lycian country.

This good advice met with universal approval, and everyone indulged in fervent prayer and fasting. The Lord, fulfilling the desire of those who fear Him, listening to the prayers of the bishops, thus revealed to the oldest of them His good will. When this bishop stood at prayer, a light-shaped man appeared before him and ordered him to go to the church doors at night and see who would enter the church first.

“This one,” He said, “is My chosen one; accept him with honor and make him archbishop; This husband's name is Nicholas.

The bishop announced such a divine vision to the other bishops, and they, hearing this, intensified their prayers. The bishop, having received the revelation, stood at the place where it was indicated to him in the vision, and awaited the arrival of the desired husband. When the time for the morning service came, St. Nicholas, prompted by the spirit, came to the church first of all, for he had a habit of getting up at midnight for prayer and arriving earlier than others for the morning service. As soon as he entered the narthex, the bishop, who had received a revelation, stopped him and asked him to tell his name. Saint Nicholas was silent. The bishop again asked him the same question. The saint meekly and quietly answered him:

— My name is Nicholas, I am a slave of your shrine, Vladyka.

The pious bishop, hearing such a brief and humble speech, understood both by the very name - Nicholas - predicted to him in a vision, and by the humble and meek answer that before him was the same man whom God was pleased to be the first altar of the Worldly Church. For he knew from Holy Scripture that the Lord looked upon the meek, silent, and trembling at the word of God. He rejoiced with great joy, as if he had received some secret treasure. Immediately taking Saint Nicholas by the hand, he said to him:

“Follow me, child.

When he honorably brought the saint to the bishops, they were filled with divine sweetness and, comforted by the spirit that they had found a husband indicated by God Himself, they took him to church. The rumor about this spread everywhere and faster than birds, countless people flocked to the church. The bishop, who had received the vision, turned to the people and exclaimed:

“Receive, brethren, your shepherd, whom the Holy Spirit Himself anointed, and to whom He entrusted the care of your souls. He was not appointed by a human assembly, but by God Himself. Now we have the one we wanted, and we found and accepted the one we were looking for. Under his rule and guidance, we will not lose hope that we will stand before God on the day of His appearing and revelation.

All the people gave thanks to God and rejoiced with unspeakable joy. Unable to bear human praises, Saint Nicholas for a long time refused to accept holy orders; but yielding to the zealous pleas of the council of bishops and the whole people, he entered the episcopal throne against his will. He was prompted to this by a divine vision that had been before the death of Archbishop John. This vision is narrated by Saint Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople. One day, he says, Saint Nicholas saw at night that the Savior was standing before him in all His glory and was giving him the Gospel adorned with gold and pearls. On the other side of himself, St. Nicholas saw the Most Holy Theotokos placing the hierarch's omophorion on his shoulder. After this vision, a few days passed, and the Archbishop of Mir John died.

Remembering this vision and seeing in it the obvious favor of God, and not wanting to refuse the zealous entreaties of the council, Saint Nicholas accepted the flock. The Synod of Bishops with all the church clergy consecrated him and celebrated lightly, rejoicing over the God-given pastor, St. Nicholas of Christ. Thus, the Church of God received a bright lamp, which did not remain under a bushel, but was placed in its proper episcopal and pastoral place.

Beginning of hierarchal ministry

Honored with this great dignity, Saint Nicholas rightly ruled the word of truth and wisely instructed his flock in the teaching of the faith. At the very beginning of his ministry, the saint of God said to himself:

— Nicholas! The rank you have taken requires you to adopt different customs, so that you live not for yourself, but for others.

Desiring to teach his verbal sheep virtues, he did not hide, as before, his virtuous life. For before he spent his life secretly serving God, Who alone knew only his deeds. Now, upon his acceptance of the bishopric, his life became open to everyone, not out of vanity before people, but for their benefit and the increase of the glory of God, so that the word of the Gospel would be fulfilled: "So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven"(Matthew 5:16).

Saint Nicholas, in his good deeds, was, as it were, a mirror for his flock and, according to the word of the Apostle, "Be an example to the faithful in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity" (1 Tim. 4:12).

He was mild-tempered and mild-tempered, humble in spirit and shunned all vanity. His clothes were simple, his food was fasting, which he always ate only once a day, and then in the evening. He spent the whole day in labors worthy of his rank, listening to the requests and needs of those who came to him. The doors of his house were open to everyone. He was kind and accessible to everyone, he was a father to orphans, a gracious giver to the poor, a comforter to those who cry, an assistant to the offended, and a great benefactor to everyone. To assist him in the administration of the church, he chose two virtuous and prudent counselors, invested with the rank of presbyter. These were famous men throughout Greece - Paul of Rhodes and Theodore of Ascalon.

Martyrdom of Christians during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian

So St. Nicholas grazed the flock of verbal Christ's sheep entrusted to him. But the envious crafty serpent, never ceasing to raise up a battle against the servants of God and not enduring prosperity among people of piety, raised persecution against the Church of Christ through the impious kings Diocletian and Maximian. At the same time, a command went out from these kings throughout the empire that Christians should reject Christ and worship idols. Those who disobeyed this command were ordered to be compelled to do so by imprisonment and severe torment, and, finally, to be put to death. This storm breathing with malice, due to the zeal of the zealots of darkness and wickedness, soon reached the city of Mir. Blessed Nicholas, who was the leader of all Christians in that city, freely and boldly preached Christ's piety and was ready to suffer for Christ. Therefore, he was seized by wicked torturers and imprisoned along with many Christians. Here he stayed for a long time, enduring severe suffering, enduring hunger and thirst, and the tightness of the dungeon. He fed his fellow prisoners with the word of God and gave to drink the sweet waters of piety; affirming in them faith in Christ God, strengthening them on an indestructible foundation, he urged them to be firm in the confession of Christ and to suffer diligently for the truth. In the meantime, freedom was again granted to the Christians, and piety shone like the sun after dark clouds, and there came, as it were, a kind of quiet coolness after a storm. For the Lover of mankind, Christ, having looked upon His own property, exterminated the wicked, having cast down Diocletian and Maximian from the royal throne and destroyed the power of the zealots of Hellenic wickedness. By the appearance of His Cross to Tsar Constantine the Great, to whom He was pleased to entrust the Roman power, "and raised up" Lord God to His people "horn of salvation"(Luke 1:69). Tsar Constantine, knowing the One God and placing all his hope in Him, by the power of the Holy Cross defeated all his enemies and commanded to destroy the idol temples and restore Christian churches, dispelled the vain hopes of his predecessors. He freed all those imprisoned for Christ in dungeons, and, having honored them, as courageous soldiers, with great praises, he returned these confessors of Christ, each to his own fatherland. At that time, the city of Mira again received its pastor, the great bishop Nicholas, who was awarded the crown of martyrdom. Carrying Divine grace in himself, he, as before, healed the passions and ailments of people, and not only the faithful, but also the unfaithful. For the sake of the great grace of God that dwelt in him, many glorified him and marveled at him, and everyone loved him. For he shone with purity of heart and was endowed with all the gifts of God, serving his Lord in reverence and truth.

Fight against pagan delusions

At that time, there were still many Greek temples, to which wicked people were attracted by the devil's suggestion, and many of the worldly inhabitants were in perdition. The bishop of the Most High God, animated by the zeal of God, went through all these places, destroying and turning to dust the temples of idols and purifying his flock from the filth of the devil. So wrestling with the spirits of malice, Saint Nicholas came to the temple of Artemis, which was very large and richly decorated, representing a dwelling that was pleasant for demons. Saint Nicholas destroyed this temple of filth, razed its high building to the ground and scattered the very foundation of the temple, which was in the ground, through the air, taking up arms more against demons than against the temple itself. The crafty spirits, unable to endure the coming of the saint of God, let out mournful cries, but, defeated by the prayer weapon of the invincible warrior of Christ, St. Nicholas, they had to flee from their dwelling.

Divine Zeal of Saint Nicholas at the Ecumenical Council in Nicaea

The faithful Tsar Constantine, wishing to establish the faith of Christ, ordered to convene an ecumenical council in the city of Nicaea. The holy fathers of the council expounded the right teaching, cursed the Arian heresy and, together with it, Arius himself, and, confessing the Son of God equal in honor and co-eternal with God the Father, restored peace in the holy Divine Apostolic Church. Among the 318 fathers of the cathedral was St. Nicholas. He courageously stood against the impious teachings of Arius and, together with the holy fathers of the council, confirmed and betrayed to everyone the dogmas of the Orthodox faith. The monk of the Studian monastery, John, tells of St. Nicholas that, inspired, like the prophet Elijah, by zeal for God, he shamed this heretic Arius at the cathedral not only in word, but also in deed, hitting his cheek. The fathers of the cathedral were indignant at the saint and for his impudent deed they decided to deprive him of the rank of bishop. But our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His Blessed Mother, looking from above at the deed of St. Nicholas, approved of his bold deed and praised his divine zeal. For some of the holy fathers of the cathedral had the same vision, which the saint himself received even before his appointment to the bishopric. They saw that on one side of the saint stands Christ the Lord himself with the Gospel, and on the other, the Most Pure Virgin Theotokos with an omophorion, and they give the saint the signs of his rank, which he was deprived of. Realizing from this that the boldness of the saint was pleasing to God, the fathers of the cathedral stopped reproaching the saint and gave him honor as a great saint of God. Returning from the cathedral to his flock, Saint Nicholas brought him peace and blessings. With his mellifluous lips, he taught sound doctrine to all the people, cut off wrong thoughts and reasoning at the very root, and, having denounced the hardened, insensitive and inveterate heretics, drove them away from Christ's flock. Just as a wise farmer cleanses everything that is on the threshing floor and in the winepress, selects the best grains, and shakes off the tares, so the prudent laborer on the threshing floor of Christ, St. Nicholas, filled the spiritual granary with good fruits, while he fluttered the tares of heretical delusion and swept far away from the wheat of the Lord. Therefore, the Holy Church calls it a shovel, which blows the tartar teachings of Arius. And he was truly the light of the world and the salt of the earth, for his life was light and his word was diluted with the salt of wisdom. This good shepherd had great care for his flock, in all its needs, not only feeding it on spiritual pasture, but taking care of its bodily food.

Saint Nicholas saves the people of Lycia from starvation

Once there was a great famine in the Lycian country, and in the city of Myra there was an extreme shortage of food. Compassionate about the unfortunate people dying of hunger, the bishop of God appeared at night in a dream to a certain merchant who was in Italy, who loaded his whole ship with life and intended to sail to another country. Giving him three gold coins as a pledge, the saint ordered him to sail to Myra and sell live there. Waking up and finding gold in his hand, the merchant was horrified, surprised at such a dream, which was accompanied by the miraculous appearance of coins. The merchant did not dare to disobey the orders of the saint, went to the city of Myra and sold his bread to its inhabitants. At the same time, he did not hide from them about the appearance of St. Nicholas that he had in a dream. Having obtained such consolation in the famine and listening to the merchant's story, the citizens gave glory and thanksgiving to God and glorified their miraculous feeder, Great Bishop Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas, do not allow unjust judgment to be fulfilled

At that time a rebellion arose in great Phrygia. Having learned about this, Tsar Constantine sent three commanders with their troops to pacify the rebellious country. These were the governors Nepotian, Urs and Erpilion. With great haste, they sailed from Constantinople and stopped at a certain pier in the Lycian diocese, which was called the Adriatic coast. There was a city here. Since strong sea waves prevented further navigation, they began to expect calm weather at this pier. During the stay, some soldiers, going ashore to buy what they needed, took a lot by force. Since this happened often, the inhabitants of that city became embittered, as a result of which, at the place called Plakomata, disputes, strife and abuse took place between them and the soldiers. Having learned about this, Saint Nicholas decided to go to that city himself in order to stop the internecine strife. Hearing of his coming, all the citizens, together with the governors, came out to meet him and bowed. The saint asked the voivode where and where they were heading. They told him that they were sent by the king to Phrygia to put down a rebellion that had arisen there. The saint admonished them to keep their soldiers in subjection and not allow them to oppress people. After this, he invited the governor to the city and cordially treated them. The governors, having punished the guilty soldiers, calmed the excitement and received a blessing from St. Nicholas. When this was happening, several citizens came from Mir, lamenting and weeping. Falling at the feet of the saint, they asked to protect the offended, telling him with tears that in his absence the ruler Eustathius, bribed by envious and evil people, condemned to death three men from their city, who were not guilty of anything.

“Our whole city,” they said, “mourns and cries and awaits your return, Vladyka. For if you were with us, then the ruler would not dare to create such an unrighteous judgment.

Hearing about this, the bishop of God grieved spiritually and, accompanied by the governor, immediately set off on his journey. Having reached the place called "The Lion", the saint met some travelers and asked them if they knew anything about the men condemned to death. They answered:

“We left them in the field of Castor and Pollux, being dragged to their execution.

Saint Nicholas went faster, trying to prevent the innocent death of those men. When he reached the place of execution, he saw that many people had gathered there. The condemned men, with their hands tied crosswise and with their faces covered, already bowed to the ground, stretched out their bare necks and awaited the blow of the sword. The saint saw that the executioner, stern and furious, had already drawn his sword. Such a sight left everyone in horror and sorrow. Combining rage with meekness, the saint of Christ freely passed among the people, without any fear snatched the sword from the hands of the executioner, threw it on the ground, and then freed the condemned men from their bonds. He did all this with great boldness, and no one dared to stop him, because his word was powerful and Divine power appeared in his actions: he was great before God and all people. The men saved from the death penalty, seeing themselves unexpectedly returned from near death to life, shed hot tears and let out cries of joy, and all the people who had gathered there gave thanks to their saint. The ruler Eustathius also arrived here and wanted to approach the saint. But the saint of God turned away from him with contempt, and when he fell at his feet, he pushed him away. Invoking God's vengeance on him, Saint Nicholas threatened him with torment for his unrighteous rule and promised to tell the tsar about his actions. Convicted by his own conscience and frightened by the threats of the saint, the ruler asked for mercy with tears. Repenting of his untruth and desiring reconciliation with the great father Nicholas, he laid the blame on the city elders, Simonides and Eudoxia. But the lie could not help but be revealed, for the saint knew well that the ruler condemned the innocent to death, having been bribed with gold. For a long time the ruler begged to forgive him, and only then, when he realized his sin with great humility and with tears, did the saint of Christ grant him forgiveness.

Nicholas the Wonderworker saves three falsely accused governors from death

At the sight of all that had happened, the governors who arrived together with the saint were amazed at the zeal and goodness of the great bishop of God. Having been honored with his holy prayers and having received from him a blessing on their way, they went to Phrygia to fulfill the royal command given to them. Arriving at the place of the rebellion, they quickly suppressed it and, having fulfilled the royal commission, returned with joy to Byzantium. The king and all the nobles gave them great praise and honors, and they were honored to participate in the royal council. But evil people, envious of such glory as governors, took enmity towards them. Thinking evil against them, they came to the governor of the city, Eulavius, and slandered those men, saying:

- Voevodas do not advise good, for, as we have heard, they innovate and plot evil against the king.

To win over the ruler to their side, they gave him a lot of gold. The governor reported to the king. Hearing about this, the king, without any investigation, ordered those commanders to be imprisoned, fearing that they would not flee secretly and fulfill their evil intentions. Languishing in prison and conscious of their innocence, the governors wondered why they were thrown into prison. After some time, the slanderers began to fear that their slander and malice would come to light and that they themselves might suffer. Therefore, they came to the ruler and earnestly asked him not to let those men live so long and hasten to condemn them to death. Entangled in the nets of gold-loving, the ruler had to bring the promise to the end. He immediately went to the king and, like a messenger of evil, appeared before him with a sad face and a mournful look. At the same time, he wanted to show that he was very concerned about the life of the king and faithfully devoted to him. Trying to arouse the royal wrath against the innocent, he began to make a flattering and cunning speech, saying:

“O king, not one of those imprisoned wants to repent. They all persist in their evil intent, never ceasing to plot against you. Therefore, they were ordered to immediately betray them to torment, so that they would not warn us and would not complete their evil deed, which they planned against the governor and you.

Alarmed by such speeches, the king immediately condemned the governor to death. But since it was evening, their execution was postponed until morning. The prison guard found out about this. Shedding many tears in private over such a calamity threatening the innocent, he came to the governors and said to them:

“It would be better for me if I didn’t know you and if I didn’t enjoy a pleasant conversation and a meal with you. Then I would have easily endured separation from you and would not have grieved in my soul for the misfortune that has come upon you. Morning will come, and the last and terrible parting will befall us. I will no longer see your faces dear to me and will not hear your voice, for the king ordered you to be executed. Bequeath to me what to do with your estate, while there is time and death has not yet prevented you from expressing your will.

He interrupted his speech with sobs. Having learned about their terrible fate, the governors tore their clothes and tore their hair, saying:

- What enemy envied our life for the sake of which we, like villains, are condemned to death? what have we done for which we should be put to death?

And they called by the names of their relatives and friends, making God Himself a witness that they had done no evil, and wept bitterly. One of them, by the name of Nepotian, remembered Saint Nicholas, how he, having appeared in the Worlds as a glorious helper and good intercessor, delivered three men from death. And the governors began to pray:

“God of Nicholas, who delivered three men from unrighteous death, now look at us too, for we cannot be helped by people. A great misfortune has come upon us, and there is no one who would deliver us from the misfortune. Our voice was interrupted before the departure from the body of our souls, and our tongue dries up, burned by the fire of heartfelt sorrow, so that we cannot offer prayer to You. "Soon let Thy compassions precede us, for we are very exhausted" (Psalm 79:8). Tomorrow they want to kill us, hurry to help us and save us innocent from death.

Heeding the prayers of those who fear him, and like a father pouring out bounty on his children, the Lord God sent to the condemned to help his holy saint, the great bishop Nicholas. That night, while sleeping, the saint of Christ appeared before the king and said:

“Get up quickly and free the warlords languishing in the dungeon. They have been slandered to you, and they suffer innocently.

The saint explained the whole matter to the king in detail and added:

“If you do not listen to me and do not let them go, then I will raise a rebellion against you, similar to the one in Phrygia, and you will die an evil death.

Surprised at such boldness, the king began to reflect on how this man dared to enter the inner chambers at night, and said to him:

“Who are you that you dare to threaten us and our country?”

He replied:

— My name is Nikolai, I am a bishop of the Metropolis of Mir.

The king was perplexed and, getting up, began to think about what this vision meant. Meanwhile, on the same night, the saint appeared to the governor Eulavius and announced to him about the condemned the same as to the king. Rising from sleep, Evlavy was afraid. While he was thinking about this vision, a messenger from the king came to him and told him about what the king had seen in a dream. Hastening to the king, the ruler told him his vision, and both of them were surprised that they saw the same thing. Immediately the king ordered to bring the governor from the dungeon and said to them:

— With what sorcery did you bring such dreams to us? The husband who appeared to us was very angry and threatened us, boasting of soon bringing abuse upon us.

The governors turned to each other in bewilderment, and, knowing nothing, looked at each other with tender eyes. Seeing this, the king relented and said:

- Do not be afraid of any evil, tell the truth.

They answered with tears and sobs:

“King, we do not know any sorcery and did not plot any evil against your state, may the All-Seeing Lord Himself be a witness in that. If we deceive you, and you learn something bad about us, then let there be no mercy and mercy neither to us nor to our kind. From our fathers we learned to honor the king and, above all, to be faithful to him. So now we faithfully guard your life and, as is typical of our rank, we have steadily carried out your instructions to us. By serving you diligently, we subdued the revolt in Phrygia, put an end to internecine strife, and sufficiently proved our courage by the very deed, as those who know this well testify. Your power used to shower us with honors, but now you armed yourself with fury and ruthlessly condemned us to a painful death. So, king, we think that we are suffering only for one zeal towards you, for which we are condemned, and instead of the glory and honors that we hoped to receive, the fear of death overtook us.

From such speeches the tsar came to emotion and repented of his rash act. For he trembled before the judgment of God and was ashamed of his royal purple, seeing that he, being a legislator for others, was ready to create lawless judgment. He gazed graciously at the condemned and conversed meekly with them. Listening with tenderness to his speeches, the governors suddenly saw that St. Nicholas was sitting next to the tsar and promising them forgiveness with signs. The king interrupted their speech and asked:

- Who is this Nikolai, and what husbands did he save? - Tell me about it.

Nepotian told him everything in order. Then the king, having learned that Saint Nicholas was a great saint of God, was surprised at his boldness and his great zeal in protecting the offended, freed those governors and said to them:

“It is not I who will give you life, but the great servant of the Lord Nikolai, whom you called for help. Go to him and give him thanks. Tell him and from me that I have fulfilled your command, so that the saint of Christ will not be angry with me.

With these words, he handed them a golden gospel, a golden censer adorned with stones, and two lamps, and commanded them to give all this to the Church of the World. Having received miraculous salvation, the governors immediately set off. Arriving in Myra, they rejoiced and rejoiced at the fact that they were again worthy to see the saint. They brought great gratitude to Saint Nicholas for his miraculous help and sang: "Lord, who is like You, delivering the weak from the strong, the poor and needy from his robber?" (Psalm 34:10).

They distributed generous alms to the poor and needy and returned home safely.

Such are the works of God, by which the Lord magnified His saint. The glory of them, as if on wings, swept everywhere, penetrated across the sea and spread throughout the universe, so that there was no such place where they would not know about the great and wondrous miracles of the great bishop Nicholas, which he did by the grace bestowed on him from the Almighty Lord .

Rescue of sailors during a storm

Once travelers, sailing on a ship from Egypt to the Lycian country, were subjected to strong sea waves and storms. The sails were already torn by the whirlwind, the ship was shuddering from the blows of the waves, and everyone despaired of their salvation. At this time, they remembered the great bishop Nicholas, whom they had never seen and only heard about him, that he was a quick help to everyone who called him in trouble. They turned to him with a prayer and began to call for his help. The saint immediately appeared before them, entered the ship and said:

- You called me, and I came to your aid; do not be afraid!"

Everyone saw that he took the helm and began to steer the ship. Just as once our Lord Jesus Christ forbade the wind and the sea (Matthew 8:26), the saint immediately ordered the storm to stop, remembering the words of the Lord: "He who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also"(John 14:12).

So, the faithful servant of the Lord commanded both the sea and the wind, and they were obedient to him. After this, the travelers, with a favorable wind, landed at the city of Miram. Coming ashore, they went to the city, wanting to see the one who delivered them from trouble. They met the saint on the way to the church and, recognizing him as their benefactor, fell at his feet, offering him thanks. Marvelous Nikolai not only delivered them from misfortune and death, but also showed concern for their spiritual salvation. In his perspicacity, he saw in them with his spiritual eyes the sin of fornication, which removes a person from God and deviates from the observance of the commandments of God, and said to them:

Having instructed those men with soulful speeches, the saint let them go in peace. For the saint was in his disposition like a father who loves children, and his gaze shone with divine grace, like that of an angel of God. From his face emanated, as from the face of Moses, a bright ray, and those who only looked at him were of great benefit. For those who were aggravated by some kind of passion or spiritual sorrow, it was enough to turn their gaze to the saint in order to receive consolation in their sorrow; and he who conversed with him was already prospering in good. And not only Christians, but also infidels, if any of them happened to hear the sweet and mellifluous speeches of the saint, came to tenderness and, brushing aside the malice of unbelief that had taken root in them from infancy, and perceiving in their hearts the right word of truth, embarked on the path of salvation.

Departure of Saint Nicholas
to the Lord.

The great saint of God lived for many years in the city of Mira, shining with Divine goodness, according to the word of Scripture: “Like the morning star among the clouds, like the full moon in the days, like the sun shining over the temple of the Most High, and like the rainbow shining in the majestic clouds, like the color of roses in spring days, like lilies by the fountains of water, like a branch of Lebanon in summer days” (Sirach 50:6-8).

Having reached a ripe old age, the saint paid his debt to human nature and, after a short bodily illness, ended his temporary life well. With joy and psalmody, he passed into eternal blessed life, accompanied by holy angels and met by the faces of saints. Bishops of the Lycian country with all the clergy and monks and countless people from all cities gathered for his burial. The holy body of the saint was laid with honor in the cathedral church of the Metropolis of Mir on the sixth day of the month of December. Many miracles were performed from the holy relics of the saint of God. For his relics exuded a fragrant and healing myrrh, with which the sick were anointed and received healing. For this reason, people from all over the earth flowed to his tomb, seeking healing for their illnesses and receiving it. For by that holy world, not only bodily ailments were healed, but also spiritual ones, and evil spirits were driven away. For the saint, not only during his life, but also after his repose, armed himself with demons and conquered them, as he conquers even now.

The legend of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra

In the summer of 1087, during the reign of the Greek Tsar Alexius Komnenos and the Patriarch of Constantinople Nicholas Grammatik, during the reign of Vsevolod Yaroslavich in Kiev and his son Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh in Chernigov, the Ishmaelites invaded the Greek region, both from that and from the other side of the sea. They went through all the cities and villages, from Korsun to Antioch and to Jerusalem; while they flogged men, they took women and children captive and burned houses and property. Churches and monasteries were deserted, and the cities passed into the power of the infidels. Then the Lycian Worlds were also devastated, in which the body of St. Nicholas rested, a precious and all-honorable body that worked wondrous and glorious miracles. This reverend man could have protected his city and the Church from devastation, but, at the command of God, he did not resist, saying: "Lord, I will do what is pleasing in Your eyes."

But our Lord Jesus Christ could not allow the relics of the saint to rest in a devastated place and not be glorified by anyone, as the Scripture says: "Let the saints triumph in glory" (Ps. 149:5); and further: "glory be to all his saints" (Ps. 149:9).

In the city of Bari, which then belonged to the Normans, lived a presbyter, Christ-loving and righteous. Saint Nicholas appeared to him in a dream and said: “Go and tell the citizens and the entire church council to go to the city of Mira, take me from there and put me here, for I cannot stay there, in a devastated place. Such is the will of the Lord.”

Having said this, the saint became invisible. Waking up in the morning, the presbyter told everyone the former vision. They rejoiced and said: "Now the Lord has magnified His mercy on His people and on our city, for He has made us worthy to receive His saint, Saint Nicholas."

They immediately chose from their midst reverent and God-fearing men and sent them in three ships to fetch the relics of the saint. Pretending to be going to trade, those men loaded their ships with wheat and set off.

Having sailed to Antioch, they sold the wheat and bought everything they needed. Then they learned that the Venetians who were there wanted to warn them and take the relics of St. Nicholas. Immediately the baryans set off in haste, arrived in the Lycian Worlds and landed at the city pier. Thinking about the salvation of themselves and their city, they armed themselves and entered the church of St. Nicholas. Here they saw four monks and asked them where the relics of St. Nicholas rest. They showed them the place of the raki. The baryans dug up the church platform and found a shrine full of peace. They poured myrrh into a vessel, and took the relics of the saint and took them to the ship, then set sail. Two monks remained in Myra, and two accompanied the relics of St. Nicholas. They departed from the city of Mir in the month of April on the 11th day, and arrived in the city of Bari in the month of May on the 9th day, on Sunday evening. Seeing that they had arrived from the city of Mir with the relics of St. Nicholas, all the inhabitants of the city of Bari, men and women, from young to old, went out to meet the saint with candles and incense, accepted the relics with joy and great honor and laid them in the church of St. seas.

Many miracles were performed here by the relics of the saint. They arrived in Bari on Sunday evening and already on Monday morning they healed 47 sick men and women who were obsessed with various ailments: one had a headache, another had a headache, another had arms and legs, a heart, and even the whole body suffered from spirits. impure. On Tuesday, 22 patients were healed, and on Wednesday - 29. On Thursday, early in the morning, St. Nicholas healed a deaf-mute who had been ill for 5 years. Then the saint appeared to a certain pious monk and said: “So, by the will of God, I came to you in this country, on Sunday, at the ninth hour, and behold, 111 people were healed by me.”

And still other miracles St. Nicholas worked all the days, like a spring flowing without end. And many gifts were brought to the saint, gold and silver, and valuable garments. Seeing his glorious miracles, the citizens were filled with great joy, created a great and beautiful church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and forged a gilded silver shrine for his relics. In the third year after the transfer of the relics from the Lycian world, they sent to the Pope Urbanus, asking him to come to Bari with his bishops and all the church clergy to transfer the relics of St. Nicholas. The pope arrived accompanied by bishops and clergy; they put the relics of the saint in a silver reliquary, then the bishops and nobles transferred it to a new, great church and placed it in the altar, on the 9th day of May. They also transferred the dilapidated coffin of the saint, in which he was brought from Mir, placed the coffin in the church and placed in it part of the hand from the relics of the saint. Many people came and worshiped the saint, kissing his relics and the shrine. On that day, Pope Urban, the bishops and all citizens created a great feast and glorification of the saint, which they still do to this day. In those days they consoled themselves with food and drink, and having distributed generous alms to the poor, they returned to their homes in peace, glorifying and praising God and His holy saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas the Miracle Worker

This great saint did many great and glorious miracles on earth and on the sea. He helped those in trouble, saved them from drowning and carried them out to dry land from the depths of the sea, freed them from captivity and brought the liberated home, delivered them from bonds and prison, protected them from being cut with a sword, freed them from death and gave many many healings, the blind - enlightenment, the lame - walking, deaf - hearing, dumb gift of speech. He enriched many who were in squalor and extreme poverty, gave food to the hungry, and was a ready helper in every need, a warm intercessor and a quick intercessor and protector. And now he also helps those who call on him and saves them from troubles. It is impossible to enumerate his miracles, just as it is impossible to describe all of them in detail. East and West know this great miracle worker, and his miracle works are known in all ends of the earth. May the Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be glorified in him, and may his holy name be praised by the lips of all forever. Amen.

Rescue of pilgrims sailing to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas

Some God-fearing men who lived at the mouth of the Tanais River, hearing about the myrrh-streaming and healing relics of St. Nicholas of Christ, resting in the Lycian Worlds, decided to sail there by sea to worship the relics. But the crafty demon, once expelled by Saint Nicholas from the temple of Artemis, seeing that the ship was preparing to sail to this great father, and being angry with the saint for the destruction of the temple and for his exile, planned to prevent these men from completing the intended path and thereby deprive them of the shrine. He turned into a woman carrying a vessel filled with oil and said to them:

“I would like to bring this vessel to the tomb of the saint, but I am very afraid of sea travel, for it is dangerous for a woman who is weak and suffering from a stomach disease to sail on the sea. Therefore, I beg you, take this vessel, bring it to the tomb of the saint and pour the oil into the lamp.

With these words, the demon handed the vessel to the lovers of God. It is not known with what demonic charms that oil was mixed, but it was intended for the harm and death of travelers. Not knowing the disastrous effect of this oil, they fulfilled the request and, taking a vessel, set sail from the shore and sailed safely all day. But in the morning the north wind arose, and their navigation became difficult.

Distressed for many days in a troubled voyage, they lost patience with prolonged sea excitement and decided to return back. They had already sent the ship in their direction, when Saint Nicholas appeared before them in a small boat and said:

“Where are you sailing, men, and why, having left the old path, are you returning back.” You can calm the storm and make the way comfortable for sailing. You are prevented from sailing by the devil's machinations, because the vessel with oil was given to you not by a woman, but by a demon. Throw the vessel into the sea, and immediately your voyage will be safe."

Hearing this, the men threw the demonic vessel into the depths of the sea. Immediately, black smoke and flames came out of it, the air was filled with a great stench, the sea opened up, the water boiled and gurgled to the very bottom, and the water splashes were like fiery sparks. The people on the ship were terrified and screamed out of fear, but the helper who appeared to them, commanding them to take courage and not be afraid, tamed the raging storm and, having delivered the travelers from fear, made their way to Lycia safe. For immediately a cool and fragrant breeze blew on them, and with joy they sailed safely to the desired city. Bowing to the myrrh-streaming relics of their quick helper and intercessor, they offered thanks to the almighty God and performed prayer singing to the great Father Nicholas. After this, they returned to their country, everywhere and to everyone telling about what happened to them on the way.

Saint Nicholas. Three icons. Patriarch Athanasius

Saint Nicholas performed many miracles, not only during his lifetime, but also after his death. Who will not be surprised to hear of his wondrous miracles! For not one country and not one region, but the whole under heaven was filled with the miracles of St. Nicholas. Go to the Greeks, and there they marvel at them; go to the Latins - and there they are amazed, and in Syria they are praised. All over the earth marvel at St. Nicholas. Come to Russia, and you will see that there is neither a city nor a village, where the miracles of St. Nicholas would not be in abundance.

Under the Greek king Leo and under Patriarch Athanasius, the following glorious miracle of St. Nicholas took place. The great Nicholas, Archbishop of Mir, at midnight appeared in a vision to a certain pious old man, poor-loving and hospitable, named Feofan, and said:

- Wake up, Theophanes, get up and go to the icon painter Haggai and tell him to paint three icons: Our Savior Jesus Christ the Lord, who created heaven and earth and created man, the Most Pure Lady of the Theotokos, and a prayer book for the Christian race, Nicholas, Archbishop of Mir, for it is fitting for me appear in Constantinople. Having painted these three icons, present them to the patriarch and the whole cathedral. Go ahead and don't listen.

Having said this, the saint became invisible. Having woken up from sleep, that God-loving husband Theophanes was terrified of the vision, immediately went to the icon painter Haggai and begged him to paint three great icons: the Savior of Christ, the Most Pure Mother of God and St. Nicholas. By the will of the merciful Savior, His Most Pure Mother and Saint Nicholas, Haggai painted three icons and brought them to Feofan. He took the icons, placed them in the chamber and said to his wife:

Let us have a meal in our house and pray to God for our sins.

She happily agreed. Theophanes went to the market, bought food and drink for thirty gold pieces, and bringing it home, arranged a splendid meal for the patriarch. Then he went to the patriarch and asked him and the whole cathedral to bless his house and taste the brashn and drink. The patriarch agreed, came with the cathedral to Theophan’s house and, entering the chamber, saw that there were three icons: one depicts our Lord Jesus Christ, the other is the Most Pure Mother of God, and the third is St. Nicholas. Approaching the first icon, the patriarch said:

Glory to Thee, O Christ God, Who created all creation. It was worthy to write this image.

Then, approaching the second icon, he said:

“It’s good that this image of the Most Holy Theotokos and prayer book for the whole world was also written.

Approaching the third icon, the patriarch said:

- This is the image of Nicholas, Archbishop of Mir. It would not be right to depict him on such a great icon. After all, he was the son of ordinary people, Feofan and Nonna, who came from the villagers.

Calling the master of the house, the patriarch said to him:

- Feofan, they did not order Haggai to write the image of Nicholas in such a large size.

And he ordered to bring out the image of the saint, saying:

- It is inconvenient for him to stand next to Christ and the Most Pure.

The pious husband Theophanes, having carried the icon of St. Nicholas out of the room with great sorrow, placed it in a cell in a place of honor, and, choosing from the cathedral a cleric, a wondrous and reasonable man, named Callistus, begged him to stand before the icon and magnify St. Nicholas. He himself was very saddened by the words of the patriarch, who ordered the icon of St. Nicholas to be taken out of the room. But Scripture says: "I will glorify those who glorify me" (1 Samuel 2:30). Thus said the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom, as we shall see, the saint himself will be glorified.

Having glorified God and the Most Pure, the patriarch sat down at the table with all his cathedral, and there was a meal. After her, the patriarch stood up, glorified God and the Most Pure One, and, having drunk wine, rejoiced along with the whole cathedral. Callistus at this time praised and magnified the great Saint Nicholas. But there was not enough wine, and the patriarch and those who accompanied him wanted to drink more and be merry. And one of the assembled said:

- Feofan, bring more wine to the patriarch and make the feast pleasant.

He replied:

“There is no more wine, my lord, and the market is no longer sold, and there is nowhere to buy it.

Saddened, he remembered St. Nicholas, how he appeared to him in a vision and ordered him to paint three icons: the Savior, the Most Pure Mother of God, and his own. Secretly entering the cell, he fell before the icon of the saint and said with tears:

Oh Saint Nicholas! your birth is wonderful and your life is holy, you healed many sick people. I beg you, now bring a miracle to my evil, add more wine to me.

Having said this and having blessed, he went to where the vessels of wine stood; and through the prayer of the holy wonderworker Nicholas those vessels were full of wine. Taking the wine with joy, Theophanes brought it to the patriarch. He drank and praised, saying:

I didn't drink that kind of wine.

And those who drank said that Theophanes kept the best wine at the end of the feast. And he hid the amazing miracle of St. Nicholas.

In joy, the patriarch and the cathedral retired to the house near St. Sophia. In the morning, a certain nobleman came to the patriarch, named Theodore, from the village called Sierdal, from Mirsky Island, and begged the patriarch to go to him, for his only daughter was possessed by a demonic illness, and read the holy Gospel over her head. The patriarch agreed, took the four gospels, entered the ship with the whole cathedral and set sail. When they were on the open sea, a storm raised a strong commotion, the ship capsized, and everyone fell into the water and swam, crying and praying to God, the Most Pure Mother of God and St. Nicholas. And the Most Pure Theotokos begged her Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, for a council so that the priestly rank would not perish. Then the ship straightened up, and, by the grace of God, the whole cathedral again entered it. Drowning, Patriarch Athanasius remembered his sin against Saint Nicholas and, crying out, prayed and said:

"O great saint of Christ, Archbishop of Mir, wonderworker Nicholas, I have sinned against you, forgive and have mercy on me, a sinner and a cursed one, save me from the abyss of the sea, from this bitter hour and from vain death."

Oh glorious miracle - the high-minded humbled himself, and the humble miraculously exalted and honestly became famous.

Suddenly, Saint Nicholas appeared, walking on the sea as if on dry land, approached the patriarch and took him by the hand with the words:

“Athanasius, or did you need help from me, who comes from ordinary people, in the abyss of the sea?”

He, barely able to open his mouth, exhausted, said, weeping bitterly:

“Oh Saint Nicholas, great saint, quick to help, do not remember my evil arrogance, deliver me from this vain death in the abyss of the sea, and I will praise you all the days of my life.

And the saint said to him:

“Do not be afraid, brother, here Christ delivers you by my hand. Do not sin anymore, so that the worst does not happen to you. Enter your ship.

Having said this, Saint Nicholas took the patriarch out of the water and put him on the ship, saying:

“You are saved, go again to your service in Constantinople.

And the saint became invisible. Seeing the patriarch, everyone cried out:

"Glory to Thee, Christ the Savior, and to Thee, the Blessed Queen, Madam Theotokos, who saved our master from drowning."

As if awakening from a dream, the patriarch asked them:

Where am I, brethren?

“On our ship, lord,” they answered, “and we are all unharmed.”

Weeping, the patriarch said:

“Brothers, I have sinned against Saint Nicholas, he is truly great: he walks on the sea as on dry land, he took me by the hand and put me on the ship; verily, he is quick to help all who call upon him in faith.

The ship quickly sailed back to Constantinople. Leaving the ship with the entire cathedral, the patriarch went to the church of St. Sophia with tears and sent for Feofan, ordering him to immediately bring that wonderful icon of St. Nicholas. When Theophan brought the icon, the patriarch fell before her with tears and said:

“I have sinned, O Saint Nicholas, forgive me a sinner.

Having said this, he took the icon in his hands, kissed it with honor together with the cathedral, and took it to the church of St. Sophia. The next day he founded a stone church in Constantinople in the name of St. Nicholas. When the church was built, the patriarch himself consecrated it on the feast day of St. Nicholas. And the saint healed 40 sick husbands and wives that day. Then the patriarch gave 30 liters of gold and many villages and gardens to decorate the church. And he built an honest monastery with her. And many came there: the blind, the lame, and the lepers. Touching that icon of St. Nicholas, they all left healthy, glorifying God and His miracle worker.

Help of St. Nicholas to spouses who sacredly honored his memory

In Constantinople lived a certain man, named Nicholas, who lived on needlework. Being pious, he made a covenant never to spend the days dedicated to the memory of St. Nicholas without remembrance of the saint of God. This he unremittingly observed, according to the word of Scripture: "Honor the Lord with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your gains" (Prov. 3:9), and always firmly remembered this. So he will reach a ripe old age and, not having the strength to work, fell into poverty. The day of remembrance of St. Nicholas was approaching, and now, thinking about what he should do, the elder said to his wife:

- The day of the great bishop of Christ Nicholas, honored by us, is coming; how can we, the poor, in our poverty, celebrate this day?

The pious wife answered her husband:

“You know, my lord, that the end of our life has come, for old age has overtaken both you and me; even if now we had to end our lives, do not change your intention and do not forget about your love for the saint.

She showed her husband her carpet and said:

“Take a carpet, go and sell it and buy everything you need for a worthy celebration of the memory of St. Nicholas. We have nothing else, and we do not need this carpet, because we do not have children to whom it could be left.

Hearing this, the pious elder praised his wife and, taking the carpet, went. When he walked along the square where the pillar of the holy Tsar Constantine the Great stands, and passed the church of St. Plato, he was met by St. Nicholas, always ready to help, in the form of an honest old man, and said to the one who was carrying the carpet:

Dear friend, where are you going?

“I need to go to the market,” he answered.

Coming closer, Saint Nicholas said:

- Good deed. But tell me how much you want to sell this carpet for, for I would like to buy your carpet.

The elder said to the saint:

- This carpet was once bought for 8 gold coins, but now I will take for it how much you give me.

The saint said to the old man:

- Do you agree to take 6 gold coins for him?

“If you give me so much,” the elder said, “I will gladly take it.

Saint Nicholas put his hand into the pocket of his clothes, took out gold from there and, giving 6 great gold coins into the hands of the old man, said to him:

“Take this, friend, and give me a carpet.

The elder gladly took the gold, for the carpet was cheaper than this. Taking the carpet from the hands of the elder, Saint Nicholas withdrew. When they dispersed, those present in the square said to the elder:

- Do you see a ghost, old man, that you are talking alone?

For they saw only the old man and heard his voice, but the saint was invisible and inaudible to them. At this time, Saint Nicholas came with a carpet to the elder's wife and said to her:

“Your husband is my old friend; meeting me, he turned to me with the following request: loving me, take this carpet to my wife, for I need to take one thing, but you keep it as your own.

Having said this, the saint became invisible. Seeing an honest husband shining with light and taking a carpet from him, the woman, out of fear, did not dare to ask who he was. Thinking that her husband had forgotten the words she had spoken and his love for the saint, the woman became angry with her husband and said:

“Woe to me, poor woman, my husband is a criminal and full of lies!

Saying these words and others like them, she did not even want to look at the carpet, burning with love for the saint.

Unaware of what had happened, her husband bought everything necessary for the celebration of St. Nicholas Day and went to his hut, rejoicing at the sale of the carpet and the fact that he would not have to deviate from his pious custom. When he came home, his angry wife greeted him with angry words:

“From now on, get away from me, for you lied to Saint Nicholas. Truly said Christ, the Son of God: "no one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke 9:62).

Having said these words and others like them, she brought the carpet to her husband and said:

“Here, take it, you won’t see me again; you lied to Saint Nicholas and therefore you will lose everything that you have achieved by celebrating his memory. For it is written: "Whoever keeps the whole law and sins in one point, he becomes guilty of everything" (James 2:10).

Hearing this from his wife and seeing his carpet, the elder was surprised and could not find words to answer his wife. He stood for a long time and finally realized that St. Nicholas had performed a miracle. Sighing from the depths of his heart and filled with joy, he raised his hands to heaven and said:

— Glory to Thee, Christ God, who works miracles through St. Nicholas!

And the old man said to his wife:

- For the fear of God, tell me who brought you this carpet, a husband or a woman, an old man or a young man?

His wife answered him:

- The elder is bright, honest, dressed in bright clothes. brought this carpet to us and said to me: your husband is my friend, therefore, when he met me, he begged me to bring this carpet to you, take it. Taking the carpet, I did not dare to ask the visitor who he was, seeing him shining with light.

Hearing this from his wife, the elder was amazed and showed her the part of the gold he had left and everything he bought for the celebration of the day of memory of St. Nicholas: food. wine, prosphora and candles.

- The Lord lives! he exclaimed. “The husband who bought a carpet from me and again brought miserable and humble slaves to our house is truly St. Nicholas, for those who saw me in conversation with him said: do you not see a ghost? They saw me alone, but he was invisible.

Then both, the elder and his wife, exclaimed, offering thanks to the Almighty God and praise to the great bishop of Christ Nicholas, a quick helper to all who call him with faith. Filled with joy, they immediately went to the church of St. Nicholas, carrying gold and a carpet, and in the church told about what had happened to all the clergy and everyone who was there. And all the people, having heard their story, glorified God and Saint Nicholas, who works mercy with his servants. Then they sent to Patriarch Michael and told him everything. The Patriarch ordered to give the elder an allowance from the estate of the church of St. Sophia. And they created a feast of honor, with praise and hymns.

Saving the innocent from misfortune, and Epiphany from grave sin

There lived in Constantinople a pious man named Epiphanius. He was very rich and honored with great honor from Tsar Constantine and had many slaves. Once he wanted to buy a boy as his servant, and on the third day of December, taking a liter of gold in 72 gold coins, he mounted a horse and rode to the market, where merchants, visitors from Russia, sell slaves. It was not possible to buy a slave, and he returned home. Dismounting from his horse, he entered the ward, took out of his pocket the gold that he took to the market, and putting it somewhere in the ward, forgot about the place where he put it. This happened to him from the primordial evil enemy - the devil, who constantly fights with the Christian race in order to increase honor on earth. Not enduring the piety of that husband, he planned to plunge him into the abyss of sin. In the morning the nobleman called the boy who served him and said:

- Bring me the gold that I gave you yesterday, I have to go to the market.

Hearing this, the lad was frightened, for the master did not give him gold, and said:

“You gave me no gold, sir.

The lord said:

“O evil and deceitful head, tell me, where did you put the gold that I gave you?

He, having nothing, swore that he did not understand what his master was talking about. The nobleman became angry and ordered the servants to tie the boy, beat him without mercy and shackle him.

He himself said:

- I will decide his fate when the feast of St. Nicholas is over, for this feast was supposed to be on the next day.

Imprisoned alone in the temple, the youth cried out with tears to the almighty God, delivering those in trouble:

- Lord my God, Jesus Christ, the Almighty, the Son of the Living God, who lives in the unapproachable light! I cry to You, for You know the human heart, You are the Helper of the orphans, The deliverance of those in trouble, The consolation of those who mourn: deliver me from this misfortune unknown to me. Create a merciful deliverance, so that my master, having got rid of the sin and iniquity caused to me, glorifies You with gladness of heart, and so that I, Your poor servant, having got rid of this misfortune that unjustly befell me, offer You thanks for Your humanity.

Saying this and the like with tears, adding prayer to prayer and tears to tears, the lad cried out to Saint Nicholas:

- Oh, honest father, Saint Nicholas, deliver me from trouble! You know that I am innocent of what the master says to me. Tomorrow your holiday will come, and I am in great trouble.

Night fell, and the weary boy fell asleep. And Saint Nicholas appeared to him, always quick to help everyone who calls him with faith, and said:

— Do not grieve: Christ will deliver you by me, His servant.

Immediately the shackles fell from his feet, and he stood up and offered up praise to God and Saint Nicholas. At the same hour, the saint appeared to his master and reproached him:

- Why did you create a lie for your servant, Epiphanius? you yourself are to blame, for you forgot where you put the gold, but you tortured the lad without guilt, but he is faithful to you. But since you did not plan this yourself, but you were taught by the primordial evil enemy the devil, then I appeared so that your love for God would not dry out. Get up and free the lad: if you disobey me, then great misfortune will befall you yourself.

Then, pointing with his finger to the place where the gold lay, Saint Nicholas said:

"Get up, take your gold and free the boy."

Having said this, he became invisible.

The nobleman Epiphanius woke up in awe, went to the place indicated to him in the chamber by the saint, and found the gold laid by himself. Then, possessed by fear and filled with joy, he said:

— Glory to Thee, Christ God, Hope of the whole Christian race; glory to Thee, Hope of the hopeless, desperate, quick Consolation; glory to Thee, who showed the light to the whole world and the imminent uprising of the fallen in sin, St. Nicholas, who heals not only bodily ailments, but also spiritual temptations.

All in tears, he fell before the honest image of St. Nicholas and said:

“I thank you, honest father, for you saved me, unworthy and sinful, and came to me, thin, cleansed me from sins. What will I repay you for having looked upon me by coming to me.

Having said this and similar things, the nobleman came to the youth, and seeing that the chains had fallen from him, he fell into even greater horror and reproached himself greatly. Immediately he ordered the lad to be released and reassured him in every possible way; he himself was awake all night, thanking God and Saint Nicholas, who delivered from such a sin. When they rang for matins, he got up, took the gold and went with the lad to the church of St. Nicholas. Here he happily told everyone what mercy God and St. Nicholas had bestowed on him. And everyone glorified God, who works such miracles with His saints. When Matins was finished, the master said to the youth in the church:

“Child, I am not a sinner, but your God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and His holy saint, Nicholas, may they free you from slavery, so that I too may someday be forgiven the untruth that I, out of ignorance, created for you.

Having said this, he divided the gold into three parts; He gave the first part to the church of St. Nicholas, distributed the second to the poor, and gave the third to the youth, saying:

“Take this, child, and you will not be indebted to anyone except the one and only Saint Nicholas. I will take care of you like a loving father.

Having thanked God and Saint Nicholas, Epiphanius retired to his house with joy.

Resurrection of a drowned child and transferring him to the temple

Once in Kiev, on the feast day of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, many people flocked from all cities and sat down for the feast of the holy martyrs. A certain Kievan, who had great faith in St. Nicholas and in the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, got into a boat and sailed to Vyshgorod, to bow to the tomb of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, taking with him candles, incense and prosphora - everything necessary for a worthy celebration. Bowing to the relics of the saints and rejoicing in spirit, he set off on his way. When he sailed along the Dnieper River, his wife, holding the child in her arms, dozed off and dropped the child into the water, and he drowned. The father began to tear the hair on his head, exclaiming:

“Woe to me, Saint Nicholas, why did I have great faith in you, so that you would not save my child from drowning!” Who will be the heir to my estate; whom will I teach to create in memory of you, my intercessor, a bright triumph? how can I tell your great mercy, which you poured out on the whole world and on me poor, when my child drowned? I wanted to educate him, enlightening him with your miracles, so that after death they would praise me for the fact that my fruit creates the memory of St. Nicholas. But you, hierarch, not only gave me sadness, but also yourself, for soon the very remembrance of you in my house should cease, for I am old and awaiting death. If you wanted to save a child, you could save him, but you yourself allowed him to drown, and did not save my only-begotten child from the depths of the sea. Or do you think that I do not know your miracles? they have no number, and human language cannot convey them, and I, holy father, believe that everything is possible for you, whatever you want to do, but my iniquities have overcome. Now I understood, tormented by sadness, that if I had kept the commandments of God without blemish, the whole creation would have submitted to me, as to Adam in Paradise, before the fall. Now all creation rises up against me: the water will drown, the beast will tear to pieces, the serpent will swallow, the lightning will burn, the birds will devour, the cattle will become furious and trample everything, people will kill, the bread given to us for food will not satisfy us and, by the will of God, will be for us. into death. But we, endowed with soul and mind and created in the image of God, do not, however, fulfill the will of our Creator as we should. But do not be angry with me, holy father Nicholas, that I speak so boldly, for I do not despair of my salvation, having you as an assistant.

His wife tore at her hair and beat herself on the cheeks. Finally, they reached the city and the mournful entered their house. Night fell, and here, Bishop Nicholas of Christ, quick to help all those who called him, performed a wondrous miracle, which was not the case in the old days. At night, he took a drowned child from the river and laid it on the choir stalls of the church of St. Sophia, alive and unharmed. When it was time for the morning prayer, the sexton entered the church and heard children crying in the choir stalls. And for a long time he stood in thought:

- Who let a woman into the choirs?

He went to the choirmaster and began to reprimand him; he said that he knew nothing, but the sexton reproached him:

“You have been convicted in deed, for the children are shouting in the choirs.

The man in charge of the choir was frightened and, going up to the castle, saw it untouched and heard a child's voice. Entering the choirs, he saw in front of the image of St. Nicholas a child, all soaked in water. Not knowing what to think, he told the metropolitan about this. After serving Matins, the metropolitan sent to gather people to the square and ask them whose child is lying in the choir stalls in the church of St. Sophia. All the citizens went to the church, wondering where this child came from in the choir, wet with water. The child's father also came to marvel at the miracle, and when he saw him, he recognized him. But, not believing himself, he went to his wife and told her everything in a row. She immediately began to reproach her husband, saying:

- How can you not understand that this is a miracle created by St. Nicholas?

Hastily she went to the church, recognized her child, and, without touching him, fell before the image of St. Nicholas and prayed, with tenderness and tears. Her husband, standing far away, shed tears. Hearing about this, all the people flocked to see the miracle, and the whole city gathered, glorifying God and St. Nicholas. The Metropolitan, on the other hand, created an honest feast, such as is celebrated on the feast day of St. Nicholas, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Troparion, tone 4:

The rule of faith and the image of meekness, the abstinence of the teacher reveal thee to your flock, Even the truth of things: for this sake you acquired high humility, rich in poverty, Father Hierarch Nicholas, pray to Christ God, save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 3:

In Mirech, the holy clergyman appeared thou: having fulfilled Christ's reverend gospel, thou hast laid thy soul on thy people, and thou hast saved the innocent from death. For this sake, you were sanctified, like a great secret place of God's grace.

The emperors Diocletian and Maximian (from 284 to 305) were co-rulers, the first - he reigned in the East, the second - in the West. The persecution initiated by Diocletian was distinguished by particular cruelty. It began in the city of Nicomedia, where on the very day of Easter, up to 20,000 Christians were burned in the temple.

Artemis - otherwise Diana - is a famous Greek goddess who personified the moon and was considered the patroness of forests and hunting.

Arius rejected the divinity of Jesus Christ and did not recognize Him as consubstantial with God the Father. Convened by the Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine, the first ecumenical council took place in 325 under the chairmanship of the emperor himself and introduced the Creed into church use, subsequently supplemented and completed at the second ecumenical council, which was in Constantinople in 381.

According to A. N. Muravyov, in Nicaea the tradition about this is still preserved, even among the Turks. In one of the loopholes of this city they show the dungeon of St. Nicholas. Here, according to legend, he was imprisoned for having struck Arius at the cathedral, and kept in chains until he was justified from above by a heavenly judgment, which was marked by the appearance of the Gospel and the omophorion, as it is written on the icons of the saint (Letters from the East, SPV. 1851, part 1, 106-107).

Vsevolod Yaroslavich, son of Yaroslav the Wise and grandson of Saint Vladimir, reigned from 1075 to 1076 (6 months); then a second time from 1078 to 1093.

Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh ruled from 1073 to 1125

Under the Ishmaelites here we mean the same-tribe eastern peoples: Turks, Pechenegs and Polovtsy.

An ancient city in the Crimea, near Sevastopol, also called Tauric Chersonesos.

The city of Bari is located in the south of the Italian peninsula, on its eastern coast near the Adriatic Sea, in the area called Apulia. The population of southern Italy has long been Greek. By the end of the ninth century here the power of the Greek emperor was established. In 1070, the city of Bari was taken from the Greeks by the Normans, the northern tribe of the German people, but even after that, the Orthodox faith and worship were preserved in some Apulian monasteries, and they were subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

In the service for the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas, it is sung: “By the sea to the saint, your procession was from the World of Lycian to Bargrad: for your ark was taken from the tomb, and to the west you reached from the east, who piously followed the monk, like at your tomb, who did honor to you, with a wave Lord of all, most glorious Nicholas."

The celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas in Russia was established under the Metropolitan of Kiev, John II, in 1089.

This church still exists today.

Name: Saint Nicholas, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nicholas the Pleasant, Saint Nicholas, Nicholas the World of Lycian, Santa Claus

Place of Birth: the city of Patara (the territory of modern Turkey)

Activity: bishop, archbishop, Orthodox saint, miracle worker

Nationality: Greek

Growth: 168 cm

Family status: single, never married

A place of death: the city of Mira, the province of Lycia (the city of Demre, modern Turkey)

Burial place: originally the city of Myra, then in 1087 65% of the relics were transferred to Italy, the city of Bari, in 1098 the other 20% of the relics were transferred to Venice on the island of Lido, the remaining 15% of the relics were scattered around the world

Revered: Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Old Eastern churches

Day of veneration (celebration): August 11 (July 29) - birth, December 19 (6) - death, May 22 (9) - transfer of relics

Patron: sailors, travelers, innocent convicts, children

This article answers the following questions about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker:

Where are the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker kept?
Transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas
Establishment of the feast of St. Nicholas
Relics of Saint Nicholas
St. Nicolas day
When does Saint Nicholas arrive?

Who is Nicholas the Wonderworker?
What does Saint Nicholas bring?
st nicholas day tradition
What helps Nicholas the Wonderworker?
Where are the relics of St. Nicholas?
Where are the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker?
When is the day of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker?
What date is St. Nicholas Day?

Biography of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Biography of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

It is unlikely that today there will be a person who would not have heard about one of the most revered saints in the Christian world - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

His fame is great, his icons are among the most sought after in Orthodox church shops. But with all this, few know the true biography and life of St. Nicholas.

The world knows St. Nicholas under various names: Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nicholas the Pleasant, St. Nicholas, Nicholas of Myra and even Santa Claus.

Unfortunately, practically no confirmed historical information about the biography, life and work of Nicholas the Wonderworker has come down to us, and those that have come down raise a lot of questions because of the mixing of the lives of two different saints in them - Nicholas of Myra and Nicholas of Zion of Patara.

The first and only ancient source in which the life of St. Nicholas is given is a set of manuscripts written in the 6th century and known as "The Acts of the Stratilates".

"The Acts of the Stratilates" is a dozen manuscripts, withstood five editions. It is in the very first and most ancient manuscript of the "Acts on the Stratilates" that the life of Nicholas the Pleasant is first told, and in it, unlike subsequent editions, the story of Nicholas the Wonderworker is most concise and devoid of any pomp and detail. All subsequent editions are a further revision of the first, with the addition of all sorts of new facts and miracles from the life of St. Nicholas. The most detailed and pompous is the third edition, written much later. It is interesting that until today there is no translation of "deeds" into Russian.

Thus, to this day, among a dozen different biographies of Nicholas, the most famous of them remain the Acts of the Stratilates, as well as the Life of St. Nicholas, compiled in the 10th century by Simeon Metaphrastus.

Brief biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker

According to the "Acts", Nicholas lived in the III-IV centuries of our era. And this, perhaps, is all that today we know about the life of the saint: the exact dates of birth and death (day and year) of Nicholas the Wonderworker are unknown and are still the subject of controversy among historians. So, unfortunately, all the dates given in the literature related to the biography of Nicholas are very, very approximate and cannot be documented.

Nevertheless, relying on "acts", it is generally accepted that Nikolai was born around 270 year of our era. Nicholas's family lived in the city of Patara, on the territory of modern Turkey (now the city of Demre) on the Mediterranean coast. At that time it was one of the richest Greek colonies of the Roman Empire.

Nikolay's parents were Greeks by nationality and had a good income. "Acts" called the names of the parents of Nicholas - Feofan (Epiphanius) and Nona. However, historians question this statement, believing that Feofan and Nona were the parents of another Nicholas, also an archbishop and also a miracle worker - Nicholas of Zion. According to historians, this mistake crept in due to the fact that in the VI century in the "acts" they simply mixed the biographies of two Nikolaev Wonderworkers (Nicholas of Myra and Nicholas of Zion). Be that as it may, but St. Nicholas Mir of the Lycian Wonderworker, a historical figure that really existed.

Nikolai was born when his parents were already in old age. From an early age he received a good education, knew how to write and read, was devout and aspired to the study of Holy Scripture.

When Nicholas reached his youth, his uncle, the local Bishop Nicholas of Patara, seeing the Christian zeal of his nephew, first made Nicholas a reader, and after a while elevated him to the priesthood.

Over time, Nikolai's uncle began to trust his nephew so much that when he went on trips, he completely left the management of the diocese to him.

After the death of his parents, Nicholas inherited a large fortune, but choosing to serve God, he distributed his inheritance to needy people.

In the bishopric of the city of Patara, Nicholas served as a priest from about 280 to 307.

Nicholas was about forty years old, when, after the death of the bishop of a neighboring city, he, miraculously, by the decision of the Holy Council, was appointed bishop of the city of Myra. Thanks to this appointment, Nicholas received a prefix to his name and became the Bishop of Mir of Lycia, from which came another of his names - Nicholas of Myra.

All the next 30 years until his death, Nikolai spent his life in this city of the World, where he died about 340 of the year.

Where is Saint Nicholas buried?

Information about the burial place of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is not replete with variety and indicates that St. Nicholas was buried in the church of "St. Nicholas" in the city of Demre (former Mira).

But for a thoughtful reader of the life of a saint, here questions begin to arise, but how was it? And before our eyes, a whole detective story is unfolding with the funeral of the Wonderworker in the church of St. Nicholas.

Tomb of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

So, when Nicholas the Wonderworker died around the year 334, the temple of "St. Nicholas" did not yet exist, and the question naturally arises - where was the original burial place of Nicholas, if the temple did not yet exist?

All sources cite evidence that the temple of "St. Nicholas" was built only in the 4th century, immediately after the death of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. And this automatically means that at first Nicholas the Wonderworker was buried somewhere else, and only then, after the construction of the temple was completed, his relics were transferred to the temple sarcophagus. After all, the builders could not erect a temple, trampling on the grave of a bishop.

But it turns out that there is an answer to this question - the body of Bishop Nicholas was buried in the most ordinary grave near the Church of St. Sion, in which he served for many years.

It must be said that by the time of the burial of the saint, Christianity simply did not yet have the custom of burying people within the walls of a church. This custom was legalized only in 419 at the Council of Carthage. Apparently, around the same time, a decision was made to reburial the remains of Nicholas in the hay of the new church.

The very first building over the tomb of St. Nicholas was erected in 336 by the stratilates (Roman military leaders) who arrived in Myra to honor Nicholas, about the death they did not know.

"they found the place where his honest body lay ... [and] honored Nicholas by building a portico"

Presumably it was a chapel over the tomb of the Bishop of the World of Lycian Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Church of St. Nicholas

In general, there are a lot of questions about the Church of St. Nicholas.

Let's start with the fact that when visiting this temple, the guides say that the church of "Saint Nicholas" was built on the foundation of the Hellenic (pagan) temple of Artemis and show the mosaic that belonged to the ancient temple preserved on the floor.

Interestingly, in some writings, the destruction of this, then still pagan, temple is personally attributed to Nikolai Ugodnik, elevating this action almost to the rank of miracles performed by Nikolai as bishop.

But historians refute that Nicholas could have participated in the destruction of the Temple of Artemis at all and point out that the Temple of Artemis was destroyed 200 years before the birth of Nicholas by a banal earthquake that occurred in the second century.

History can surprise. And the relics of St. Nicholas were destined to rest in a Christian church built on the foundation of a pagan temple of the Greek goddess Artemis.

But the peace of the temple only dreamed of - the temple of "St. Nicholas" was constantly subjected to looting and destruction, and the relics of the saint themselves had no rest.

Already 100 years after the completion of construction and the transfer of the relics of Nicholas in the 5th century, the temple was destroyed by an earthquake.

It was restored in the 6th century. But the restored temple also did not stand untouched for long, in the 7th century it was again destroyed by the Arabs during the next raid.

For the next hundred years, the temple stood dilapidated, until a new temple of "St. Nicholas" was rebuilt in the 8th century.

600 years passed, and in the XIV century the temple was again destroyed. A strong earthquake caused a change in the course of the local river Miros and the temple of "St. Nicholas" was buried under tons of silt and mud and disappeared from human eyes for many centuries until the 19th century. And only in the 19th century, an accident made it possible to discover the remains of the temple and start excavating it.

Excavations of the temple are also replete with detective details and intrigues.

When, during the Crimean War, in 1853, the Russians ended up in Turkey, they became interested in the Church of St. Nicholas. Soon, on behalf of Princess Anna Golitsyna, the Russians bought this land from the Ottoman Empire and formed a Russian settlement there.

Excavations and restoration began on the site of the temple. Russian settlers were drawn to a permanent place of residence, to the redeemed land. The Turks did not like this, and they decided to terminate the deal, return the lands bought by the Russians, and return the settlers to Russia.

Soon the government of the Ottoman Empire canceled the deal, expelled all Russian settlers from this territory, but forgot to return the money taken for the sale. Today, when asked to return the money spent, Turkey replies that, they say, the land was bought from the Ottoman Empire, so you demand a refund from it.

The excavations of the temple by the Russians stopped in 1860, and the next excavations of the St. Nicholas Church, almost completely located in the thickness of alluvial deposits, began only 100 years later in 1956 and continued until 1989.

Today, the church of "St. Nicholas" is not a functioning temple, but is a paid museum, and only once a year on December 6, church services are held here in memory of the death of Nicholas the Wonderworker (it is believed that Nicholas died on December 6, 343).

Fortunately, by the time the temple was flooded by the river, the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker were no longer in them; by this time, the relics of the saint had already been transported to Italy almost three centuries ago.

When visiting this temple of "Saint Nicholas", tourists are shown a sarcophagus, in which the relics of the saint supposedly rested.

It is interesting that pagan drawings and symbols are clearly visible on the sarcophagus, and everything shows that this sarcophagus was made back in pagan times for the burial of some important pagan.

It turns out that either this pagan sarcophagus was reused, but already for the repose of the body of the saint, or simply Nicholas simply simply could not be buried in an ancient pagan coffin. Riddles, riddles.

Another fact that deserves attention is that after the theft of the relics in 1087, in none of the chronicles of those years there is any mention of any sarcophagus, on the contrary, the Italians boasted of their intention in the church of St. Nicholas "to break her platform and carry away the sacred body." As Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin wrote in the 19th century in 1087, “Bari sailors did not see any tombs in the church.”

Transfer of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker to the Italian city of Bari and to the island of Lido

Meanwhile, the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas to Italy in the 11th century was a banal theft, however, thanks to which the relics of St. Nicholas were preserved for current generations.

And it was like that.

After the death of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, those who venerate the grave began to notice that after visiting the temple of "St. Nicholas" and worshiping his relics, they began to receive healing. Naturally, the news of the miraculous properties of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker spread throughout Byzantium.

The Italians could not pass by such an important shrine and wanted to get it for themselves. And in the XI century, the tomb of Nicholas the Wonderworker was plundered by Italian merchants. The tomb of the saint was robbed twice by Italian merchants - in 1087 and 1099.

Today, this abduction is usually called the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, which Christians celebrate on May 22 (9).

So, thanks to the banal looting of the grave, in the 11th century, most of the relics of Nicholas (almost 85 percent) ended up in two Italian cities - in the city of Bari, and on the island of Lido, where they are to this day.

Of course, calling a spade a spade, such a transfer of relics can be safely called ordinary theft. But, as they say, there is a blessing in disguise - and most historians agree that if it were not for this forced transfer of the relics of the saint, then, most likely, subsequently the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker would have been completely ruined during one of the later Ottoman raids or temple flood.

Upon his death, Nicholas the Wonderworker was buried in his hometown of Mira (now the city of Demre on the territory of modern Turkey) and his remains lay there peacefully for more than 700 years, until circumstances developed in 1087 that allowed the Italians to steal the relics of Nicholas and transport them to Italy.

In the 10th century, Christianity in Italy experienced a dawn - faith firmly entered life, new temples and shrines were built. But there was one problem - all the ancient holy relics were in the East. By this time, the glory of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker thundered throughout Italy.

It was a troubled time, the Seljuk Turks seized more and more new territories, and Italian merchants, blessed by the holy church, under the pretext of taking “and protecting” the relics of St. Nicholas, went on an expedition.

At this time, the Christians, the inhabitants of Mir, moved to a safer place, located three kilometers from the old city of Mir. In the temple itself, only a few monks remained to serve. According to legend, in 1086 Saint Nicholas:

“appeared in a vision to three people, ordering them to announce to the inhabitants of the city of Mira, who, fearing the Turks, left from here to the mountain, so that they would return to live and guard the city, or they knew that he would move to another place”

Then, in 1087, Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared in a dream to one of the priests of the city of Bar and ordered him:

“Go and tell the people and the entire church council to go and take me out of the world and lay me in this city, for I cannot stay there in an empty place. God wants it that way"

In the morning the priest told about his vision and everyone exclaimed joyfully:

“The Lord has now sent His mercy to the people and our city, for He has honored us to accept the relics of His Saint Nicholas”

To fulfill the will of the Wonderworker, the Italians, under cover of a trade mission, hastily prepared an expedition of three ships to transfer the relics of the saint. It is interesting that the names of all the participants of this expedition have survived to this day, as well as a detailed account of how it took place.

And on April 20, 1087, three merchant ships moored off the coast of modern Turkey. The sailors landed in the port of the city of Mira. Only two people were sent for reconnaissance to the temple of "St. Nicholas", who returned and reported that there were only four monks in the temple with the relics of the saint. Immediately, 47 people, armed, went to the temple. To begin with, the merchants tried to resolve the issue amicably and offered the monks 300 gold coins for taking the relics of the saint. But the monks did not accept the offer of the merchants and were going to notify the city of the danger. But the Italians did not give them this chance, they tied up the monks and in a hurry plundered the sarcophagus with the relics of the saint. Having wrapped the stolen relics in ordinary clothes, the merchants, without stopping anywhere, quickly reached the port and immediately set sail, heading for Italy. The freed monks raised the alarm, but it was too late, the Italian ship carrying the relics of the saint was already far away.

On May 8, 1087, the ships arrived safely in the city of Barii, the “good” news spread throughout the city. The next day, May 9, the relics of St. Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the Church of St. Stephen. According to eyewitnesses, the solemn transfer of the relics was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, which aroused even greater reverence for Nicholas the Wonderworker. Exactly one year later, Pope Urban II consecrated the Church of St. Nicholas, built in honor of the saint, specifically for the storage of the relics of St. Nicholas.

Meanwhile, the inhabitants of the city of Mir, grieving for the loss of the shrine, began to transfer small fragments of the relics of St. Nicholas, left over from the looting. But the fact was that during the hasty abduction, the Italian merchants did not take away all the relics, but only the largest fragments (about 80%), leaving all the small fragments of the body in the sarcophagus.

But, as it turned out later, this measure did not save the relics of the saint from final plunder.

Soon, other Italian merchants from Venice, knowing that the relics of the saint continue to be kept in Myra, decide to complete the work of their compatriots. And in 1099, during the first crusade, the Venetians abducted almost all the remaining relics of the saint, leaving very small fragments of the saint's body in the sarcophagus.

The stolen relics were also taken to Italy, but already to Venice, where they were placed on the island of Lido in the church of St. Nicholas.

In subsequent years, the last of the surviving smallest fragments of holy relics disappeared from Mira and spread around the world.

So, as a result of the looting of the grave, not one of the relics of the saint remained in the native church of Nicholas.

Examinations conducted in 1957 and 1987 showed that the relics located in Bari and Venice belong to one person.

Establishment of the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas

The feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was established by Pope Urban II, who in 1088 officially established the liturgical celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas on May 9th. The Greeks and the Byzantine East did not accept this holiday, but in Russia it has become widespread and is celebrated to this day.

Where are the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker kept today?

Today, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are stored in various places and this is due to the fact that at one time the tomb with the relics of the saint was looted several times.

The bulk of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker (about 65%) are stored in the Catholic Basilica of St. Nicholas in the Italian city of Bari, under the throne of the altar of the crypt, in the floor of which a round hole was made into the tomb with the relics of St. Nicholas. Through this hole once a year, on the feast of the transfer of relics on May 9, local clergy extract the myrrh secreted by the relics of St. Nicholas.

The other 20% of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker are kept in a reliquary over the altar of the Catholic church "Saint Nicholas" on the island of Lido in Venice.

The remaining 15% percent of the relics of St. Nicholas are scattered around the world and are stored in various churches and private collections. All of these 15% percent of the small fragments of the saint's relics do not have confirmation of a genetic examination for their correspondence to the relics stored in the city of Baria.

In 1992, an anthropological (important: not genetic) examination was carried out as a result, during which visual comparisons were compared for compliance with the relics of St. Nicholas, stored in Bari and in Venice. After a visual examination of the relics, scientists concluded that the parts of the skeleton belong to the same person and the Venetian part of the relics complements those parts of the skeleton that are missing in Bari.

According to some reports, part of the relics of Nicholas (fragments of the jaws and skull) is in the archaeological museum of Antalya.

In 2005, British anthropologists tried to reconstruct the appearance of St. Nicholas from the skull. It turned out that Saint Nicholas was of a strong build, tall for that time, about 168 cm, he had a high forehead, protruding cheekbones and chin.

In 2017, Turkish archaeologists sensationally stated that the remains stored in Italy belong not to Nikolai Ugodnik at all, but to a completely different person, which allegedly proves the latest excavations, as a result of which a grave with the remains of the true St. Nicholas was found.

Miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

A special place in the "acts" is given to the miracles of Nicholas the Wonderworker:

- standing in infancy during baptism in the font without anyone's support for three hours;

- taking milk only from the right breast of the mother;

- taking mother's milk on Wednesdays and Fridays only once and only in the evening, at the ninth hour;

- the salvation of the father and three girls from the fall;

- visiting the Holy places, during which the doors of all the temples opened by themselves in front of the saint at night;

- the expulsion of the devil from the ship;

- pacification by the power of prayer of the storm;

- the resurrection of a sailor who fell from the mast during a storm;

- saving three innocently convicted citizens from execution;

- salvation from death without guilt of slandered Roman military leaders;

- saving Mira's hometown from starvation;

- the myrrh-streaming of the relics of a saint is attributed to posthumous miracles.

In addition, it is customary to turn to Nicholas for help in health and healing.

There is an opinion among Christians that Nicholas the Wonderworker is the fastest responding saint to requests from those asking for help and intercession.

The Orthodox Church celebrates celebrations in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker three times a year - August 11 on his birthday, December 19, on the day of his death, and May 22 - in memory of the transfer of the saint's relics to the city of Bari.

Nicholas the Wonderworker is considered to be the prototype of the modern Santa Claus. This happened after Nicholas miraculously saved three girls from the fall - for three nights he put a bag of gold in a drying sock for each of the girls. It is from here that the tradition of Christmas gifts, which are customarily placed in a Christmas sock, began.

Santa Claus, translated from English, sounds like St. Nicholas.

What helps Nicholas the Wonderworker

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is revered as an assistant and protector of sailors and travelers, merchants, a protector of the unjustly convicted and an assistant to children.

Dates of the holidays of Nicholas the Wonderworker

Christians celebrate three holidays in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Each holiday has its own hymnography.

Orthodox and Catholics celebrate these holidays on different days - this is due to the use of different calendars by Orthodox and Catholics in services (Julian and Gregorian, respectively).

The holidays in honor of St. Nicholas are non-transitory, that is, the dates of these holidays are fixed and are celebrated on the same days every year.

The first day of the year is the day of the arrival of the relics of St. Nicholas in the Italian city of Barii - the Orthodox celebrate it on May 22, the Catholics on May 9 - "Nikola Spring".

Then Christians celebrate the birthday of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - the Orthodox celebrate on August 11, the Catholics on July 29 - "Nikola the Summer".

At the end of the year, Christians honor the day of the death of St. Nicholas the Pleasant - Orthodox celebrate December 19, Catholics celebrate December 6 - "Nikola the Winter".

What documents mention Nicholas the Wonderworker?

There are only two main documents describing the life and deeds of St. Nicholas, and the second document is based on the events described in the first source.

The first written document testifying to the life and deeds of St. Nicholas was found in the records of Presbyter Eustratius of Constantinople. This document was written 200 years after the miracle worker's death in the 6th century. Meanwhile, the records of Eustratius are nothing more than a small fragment of manuscripts called "The Acts of the Stratilates" (Praxis de stratelatis).

The time of the compilation of manuscripts called "The Acts of the Stratilates" also dates back to the 6th century. Subsequently, these manuscripts were constantly rewritten and supplemented, there are about 10 editions of the Acts of the Stratilates.

Thus, today there are no other well-known written monuments about St. Nicholas, except for the Act of the Stratilates.

The "Acts of the Stratilates" in their genre belong to intravital miracles. it tells us the earliest data about the life and deeds of St. Nicholas of Myra.

The next significant document, shedding light on the deeds and life of St. Nicholas, appeared only at the beginning of the 10th century, when Blessed Simeon Metaphrastus, on the orders of Constantine Porphyrogenic, compiled from the sources that preceded him, including the manuscripts of the Acts of the Stratilates, the full life of St. Nicholas.

But there is one thing. This, however, is due to the fact that some of the life events and deeds described in the biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker have nothing to do with him. Moreover, many of the acts of Nicholas simply completely run counter to historical dates.

In his writings, Archimandrite Antonin wrote that the ancient hagiographers in their manuscripts made an unforgivable mistake by mixing the lives of two wonderworkers with the same name Nicholas.

One of the miracle workers lived in Lycia and was the archbishop of Mount Myra in the 4th century (this is our Nicholas the Wonderworker).

Another miracle worker also lived in Lycia and his name was also Nicholas, only he lived already in the 6th century and was the rector of the Sion Monastery, the Archbishop of Pinara.

When studying documents about the life of Nikolai Pinarsky, it turned out that his parents were called Epiphanius and Nona, and he also had an uncle, and also Bishop Nikolai, who built the Zion Monastery.

Also in the life of Nikolai Pinarsky there is a story about his baptism and how but during the baptism he stood for two hours in the font.

Here is how the Monk Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin) wrote:

“One can wonder how two faces, both famous, merged in the popular imagination, and then in the memory of the church, and one venerable and holy image, but the fact cannot be denied ... And so there were two St. Nicholas of Lycia.”

Miracles of Nicholas the Wonderworker ... The Resurrection of a Sailor

During one of his first sea voyages from Mira to Alexandria, where he went to study, Nicholas the Wonderworker resurrected a sailor who fell off the ship's mast and crashed to death.

Miracles of Nicholas the Pleasant ... Dowry for girls

Once Nikolai saved the whole family.

In his hometown there lived a bankrupt merchant who, due to the lack of a dowry, could not marry his daughters.

Finding nothing better to improve his plight, the merchant decides to send his adult daughters to work - to engage in prostitution.

Upon learning of this decision, Nikolai decides to save the unfortunate family.

At night, he secretly throws sacks of gold into the merchant's window three times. The merchant, on the received gold, restores not only his well-being, but also gives his daughters in marriage.

According to legend, one of the bags of gold thrown by Nikolai into the merchant's window falls right into the sock, left to dry.

It is thanks to this occasion that today there is a custom to put gifts for children in special socks for gifts from Santa Claus, who today is considered St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The Miracles of Saint Nicholas…Journey to Jerusalem

During one of his journeys, St. Nicholas to the holy places in Jerusalem also had miracles.

It was so.

At the entrance to the sea, Nikolai saw that the devil was boarding the ship preparing to sail, wanting to cause a storm to sink the ship and the sailors.

Then Nikolai began to pray fervently, and with the power of his prayer to expel the devil from the ship, pacify the storm and save the sailors from inevitable death.

Other miracles took place directly in Jerusalem itself. After St. Nicholas entered the city, on the same night on Mount Zion, the locked doors of all churches opened before him by themselves, allowing Nicholas to all the holy places.

After visiting the holy places, Nicholas suddenly decides to retire to the desert, but immediately, the Divine voice stops him and orders him to return home to continue his service to the Lord.

After returning home, he unexpectedly decides to join the brotherhood of the monastery of St. Zion, where he takes a dinner of silence. But again the Lord intervenes in the Fate of St. Nicholas and announces to him about another path:

“Nicholas, this is not the field on which you must bear the fruit that I expect; but turn and go into the world, and may My Name be glorified in you.”

Miracles of St. Nicholas ... The miraculous becoming of St. Nicholas the bishop of the city of Myra

While Nicholas was serving in his native city of Patara, Archbishop John dies in the neighboring city of Mira and the question arises of choosing a new bishop of the city of Mira. The day of choosing a new bishop arrives. There is no agreement in the camp of the electors. A miracle happens again - one of the bishops of the Cathedral has a vision in a dream in which the Lord points to Nicholas as a new bishop so that he can continue his ministry in the hierarchal rank. The next morning, the Council unanimously decides on the appointment of Nicholas as the bishop of the city of Peace.

Miracles of St. Nicholas ... Miraculous salvation of slandered citizens by St. Nicholas

Another of the miracles performed by St. Nicholas is the salvation from death of three unjustly condemned citizens, who were slandered by the mercenary mayor of the city.

During the execution, when the executioner had already raised the sword over the heads of the unjustly condemned, Saint Nicholas ascended the scaffold, held the raised sword with his hand and stopped the execution. The disgraced mayor fell on his face before Nicholas, repented and asked Saint Nicholas for his forgiveness.

Miracles of St. Nicholas ... Miraculous rescue of three Roman military leaders by St. Nicholas

The next miracle is the miraculous rescue of three Roman military leaders whom the emperor wanted to execute on a false denunciation.

When Nicholas saved the slandered townspeople from death, three Roman military leaders watched the failed execution. They, seeing how Nicholas stopped the execution and shamed the deceitful mayor, were imbued with faith and respect for him.

Upon returning home, they had to appear before the emperor with a report. At first, the emperor was very pleased with them, but after the envious slandered them by attributing them to a conspiracy against the emperor, he changed his favor to anger and ordered their execution.

By order of the emperor, military leaders are arrested, placed in a dungeon in order to be executed in the morning. Sitting in prison, the military leaders remember St. Nicholas and the miracle that he showed them, the day before stopping the execution of innocent citizens. Then they begin to fervently pray to Nicholas, asking him for intercession.

And the miracle was not slow to happen. On the same night, Nicholas appears in a dream to both the emperor and the prefect Ablabia. Nikolai, under pain of death, punishes the release of the slandered military leaders.

Waking up in the morning, the emperor orders a new investigation, which confirms the innocence of the slandered military leaders.

Convinced that the military leaders were slandered, the emperor pardons the convicts and gives them gifts - a golden Gospel, a golden censer adorned with stones, two lamps and orders them to transfer these gifts to St. Nicholas in the temple of the city of Myra.

The military leaders go to the city of Mira and betray gifts for the temple, warmly thanks to their intercessor Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Miracles of St. Nicholas ... Miraculous salvation by St. Nicholas of the city of Mira from hunger

Once St. Nicholas happened to save Mira's hometown from starvation. When there were very few food supplies left in the city and it seemed that there was no way to wait for help from anywhere, Nikolai creates a new miracle that saves the city.

In a dream, he appears to one of the Italian merchants, in a dream he tells him about a starving city and asks him to bring food, while promising to pay generously.

In the morning, when the merchant wakes up, he finds three gold coins clutched in his palm, which St. Nicholas sent him as an advance payment for food.

Responding to the request of the saint, the merchant immediately equipped a ship with food without delay. So Saint Nicholas saved the whole city from starvation.

Icon of Saint Nicholas

On the icons of St. Nicholas, it is customary to depict him with a miter on his head, a symbol of his bishopric.

Note

The city of Peace - Turkey, Antalya province, the modern city of Demre.

Arianism is one of the earliest currents in Christianity that asserted the non-consubstantiality of God the Father and God the Son. It existed from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD. e.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nikolai the Pleasant, Saint Nicholas - Archbishop of the World of Lycia, became famous as a great saint of God. He is revered in the Orthodox, Catholic and other churches.

Life of Nicholas the Wonderworker (biography)

Saint Nicholas was born in the second half of the 3rd century in the city of Patara, a region of Lycia in Asia Minor. His parents Theophan and Nonna were from a noble family and very prosperous, which did not prevent them from being pious Christians, merciful to the poor and zealous to God.

Until extreme old age they had no children; in unceasing fervent prayer they asked the Almighty to give them a son, promising to dedicate him to the service of God. Their prayer was heard: the Lord gave them a son, who at holy baptism received the name Nicholas, which means in Greek - "the conquering people."

Already in the first days of his infancy, the future Wonderworker showed that he was destined for a special service to the Lord. There is a legend that during baptism, when the rite was very long, he, supported by no one, stood in the font for three hours. From the very first days, Saint Nicholas began a strict ascetic life, to which he remained faithful to the grave.

All the unusual behavior of the child showed his parents that he would become a great Pleaser of God, so they paid special attention to his upbringing and tried, first of all, to inspire the son of the truth of Christianity and direct him to a righteous life. The lad soon comprehended, thanks to rich gifts, guided by the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of the book.

Successful in his studies, the lad Nicholas also succeeded in a pious life. He was not interested in the empty conversations of his peers: a contagious example of camaraderie, leading to something bad, was alien to him.

Avoiding vain sinful entertainments, the lad Nikolai was distinguished by exemplary chastity and avoided all unclean thoughts. Almost all the time he spent in reading the Holy Scriptures, in the exploits of fasting and prayer. He had such a love for the temple of God that he sometimes spent whole days and nights there in divine prayer and reading divine books.

The pious life of young Nicholas soon became known to all the inhabitants of the city of Patara. The bishop in this city was his uncle, also named Nicholas. Noticing that his nephew stood out among other young people for virtues and a strict ascetic life, he began to persuade his parents to give him to the service of the Lord. They willingly agreed, because even before the birth of their son they made such a vow. His uncle bishop consecrated him a presbyter.

During the celebration of the Sacrament of the priesthood over St. Nicholas, the bishop, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophetically predicted to the people the great future of the Pleasant of God: “Behold, brethren, I see a new sun rising over the ends of the earth, which will be a consolation for all the sad. Blessed is the flock that is worthy to have such a shepherd! Well he will shepherd the souls of the erring, nourishing them in the pastures of piety; and to all who are in trouble, will be a warm helper!

Having accepted the priesthood, Saint Nicholas began to lead an even more strict ascetic life. Out of deep humility, he performed his spiritual exploits in private. But it was pleasing to the Providence of God that the virtuous life of the saint should guide others on the path of truth.

The bishop's uncle went to Palestine, and entrusted the administration of his diocese to his nephew, the presbyter. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to the difficult duties of episcopal administration. He did a lot of good for his flock, showing wide charity. By that time, his parents had died, leaving him a rich inheritance, which he used to help the poor. The following incident testifies, moreover, to his extreme humility. In Patara there lived a poor man who had three beautiful daughters. He was so poor that he had nothing to marry his daughters to. To what a need can bring a person who is not sufficiently imbued with a Christian consciousness!

The need of the unfortunate father led to the terrible thought of sacrificing the honor of his daughters and extracting from their beauty the means necessary for their dowry.

But, fortunately, in their city there was a good shepherd, St. Nicholas, who vigilantly followed the needs of his flock. Having received a revelation from the Lord about his father's criminal intent, he decided to save him from bodily poverty, in order thereby to save his family from spiritual death. He planned to do good deeds in such a way that no one would know about him as a benefactor, not even the one to whom he did good.

Taking a large bundle of gold, at midnight, when everyone was sleeping and could not see him, he went to the hut of the unfortunate father and threw the gold through the window, and he hurriedly returned home. In the morning, my father found gold, but he could not know who his secret benefactor was. Deciding that the Providence of God Himself sent him this help, he thanked the Lord and was soon able to marry his eldest daughter.

Saint Nicholas, when he saw that his beneficence bore the proper fruit, decided to bring it to the end. One of the following nights, he also secretly threw another sack of gold through the window into the poor man's hut.

The father soon married off the second daughter, firmly hoping that the Lord would show mercy to the third daughter in the same way. But he decided at all costs to recognize his secret benefactor and worthily thank him. For this, he did not sleep at night, waiting for his arrival.

He did not have to wait long: soon the good shepherd of Christ came for the third time. Hearing the sound of falling gold, the father hurried out of the house and caught up with his secret benefactor. Recognizing Saint Nicholas in him, he fell at his feet, kissed them and thanked him as a liberator from spiritual death.

Upon the return of his uncle from Palestine, Saint Nicholas himself gathered there. On the way on the ship, he showed the gift of deep insight and wonderworking: he foreshadowed the coming cruel storm and pacified it with the power of his prayer. Soon, here on the ship, he performed a great miracle, resurrecting a young sailor who fell from the mast onto the deck and crashed to death. On the way, the ship often landed on the shore. St. Nicholas everywhere applied his care to healing the ailments of the local residents: he healed some of incurable diseases, expelled the evil spirits that tormented them from others, and finally gave consolation to others in sorrows.

Upon arrival in Palestine, St. Nicholas settled not far from Jerusalem in the village of Beit Jala (biblical Ephrafa), which is on the way to Bethlehem. All the inhabitants of this blessed village are Orthodox; there are two Orthodox churches, of which one, in the name of St. Nicholas, was built on the site where the saint once lived in a cave, which now serves as a place of worship.

There is a legend that during a visit to the holy places of Palestine, St. Nicholas wished one night to pray in the temple; He approached the locked doors, and the doors themselves opened by Miraculous Power so that the Chosen One of God could enter the temple and fulfill the pious desire of his soul.

Inflamed with love for the Divine Lover of mankind, Saint Nicholas had the desire to remain forever in Palestine, to withdraw from people and secretly strive before the Heavenly Father. But the Lord was pleased that such a lamp of faith should not remain under a bushel in the desert, but brightly illuminate the Lycian country. And so, by the will of above, the pious presbyter returned to his homeland.

Wanting to get away from the bustle of the world, St. Nicholas went not to Patara, but to the Sion monastery, founded by his uncle the bishop, where he was received by the brethren with great joy. In the quiet solitude of a monastic cell, he thought of staying for the rest of his life. But the time came when the great Pleasure of God had to act as the supreme leader of the Lycian Church in order to enlighten people with the light of the gospel teaching and his virtuous life.

One day, while standing in prayer, he heard a voice: “Nicholas! You must enter into the service of the people if you want to receive a crown from Me!”

Sacred horror seized Presbyter Nicholas: what exactly does the miraculous voice command him to do? "Nikolai! This abode is not a field where you can bear the fruit I expect from you. Get out of here and go into the world, to people, so that My name may be glorified in you!”

In obedience to this command, Saint Nicholas withdrew from the monastery and chose not his city of Patara, where everyone knew him and paid him honors, but the large city of Myra, the capital and metropolis of the Lycian land, where, unknown to anyone, he could rather avoid worldly glory. . He lived like a beggar, had nowhere to lay his head, but inevitably attended all church services. As much as the Pleaser of God humbled himself, so much the Lord, who humiliates the proud and exalts the humble, exalted him. The archbishop of the entire Lycian country, John, died. All the local bishops gathered in Mir to elect a new archbishop. Much was proposed for the election of intelligent and honest people, but there was no general agreement. The Lord promised a more worthy husband to occupy this position than those who were in their midst. The bishops fervently prayed to God, asking him to indicate the most worthy person.

A man, illumined by an unearthly light, appeared in a vision to one of the oldest bishops, and ordered that night to stand in the porch of the temple and notice who would be the first to come to the temple for the morning service: this is the man pleasing to the Lord, whom the bishops should appoint as their archbishop; his name was also revealed - Nikolai.

Having received this divine revelation, the elder bishop informed others about it, who, in the expectation of God's mercy, intensified their prayers.

With the onset of night, the elder bishop stood in the porch of the temple, waiting for the arrival of the chosen one. Saint Nicholas, having risen from midnight, came to the church. The elder stopped him and asked for his name. He answered quietly and modestly: “I am called Nicholas, the servant of your shrine, lord!”

By the name and deep humility of the arrival, the elder was convinced that he was the chosen one of God. He took him by the hand and led him to the cathedral of bishops. Everyone gladly accepted him and placed him in the middle of the temple. Despite the night time, the news of the miraculous election spread throughout the city; a multitude of people gathered. The elder bishop, who was granted a vision, turned to everyone with the words: “Receive, brethren, your shepherd, whom the Holy Spirit has anointed for you and to whom he entrusted the management of your souls. Not a human cathedral, but the Court of God set him up. Now we have the one we were waiting for, accepted and found, the one we were looking for. Under his wise guidance, we can boldly hope to stand before the Lord in the day of His glory and judgment!”

Upon entering the administration of the Myrliki diocese, St. Nicholas said to himself: “Now, Nicholas, your dignity and your position require you to live entirely not for yourself, but for others!”

Now he did not hide his good deeds for the good of the flock and for the glorification of the name of God; but he was, as always, meek and humble in spirit, gentle in heart, a stranger to any arrogance and self-interest; observed strict moderation and simplicity: he wore simple clothes, ate fast food once a day - in the evening. All day long the great archpastor did deeds of piety and pastoral ministry. The doors of his house were open to everyone: he received everyone with love and cordiality, being a father for orphans, a feeder for the poor, a comforter for those who cry, an intercessor for the oppressed. His flock prospered.

But the days of trials were coming. The Church of Christ was persecuted by the emperor Diocletian (285-30). Temples were destroyed, divine and liturgical books were burned; Bishops and priests were imprisoned and tortured. All Christians were subjected to all sorts of offenses and torments. The persecution also reached the Lycian Church.

Saint Nicholas in these difficult days supported his flock in the faith, loudly and openly preaching the name of God, for which he was imprisoned, where he never ceased to strengthen the faith among the prisoners and confirmed them in a strong confession of the Lord, so that they would be ready to suffer for Christ.

Diocletian's successor Galerius ended the persecution. Saint Nicholas, upon leaving the dungeon, again occupied the See of Mirliki and with even greater zeal devoted himself to the fulfillment of his high duties. He became famous especially for his zeal for the establishment of the Orthodox faith and the eradication of paganism and heresies.

The Church of Christ suffered especially hard at the beginning of the 4th century from the heresy of Arius. (He rejected the divinity of the Son of God and did not recognize Him as consubstantial with the Father.)

Desiring to establish in the flock of Christ the world, shocked by the heresy of Aryan's false doctrine. Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council of 325 in Nicaea, where three hundred and eighteen bishops gathered under the chairmanship of the emperor; here the doctrine of Arius and his followers was condemned.

St. Athanasius of Alexandria and Nicholas the Wonderworker especially struggled at this Council. Other saints defended Orthodoxy with the help of their enlightenment. Saint Nicholas, on the other hand, defended the faith by faith itself - by the fact that all Christians, beginning with the Apostles, believed in the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

There is a legend that during one of the conciliar sessions, unable to endure the blasphemy of Arius, Saint Nicholas struck this heretic on the cheek. The Fathers of the Council considered such an act an excess of jealousy, deprived the miracle worker of the advantages of his episcopal rank - omophorion and imprisoned him in a prison tower. But soon they were convinced that Saint Nicholas was right, especially since many of them had a vision when, before their eyes, our Lord Jesus Christ gave Saint Nicholas the Gospel, and the Most Holy Theotokos placed an omophorion on him. They freed him from prison, returned him to his former dignity and glorified him as a great Pleasure of God.

The local tradition of the Nicaean Church not only faithfully preserves the memory of Nicholas the Wonderworker, but also sharply distinguishes him from among the three hundred and eighteen fathers, whom he considers all of his patrons. Even Muslim Turks have a deep respect for the saint: in the tower they still carefully keep the dungeon where this great man was imprisoned.

Upon his return from the Council, Saint Nicholas continued his beneficent pastoral work in organizing the Church of Christ: he confirmed Christians in the faith, converted pagans to the true faith, and admonished heretics, thereby saving them from death.

Caring for the spiritual needs of his flock, Saint Nicholas did not neglect to satisfy their bodily needs. When a great famine came to Lycia, the good shepherd, in order to save the starving, created a new miracle: one merchant loaded a large ship with bread and, on the eve of sailing somewhere to the west, saw in a dream St. Nicholas, who ordered him to deliver all the bread to Lycia, for he buys he has all the cargo and gives him three gold coins as a deposit. Waking up, the merchant was very surprised to find three gold coins clutched in his hand. He realized that this was a command from above, brought bread to Lycia, and the starving were saved. Here he spoke of the vision, and the citizens recognized their archbishop from his description.

Even during his lifetime, St. Nicholas became famous as the appeaser of the warring, the defender of the innocently condemned and the deliverer from vain death.

In the reign of Constantine the Great, a rebellion broke out in the country of Phrygia. To subdue him, the king sent an army there under the command of three commanders: Nepotian, Urs and Erpilion. Their ships were washed by a storm to the shores of Lycia, where they had to stand for a long time. The supplies were depleted - they began to rob the population that resisted, and there was a fierce battle near the city of Plakomat. Upon learning of this, Nicholas the Wonderworker personally arrived there, stopped the hostility, then, together with three governors, went to Phrygia, where with a kind word and exhortation, without the use of military force, he pacified the rebellion. Here he was informed that during his absence from the city of Mira, the local governor Eustathius innocently condemned to death three citizens slandered by enemies. Saint Nicholas hurried to Myra and with him were the three tsar's governors, who fell in love with this kind bishop, who rendered them a great service.

They arrived in the Worlds at the very moment of execution. The executioner is already raising his sword to behead the unfortunate, but Saint Nicholas snatches the sword from him with an authoritative hand and orders the release of the innocently condemned. None of those present dared to resist him: everyone understood that the will of God was being done. The three royal governors marveled at this, not suspecting that soon they themselves would need the miraculous intercession of the saint.

Returning to the court, they earned the honor and favor of the king, which caused envy and enmity on the part of other courtiers, who slandered these three governors before the king, as if they were trying to seize power. Envious slanderers managed to convince the king: three governors were imprisoned and sentenced to death. The prison guard warned them that the execution should take place the next day. The innocently condemned began to fervently pray to God, asking for intercession through St. Nicholas. On the same night, the Pleasant of God appeared in a dream to the king and imperiously demanded the release of three governors, threatening to revolt and deprive the king of power.

“Who are you that you dare to demand and threaten the king?”

"I am Nicholas, the Archbishop of the Lycian World!"

Waking up, the king began to think about this dream. On the same night, St. Nicholas also appeared to the head of the city, Eulavius, and demanded the release of the innocently condemned. The king called Eulavius to him, and learning that he had the same vision, he ordered three commanders to be brought.

"What witchcraft are you doing to give me and Eulavius visions in a dream?" - asked the king and told them about the appearance of St. Nicholas.

“We don’t do any witchcraft,” the governors answered, “but we ourselves had previously witnessed how this bishop saved innocent people in the Worlds from the death penalty!”

The king ordered to consider their case and, convinced of their innocence, released them.

The miracle worker during his life helped people, even those who did not know him at all. Once a ship sailing from Egypt to Lycia was caught in a violent storm. The sails were torn off on it, the masts were broken, the waves were ready to swallow the ship, doomed to inevitable death. No human power could prevent it. One hope is to ask for help from St. Nicholas, whom, it is true, none of these sailors had ever seen, but everyone knew about his miraculous intercession. The dying shipbuilders began to pray fervently, and so Saint Nicholas appeared at the stern at the helm, began to steer the ship, and brought it safely to the harbor.

Not only believers turned to him, but also pagans, and the saint responded with his unfailing miraculous help to all who sought it. In those saved by him from bodily troubles, he aroused repentance for sins and a desire to improve their lives.

According to St. Andrew of Crete, Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to people burdened with various disasters, gave them help and saved them from death: “With his deeds and virtuous life, St. Nicholas shone in the Worlds, like a morning star among the clouds, like a beautiful month in his full moon. For the Church of Christ, he was a brightly shining sun, adorned Her, like a lily at the source, was for Her a fragrant world!

The Lord vouchsafed His great Saint to live to a ripe old age. But the time came when he, too, had to repay the common debt of human nature. After a short illness, he died peacefully on December 6, 342, and was buried in the cathedral church of the city of Mira.

During his lifetime, St. Nicholas was a benefactor of the human race; he did not cease to be them even after his death. The Lord vouchsafed his honest body of incorruption and special miraculous power. His relics began - and continue to this day - to exude a fragrant myrrh, which has the gift of miracles.

Along with this book, you received the Zaraisk icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, or Nicholas of Zaraisk, one of the most famous and revered ancient images of the saint.

They pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for the upbringing of children, for peace in the family, for deliverance from poverty and poverty, for the aversion of fornication or encroachment, for pilgrims, sailors, travelers, for deliverance from bonds or death, for the strengthening and purity of the Orthodox faith ... List everything impossible. There is no situation in which Nicholas the Wonderworker would not help.

Prayer to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

O great intercessor, the bishop of God, blessed Nicholas, who shines miracles like a sunflower, who calls upon you as a quick hearer, you always anticipate and save, and deliver, and take away all kinds of troubles, from God given to you miracles and gifts of grace! Hear me unworthy, calling you with faith and bringing prayer to you singing; I offer you an intercessor for supplication to Christ. About proclaiming in miracles, the saint is high! as if you have boldness, soon stand before the Lord, and reverence your hands in prayer to Him, stretch out for me a sinner, and from Him give bounties of goodness, and accept me as your intercession, and deliver me from all troubles and evils, from the invasion of enemies visible and invisible freeing, and destroying all those slanders and malice, and reflecting those who fight me in my whole life; ask for my transgression, ask for a petition, and present me to Christ and save the Kingdom of Heaven for the multitude of that philanthropy, he deserves all glory, honor and worship, with his Father without beginning, and with the Most Holy and Good and Life-giving Spirit, now and forever and forever centuries.

From the compiler

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, or Nicholas the Pleasant, is one of the most beloved and revered Orthodox saints in Russia. He is the heavenly patron of the military, sailors and travelers, the protector of prisoners and orphans, the formidable exposer of the evil, "the feeder of the poor and the wealth of the poor." By the way, the Catholic Santa Claus, who brings gifts to children and fulfills their most cherished desires at Christmas, is also none other than Nikolai Ugodnik. According to St. Andrew of Crete, Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to people burdened with various disasters, gave them help and saved them from death: “With his deeds and virtuous life, St. Nicholas shone in the Worlds, like a morning star among the clouds, like a beautiful month in his full moon. For the Church of Christ, he was a brightly shining sun, adorned Her, like a lily at the source, was for Her a fragrant world! Saint Nicholas is an amazing saint. A Greek by nationality, who lived in the 4th century in Lycia (south of present-day Turkey), St. Nicholas is glorified throughout the world, but especially in Russia. In many Russian cities there are churches dedicated to St. Nicholas, in almost every house there used to be a revered icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. It is to him, like no one else, that they turn for help in everyday needs, he is revered as the quickest helper in troubles and sorrows.

“The extraordinary veneration of St. Nicholas in Russia misleads many: they believe that he allegedly came from there,” wrote in his book “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Life, Miracles, Traditions” by Italian Dominican priest Gerardo Cioffari.

As Orthodox writers note, the reason for such a large-scale veneration is simple - it is not long in coming, almost instantaneous help from God, sent through the prayers of this greatest saint. People who at least once turned to the saint with a prayer of faith and hope are certainly aware of this. Not only believers turned to him, but also pagans, and the saint responded with his unfailing miraculous help to all who sought it.

The life of Nicholas the Wonderworker is very modest, and, in fact, not very much is known about his earthly life. On the other hand, entire volumes have been compiled on the basis of testimonies of countless and amazing miracles that happened through prayers to St. Nicholas after his death and continue to be performed to this day.

In this edition you will find a story about the many miracles of St. Nicholas, including those that happened quite recently - in the modern history of Russia.

At the end of the book, we give an akathist to St. Nicholas - a collection of special prayers with which everyone can turn to the Pleasant of God. And we are sure that the ambulance of the Saint will not keep you waiting.

Word of the Patriarch: Living Memory

From the sermon of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the day of memory of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia:

“On December 19, our Church solemnly glorifies the memory of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, the Wonderworker. Saint Nicholas lived at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th century. We are separated from him by almost 1,700 years, and during all these centuries his memory is carefully preserved in the Church, because he lived an amazing life, acquiring tremendous strength of spirit, and with his fervent faith approached God so much that God gave him a special strength - strength perform miracles.

The memory of the Church is its tradition. When we study history, we know about some historical events, but we rarely remember them, and very often we forget what we were taught at school or at a university. This is a dead memory - it does not live, it does not activate spiritual forces, it does not constantly affect the mind of a person. But the memory preserved in the Church, the tradition of the Church, is a living memory; it is supported and fertilized by sincere prayer, which a person offers to those whom he remembers - the saints of God.

Our memory of St. Nicholas is so alive that we sometimes turn to him every day, asking him to help in our lives. And we get an answer from him - our prayers come true ... "

About the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

The future saint was born in the second half of the 3rd century in the seaside city of Patara, on the Lycia Peninsula, on the southern coast of Asia Minor. Now it is the territory of Turkey. The city of Patara, where the saint was born, completely disappeared from the face of the earth, and the ancient great empire of the World of Lycians was reduced to the size of a village with a population of several thousand (Demre, Kale). Asia Minor in that era belonged to the Hellenic civilization. And, despite its nominal entry into the Roman Empire, researchers consider St. Nicholas a "Greek." His Greek name Nikolaos means "conquering people". His parents were noble and very wealthy. At the same time, they were virtuous and pious Christians, merciful to the poor and zealous to God. Very little is known about the saint's childhood. Following the example of his parents, Nikolai grew up merciful and kind. Little Nikolai avoided the noisy games of his peers, trying to follow the gospel precepts. When the boy grew up, his parents sent him to study. He was gifted with a sharp mind and especially liked to read books, and above all, the books of the Holy Scriptures. From early childhood, Saint Nicholas fell in love with the church, where he spent a lot of time. Parents especially took care of his upbringing and tried to instill in his son the truths of Christianity and direct him to a righteous life.

The bishop of the city of Patara learned about the young man, who stood out among other young people for his virtues and strict ascetic life. He advised his parents to give him to the service of the Lord. They readily agreed. The bishop ordained Nicholas to the clergy, after which Saint Nicholas began to lead an even more strict ascetic life.

Mysterious benefactor

Nikolai's parents died, leaving their son a rich inheritance. For the young priest there was no doubt that the wealth he had inherited should be used for the glory of God and to help people. And the Lord soon gave him the opportunity to do a godly deed.

In the neighborhood of St. Nicholas lived a man who was once noble and rich, but by that time had fallen into extreme poverty. Having exhausted all the possibilities for getting out of a difficult situation, he, in despair, decided to send his daughters to shame - to sell the body. Saint Nicholas decided to save both his father and his daughters.

Youth of Nicholas

Taking a bag of gold, at midnight, when everyone was asleep and could not see him, he went to the wretched dwelling in which the former rich man now huddled, and threw the gold inside through the window, and he hurriedly returned home. What was the joy of the unfortunate father when in the morning he found gold: now he could provide his eldest daughter with a dowry without dishonoring her and his honor. Bewilderment was mixed with joy: who is he - his secret benefactor, whom to thank for such generosity? Deciding that the Providence of God Himself sent him this help, he thanked the Lord and was soon able to marry his eldest daughter.

Saint Nicholas, seeing that his beneficence had borne the proper fruit and that one wedding had already been played, decided to bring the matter to an end. One night, he again secretly threw another bag of gold into the poor man's hut through the window.

The father soon gave the second daughter to the deputy. Hoping that the Lord would show mercy to the third daughter in the same way, the poor man decided at all costs to recognize his secret benefactor and worthily thank him. To do this, he did not sleep at night and waited for an unknown secret guest.

He did not have to wait long: soon, and for the third time, Nikolai came to the aid of a poor neighbor. Hearing the sound of falling gold, the father ran out of the house and caught up with his benefactor. Recognizing in him his neighbor Nicholas, he fell at his feet, kissed them and thanked him for saving him from spiritual death.

Mysterious benefactor

Saint Nicholas took the word from the head of the family that he would not tell anyone who was helping him. Soon, the third daughter of the poor man successfully and happily married, his trading business went smoothly, and he also began to help people.

Saint Nicholas continued to help those in need. As the compilers of ancient texts write, it is impossible even briefly to tell how many hungry people he fed in his native city, how many naked he dressed, how many debtors he redeemed.

And, although St. Nicholas, avoiding worldly fame, tried to do works of mercy in secret, the rumor about his generosity spread throughout the city. The bishop appreciated the young man and ordained Nicholas to the presbyter. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Vladyka prophetically predicted to the people in the church: “Brothers! I see a new sun rising above the earth. Blessed is the flock that is worthy to have him as their shepherd, for he will save the souls of the lost, satiate them in the pasture of piety, and be a merciful helper in troubles and sorrows.”

A beggar becomes a bishop

Avoiding public fame, Presbyter Nicholas decided to leave his native city, where he was well known and honored. The Lord brought him to Myra, the capital of Lycia.

Here he began to live like a beggar, not having his own corner, and spent all his time in the temple of God. Saint Nicholas humbled himself so much that the Lord, “who humiliates the proud and exalts the humble,” did not fail to exalt him.

A beggar becomes a bishop

Just at that time, the archbishop died - the main clergyman of the city of Myra and the entire Lycian church. On this occasion, bishops from neighboring dioceses arrived in the capital to choose a successor to the deceased. Much was proposed for the election of intelligent and honest people, but there was no general agreement. The bishops prayed for a long time, asking the Lord to point to the most worthy. And the Lord heard the prayer of His servants: in a dream, He commanded the oldest of the bishops to appoint the one who first comes to the temple to the bishops of the World of Lycia, and even called the name of this person - Nicholas. Having prayed together, the bishops decided that if all this happened, then a glorious future as a shepherd would be prepared for the new Hierarch.

The bishop, who had a vision, went to the temple in the evening and quietly stood in the porch. As usual, Saint Nicholas was the first to come to the temple. "What is your name?" the bishop asked him. Learning that the early pilgrim's name was Nicholas, he led him to the audience. Doubts about whom to put at the head of the Church, the bishops fell away by themselves.

Saint Nicholas refused such a high rank, considering himself unworthy. But the will of God was obvious - and soon Nicholas became the saint of the World of Lycia.

Significant and wide were the duties of the bishop at that time: he not only had to teach his spiritual children the true faith, but also take care of their everyday needs, arrange their affairs, resolve disputes, lawsuits and complaints, reconcile ... Now the life of Nicholas did not belong to him , but to his flock: the doors of his house did not close, he equally helped both the mighty of this world and the poor, was the father of orphans, the breadwinner of the poor, the comforter of the weeping, the intercessor of the offended ...

Test time

The time of trials was approaching... In the 300s, the Church of Christ was persecuted by Emperor Diocletian: temples were destroyed, divine and liturgical books were burned, clergymen were imprisoned and tortured, Christians were persecuted and tortured. So, in Nicomedia alone (the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire), twenty thousand Christians were burned in the temple on Easter Day.

Saint Nicholas in these difficult days supported his flock in faith, loudly and openly preaching the name of God, for which he was imprisoned. There, despite hunger, thirst and suffering, Archbishop Mir of Lycia strengthened the prisoners in the faith so that they were ready to suffer for Christ. The saint spent quite a long time in captivity…

With the accession in 323 of Emperor Constantine the Great, the persecution of Christians ceased, and Saint Nicholas again became the head of his flock, zealously asserting the Orthodox faith, eradicating heresies and paganism. At his direction, the temple of Artemis, the main urban center of paganism, was destroyed in the Worlds.

At that time, strong unrest broke out in connection with the heresy, the beginning of which was laid by a contemporary of St. Nicholas, the priest from Alexandria Arius (256-336). The church has been rocked by a stormy theological controversy about the nature of Jesus Christ—whether the Son of God is equal (or not) to His Heavenly Father. Tough disputes literally split the Empire in two. Arius denied the Divine nature of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To appease the Church, Emperor Constantine convened in 325 the First Ecumenical (Nicene) Council. Among the 318 bishops present at the Council was Saint Nicholas of Myra.

There is a legend that during one of the conciliar sessions, unable to endure the blasphemy of Arius, Saint Nicholas rewarded the heretic with a slap in the face. The Fathers of the Council considered such an act excessive, they deprived the saint of the bishopric and imprisoned him in a prison tower.

At night, the imprisoned Wonderworker had a vision: Christ and His Most Pure Mother appeared to him in prison. The Lord Jesus Christ gave Saint Nicholas the Gospel, and the Most Holy Theotokos placed an omophorion on him.

Test time

At the same time, several participants in the Council received the same vision. The bishops saw Nicholas imprisoned. On the left side of the prisoner stood the Savior, giving him the Gospel, and on the right, the Mother of God, laying on him the holy omophorion. The bishops went to the dungeon and saw Nicholas, dressed in an omophorion, with the Gospel in his hand. Saint Nicholas was immediately released from custody, restored to his former rank, and glorified as a great Pleasure of God...

The Council of Nicaea condemned the heresy of Arius and compiled the "Symbol of Faith", which we hear every service in churches and say during morning prayers.

Upon his return from the Council, St. Nicholas continued his beneficent pastoral activity in the organization of the Church of Christ: he confirmed Christians in the faith, converted pagans to the true faith and admonished heretics, thereby saving them from death. He performed many miracles, having labored for many years in his service at the See of Mirliki.

Selected miracles of St. Nicholas, which he performed during his lifetime

savior of the hungry

Concerned about the spiritual nourishment of his flock, Saint Nicholas did not forget about their bodily needs: thus, when a terrible famine set in Lycia, the good shepherd worked a miracle to save the starving. The saint appeared in a dream to a merchant in Italy, who was loading his ship with bread, gave him three gold coins as a deposit, and ordered him to sail to the city of Myra. Waking up, the merchant found three gold coins clutched in his hand. Realizing that this was a command from above, he brought his ship to Lycia, and the starving people were saved. Here the merchant told about the vision, and the townspeople recognized their archpastor from his description.

Rescue of the starving

Father Gerardo Cioffari, director of the St. Nicholas Research Center and head of the Archive and Library of the Basilica of St. Nicholas, gives another episode about the salvation of the starving by St. Nicholas.

The saint learned that ships with grain had left Alexandria for Constantinople. When the ships moored in the Lycian Worlds, the saint went on deck of one of the ships and asked the captain to pour a little bit of grain from each ship to the hungry inhabitants. The captain categorically refused, explaining that the grain was received from Egypt, and he was obliged to deliver the cargo inviolable (the weight of the grain during unloading was carefully controlled by the receivers). And in case of violation of the order, he will face the most serious troubles. Nikolai continued to softly appeal to the captain's mercy and eventually managed to convince him. The population gladly received bread, satisfied their hunger and sowed the empty fields with grain, which gave a bountiful harvest in subsequent years.

The captain, meanwhile, continued on his way to Constantinople in great anxiety. But, to his amazement, the weight of the bread brought there remained exactly the same as it was when loaded in Alexandria.

This miracle with bread became one of the foundations of the widest veneration of St. Nicholas among the peasant farmers.

And in Italy, according to Father Gerardo Cioffari, the tradition of Nikolin's bread was born: in Bari, during the celebration of the memory of the transfer of the relics of the Saint, pilgrims in the past received bagels (locally, taralli) on a special bunch.

Defender of the innocent

Saint Nicholas was famous as the pacifier of the warring, the defender of the innocently condemned and the deliverer from vain death.

In the last years of the reign of Constantine the Great, a rebellion broke out in Phrygia. To pacify him, an army was sent there under the command of three stratilates (voivodes): Nepotian, Urs and Herpilion. Their ships were washed up by a storm to the shores of Lycia, where they had to stand for a long time. Supplies were depleted, the soldiers began to rob the population, which resisted, there was even a fierce battle near the city of Plakomat. Upon learning of this, Saint Nicholas personally arrived there, put an end to the hostility, and then, together with three governors, went to Phrygia, where with a kind word and exhortation, without the use of military force, he pacified the rebellion. Here he was told bad news: during his absence from Mirs, the mayor of the capital, Eustathius, innocently condemned to death three citizens slandered by enemies. Saint Nicholas hurried home, and with him were the three tsar's governors, who were imbued with strong reverence for the kind bishop who had rendered them such a great service.

They arrived in the Worlds at the very moment of execution. The executioner was already raising his sword to behead the unfortunate, but Saint Nicholas snatched the sword from him with an authoritative hand and ordered the release of the innocently condemned. None of those present dared to resist him: everyone understood that the will of God was being done. The three royal governors marveled at this, not suspecting that soon they themselves would need the miraculous intercession of the saint.

Returning to the royal court, Nepotian, Ursus and Herpilion earned the honor and favor of the king. By this they aroused envy and enmity on the part of other courtiers, who slandered the three governors before the king, telling the ruler that they were trying to seize power.

Savior of the innocent

Envious slanderers managed to convince the king: the governors who had just been in honor and mercy were imprisoned and condemned to death. The prison guard warned them that the execution should take place the very next day. The innocently condemned began to fervently pray to God, asking for intercession through St. Nicholas. On the same night, the Pleasant of God appeared in a dream to the king and imperiously demanded the release of three governors, threatening to revolt and deprive the king of power.

“Who are you that you dare to demand and threaten the king?”

“I am Nicholas, Archbishop of the Lycian World!”

Waking up, the king began to think about what he saw in a dream. On the same night, St. Nicholas appeared in a dream to the head of the city, Evlavius, and demanded the release of the innocently condemned.

The king called Eulavius to him and, having learned that he had the same vision, ordered three governors to be brought.

"What witchcraft are you doing to give me and Eulavius visions in a dream?" the tsar asked and told them about the appearance of St. Nicholas.

“We don’t do any witchcraft,” the governors answered, “but we ourselves had previously witnessed how this bishop saved innocent people in the Worlds from the death penalty!”

The king ordered to consider their case and, convinced of their innocence, released them.

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, a miracle worker, became famous as a great saint of God. He was born in the city of Patara, Lycian region (on the southern coast of Asia Minor), was the only son of pious parents Theophan and Nonna, who vowed to dedicate him to God. The fruit of long prayers to the Lord of childless parents, the infant Nicholas, from the day of his birth, showed people the light of his future glory as a great miracle worker. His mother, Nonna, was immediately healed of her illness after giving birth. The newborn baby, still in the baptismal font, stood on his feet for three hours, supported by no one, thereby giving honor to the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas in infancy began a fasting life, taking mother's milk on Wednesdays and Fridays only once a day, after the evening prayers of his parents.

From childhood, Nicholas excelled in the study of the Divine Scriptures; during the day he did not leave the temple, but at night he prayed and read books, building in himself a worthy dwelling of the Holy Spirit. His uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patara, rejoicing at his nephew's spiritual success and high piety, made him a reader, and then elevated Nicholas to the priesthood, making him his assistant and instructing him to preach to the flock. Serving the Lord, the young man burned with spirit, and with experience in matters of faith he was like an old man, which aroused the astonishment and deep respect of believers.

Icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

Constantly working and awake, being in unceasing prayer, Presbyter Nicholas showed great mercy to his flock, coming to the aid of the afflicted, and distributing all his possessions to the poor. Having learned about the bitter need and poverty of one previously rich resident of his city, Saint Nicholas saved him from a great sin. Having three adult daughters, the desperate father planned to give them to fornication to save them from hunger. The saint, grieving for the perishing sinner, at night secretly threw three sacks of gold out of the window, and thereby saved the family from falling and spiritual death. When giving alms, St. Nicholas always tried to do it secretly and hide his good deeds.

Going to worship the holy places in Jerusalem, the Bishop of Patara handed over the management of the flock to Saint Nicholas, who fulfilled his obedience with diligence and love. When the bishop returned, he in turn asked for blessings to travel to the Holy Land. On the way, the saint predicted an impending storm, threatening the ship with sinking, for he saw the Devil himself entering the ship. At the request of desperate travelers, he pacified the waves of the sea with his prayer. Through his prayer, one sailor-shipman, who fell from the mast and crashed to death, was made healthy.

Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery. Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Having reached the ancient city of Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas ascended Golgotha, gave thanks to the Savior of the human race and went around all the holy places, worshiping and praying. At night on Mount Zion, the locked doors of the church opened of their own accord in front of the great pilgrim who had come. Having bypassed the shrines associated with the earthly ministry of the Son of God, Saint Nicholas decided to retire to the desert, but was stopped by a Divine voice, admonishing him to return to his homeland. Returning to Lycia, the saint, striving for a silent life, joined the brotherhood of the monastery called Holy Zion. However, the Lord again announced a different path awaiting him: “Nicholas, this is not the field on which you should bear the fruit I expect; but turn and go into the world, and may My Name be glorified in you.”

Icon "St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. 1630s
Located in the Novodevichy Convent in Moscow.

In a vision, the Lord gave him the Gospel in an expensive salary, and the Most Holy Theotokos - an omophorion. Indeed, after the death of Archbishop John, he was elected Bishop of the World of Lycia, after one of the bishops of the Council, which decided the issue of electing a new archbishop, was indicated in a vision by God's chosen one - St. Nicholas. Called to shepherd the Church of God in the rank of bishop, Saint Nicholas remained the same great ascetic, showing his flock an image of meekness, gentleness and love for people. This was especially dear to the Lycian Church during the persecution of Christians under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Bishop Nicholas, imprisoned along with other Christians, supported them and exhorted them to firmly endure the bonds, torture and torment. The Lord preserved him unharmed.

Icon of Saint Nicholas. Mid 16th century. Comes from the Feodorovsky Cathedral of the Feodorovsky Convent in Pereslavl-Zalessky. Collection of the Pereslavl Museum.

Upon the accession of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, Saint Nicholas was returned to his flock, who gladly met their mentor and intercessor. Despite the great meekness of spirit and purity of heart, St. Nicholas was a zealous and daring warrior of the Church of Christ. Fighting with the spirits of malice, the saint went around the pagan temples and temples in the city of Myra and its environs, crushing idols and turning the temples to dust. In the year 325, Saint Nicholas was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council, which adopted the Nicene Creed, and fought with Saints Sylvester, the Pope of Rome, Alexander of Alexandria, Spyridon of Trimyphuntus and others from 318 Holy Fathers of the Council against the heretic Arius.

Icon of Saint Nicholas. Temple icon of the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov in St. Petersburg.

In the heat of denunciation, Saint Nicholas, burning with zeal for the Lord, even struck the false teacher on the cheek, for which he was deprived of his hierarchal omophorion and placed under guard. However, it was revealed to several holy fathers in a vision that the Lord Himself and the Mother of God consecrated the saint as a bishop, giving him the Gospel and the omophorion. The Fathers of the Council, realizing that the boldness of a saint is pleasing to God, glorified the Lord, and restored His holy saint to the rank of saint. Returning to his diocese, the saint brought peace and blessing to it, sowing the word of Truth, nipping at the very roots unreason and vain sophistication, denouncing inveterate heretics and healing the fallen and those who deviated out of ignorance.

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra. Beginning of the 17th century. Moscow. Collection of the State Tretyakov Gallery.
Located in the church-museum of St. Nicholas in Tolmachi.
Other icons of the Tretyakov Gallery.

He was truly the Light of the World and the Salt of the Earth, for his life was light and his word was dissolved in the salt of wisdom. Even during his lifetime, the saint performed many miracles. Of these, deliverance from the death of three men who had been unjustly condemned by the greedy mayor brought the greatest glory to the saint. The saint boldly approached the executioner and held his sword, already raised above the heads of the condemned. The mayor, convicted by St. Nicholas of untruth, repented and asked him for forgiveness. At the same time, three military leaders sent by Emperor Constantine to Phrygia were present. They did not yet suspect that they would soon also have to seek the intercession of St. Nicholas, since they had been undeservedly slandered before the emperor and doomed to death.

Appearing in a dream to Constantine Equal-to-the-Apostles, Saint Nicholas urged him to release the unjustly sentenced to death military leaders who, while in prison, prayerfully called for the help of the saint. He performed many other miracles as he labored in his ministry for many years. Through the prayers of the saint, the city of Mira was saved from a severe famine. Appearing in a dream to an Italian merchant and leaving him as a pledge three gold coins, which he found in his hand, waking up the next morning, he asked him to sail to the city of Mira and sell life there. More than once the saint saved those drowning in the sea, led them out of captivity and imprisonment in dungeons.

Ark with a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas in the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Nikolo-Ugreshsky Monastery.

Having reached a ripe old age, Saint Nicholas peacefully departed to the Lord (+ 342-351). His honest relics were kept incorruptible in the local cathedral church and exuded a healing myrrh, from which many received healings.

In the 11th century, the Greek empire was going through a difficult time. The Turks devastated its possessions in Asia Minor, ravaged cities and villages, killing their inhabitants and accompanying their cruelties with insulting holy temples, relics, icons and books. Muslims attempted to destroy the relics of St. Nicholas, deeply revered by the entire Christian world.

Carved image of St. Nicholas "Nicholas of Mozhaisk" of the 14th century with picturesque hallmarks of the 17th century.
Nikolsky Church of the Vysotsky Serpukhov Monastery.

In 792, the caliph Aharon al-Rashid sent the chief of the fleet, Humaid, to sack the island of Rhodes. Having devastated this island, Humaid went to the Lycian Worlds with the intention of breaking open the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead of it, he broke open another, standing next to the tomb of the Saint. As soon as the blasphemers had time to do this, a terrible storm arose on the sea and almost all the ships were wrecked.

The desecration of shrines revolted not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Especially feared for the relics of St. Nicholas were Christians in Italy, among whom were many Greeks. Residents of the city of Bar, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of St. Nicholas.

Novospassky Monastery in Moscow.

In 1087, baronial and Venetian merchants went to Antioch to trade. Both of them planned to take the relics of St. Nicholas on the way back and transport them to Italy. In this intention, the inhabitants of Bar were ahead of the Venetians and were the first to land in Myra. Two people were sent forward, who, returning, reported that everything was quiet in the city, and in the church where the greatest shrine rests, they met only four monks. Immediately 47 people, armed, went to the church of St. Nicholas.

The watchman monks, not suspecting anything, showed them the platform, under which the tomb of the saint was hidden, where, according to custom, strangers were anointed with myrrh from the relics of the Saint.

Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery. Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Methodius Peshnoshsky.

At the same time, the monk told about the appearance on the eve of St. Nicholas to one elder. In this vision, the Saint ordered that his relics be more carefully preserved. This story inspired the baryans; they saw for themselves in this phenomenon the permission and, as it were, an indication of the Holy One. To facilitate their actions, they revealed their intentions to the monks and offered them a ransom - 300 gold coins. The watchmen refused the money and wanted to notify the inhabitants of the misfortune that threatened them. But the aliens tied them up and placed their guards at the door. They broke the church platform, under which stood the tomb with the relics.

Icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker. Fragment. Nicholas Church in Kolomna.
Image from the page

In this matter, the young man Matthew was especially diligent, wishing to discover the relics of the Saint as soon as possible. In impatience, he broke the lid and the gentlemen saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the baryans, presbyters Lupp and Drogo, made a litia, after which the same Matthew began to extract the relics of the Saint from the sarcophagus overflowing with the world. This happened on April 20, 1087.

Temple icon of St. Nicholas Church in Kolomna - St. Nikola Zaraisky with life. A copy of an early 16th-century icon, copied from a 13th-century original.
Image from the page “Mystery of the name. Version one" of the book "Temple of Nikola Gostiny in Kolomna".

In view of the absence of the ark, presbyter Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the baryans, transferred them to the ship. The released monks told the city the sad news about the theft of the relics of the Miracle Worker by foreigners. Crowds of people gathered on the shore, but it was too late ...

On May 8, the ships sailed to Bar, and soon the good news spread throughout the city. The next day, May 9, the relics of St. Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the church of St. Stephen, located not far from the sea. The celebration of the transfer of the shrine was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, which aroused even greater reverence for the great saint of God. A year later, a church was built in the name of St. Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.

Carved wooden icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the village of Zabelino, Ryazan region, which miraculously escaped destruction in the Soviet era and was later transferred to
Image from the page "Renaissance" of the book "Temple of Nikola Gostiny in Kolomna".

The event associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas caused a special veneration of the Wonderworker and was marked by the establishment of a special holiday on May 9 (May 22 according to the new style). In the beginning, the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by the inhabitants of the Italian city of Bar. In other countries of the Christian East and West, it was not accepted, despite the fact that the transfer of relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom of honoring mainly local shrines, characteristic of the Middle Ages. In addition, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this date, because the loss of the relics of the Saint was a sad event for Her.

Temple icon "Nikola Radovitsky", Church of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna. The icon was found in the attic of one of the houses near Yegorievsk. A piece of the relics of St. Nicholas was brought from Mount Athos. Those who pray before this icon receive the gift of childbearing.
Image from the page "Renaissance" of the book "Temple of Nikola Gostiny in Kolomna".

By the Russian Orthodox Church, the celebration of the memory of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Bar on May 9 was established shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, who passed from Greece simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. The faith of the Russian people in the inexhaustible help of the Pleasant of God was marked by countless miracles.

Honored image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. 15th century Nicholas Church of the Vysotsky Monastery. From the page of the Shrine of the Monastery of the book Serpukhov of the Most Pure Mother of God Vysotsky Monastery.

Numerous churches and monasteries have been erected and are being erected in honor of St. Nicholas, and children are named after him at baptism. Numerous miraculous icons of the great saint have been preserved in Russia.

Saint Father Nicholas, pray to God for us.

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