NICHOLAY UGODNIK
NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER
Nikolai Ugodnik was born in Lycia in the city of Patara (Turkey) on September 26, 258 in the morning at 4 hours 30 minutes.
His parents, father Feovan and mother Nonna, were a wealthy family. They were distinguished by their kindness and always helped everyone in need. There were two daughters in the family, but Feovan really dreamed of an heir. A caravan route passed through their city. Travelers and wanderers often stayed in the house of Feovan and Nonna. Never refusing anyone lodging or food, the hospitable hosts did not take money from the travelers, but only asked them to pray to their gods for them - let them send them a boy-heir.
Nicholas's parents themselves worshiped the Sun God - Mithra, like most of their fellow Lycians, who came from Tibet in ancient times to populate these lands. Christianity spread very slowly in those days, constantly being subjected to severe persecution. It was still a long way off until the Christian faith was recognized as the state religion.
Saint Nicholas (icon from the monastery of St. Catherine, 13th century)
When Feovan turned 50 and Nonna was 48 years old, they had a son, whose name they gave Nicholas. Subsequently they began to call him Nikolai. The boy grew up to be a very affectionate and kind child. That atmosphere of kindness, love, and compassion for people that reigned in his parents’ house left an imprint on the formation of the child’s character from childhood. Nicholas could spend hours listening to stories about different countries, extraordinary people, all kinds of exploits and good deeds. His father began to take care of the boy early. At two years old, Nicholas knew all the letters, and at three years old he could already read syllables. The child chose his teacher himself. One Sunday, he and his father were walking around the city, and their path ran past the square where slave trade was taking place. Four-year-old Nick approached the platform where the slaves stood, took one of them by the hand and led him to his father. The numb crowd stood with their mouths open, and no one could move. In those days, if you approached a slave at a distance of one meter, it was considered that you had already greatly defiled yourself. Therefore, the owner gave instructions to his workers only while standing on the porch of the house at a distance of at least three meters from them. Slaves performed heavy labor outside the home. Only poor civilians worked inside the house.
When Nicholas brought the slave to his father with the words: “He will be my teacher,” Feovan was a little confused at first. But there was so much pleading in his son’s eyes, his face shone with such a blissful smile that the loving father could not refuse his son. As it turned out, the chosen slave was the son of a rich man from Syria, was taught to read and write and knew three languages. He left home at 17 and traveled a lot. He joined the first Christians, was baptized, receiving a new name - John. When the community was persecuted and destroyed, he was sold into slavery.
It was from this teacher that Nicholas first heard about Jesus, about the Guardian Angels who protect us. The story made an indelible impression on the boy. And then Nicholas told his teacher in great confidence that when he was three years old, he ran away from his mother and hid from her in the bushes near the pond, and when he began to get out of there, he slipped and fell into the water. He began to drown, when suddenly two men dressed all in white and with wings grabbed him by the arms and carried him out of the water. He woke up already on the shore of the pond when his mother and father ran up to him.
When Nicholas was 12 years old, a wanderer with a large white beard stopped at his parents' house. This man had a long conversation with the teacher in the evening about something. The next morning, the teacher gave Nicholas the manuscript to read, but asked him not to tell anyone about it. Nicholas, left alone, began to read these sheets on which the Gospel of Matthew was written. After reading it, he did not leave his room for almost two days, causing all his loved ones to worry. On the morning of the third day, Nicholas left the room and approached the teacher. His first words were: “I want to serve Jesus Christ!”
He asked the teacher to find and point out to him those who had already accepted the faith of Christ. Since their faith was persecuted, Christians tried not to gather in groups unnecessarily. Only occasionally did they conduct their meetings in conditions of complete secrecy and secrecy. Nicholas had to wait two months until he was able to attend a secret meeting of Christians and be baptized. On May 28, 270, Nicholas was baptized. The rite of baptism in those days was not carried out the same way as it is now. They baptized one person at a time, and they had to wait in the wings, standing knee-deep in water. Nicholas waited for his turn for five hours. At the moment of baptism, he heard singing from heaven, as if the sun was shining even brighter for him at that moment. On the same day, Feovan and Nonna were baptized. Nicholas devoted his entire subsequent life to study, helping people and serving God and His Son Jesus.
He prayed a lot. He liked to do this alone, especially in the forest, under an old mighty tree. Nicholas often traveled, and also completely alone. And although in those days the Christian faith did not require celibacy from priests, Nicholas was the first who decided to devote his life only to serving God, without having a family. Since family ties would not allow him to fully do what he loves most in the world - helping people.
Nicholas noticed one girl as a child, when they were only 10 years old. Elivia was wonderful! Huge, half-face-length green eyes, long black eyelashes and wavy hair that reached almost to the knees. And despite Nicholas’s natural shyness and self-consciousness, she chose him out of the entire crowd of fans. They didn’t promise each other anything, didn’t admit anything, just each of them was sure that when the time came, they would definitely unite and be together forever. Elivia was the daughter of a small, bankrupt artisan who had nothing to feed her family. In desperation, Elivia's father took out a loan from a loan shark, which he subsequently could not pay off. And then the moneylender offered a lucrative deal - if they give him 16-year-old Elivia as his wife, he will forgive the debt and also give his father money for a new business. Elivia's father was a widower and therefore personally decided the fate of his daughter. Personally, he himself did not see any obstacles to the wedding, not even the fact that the groom was 30 years older than his daughter.
Elivia tried her best to persuade her father, but he was adamant and stood his ground. Desperate, the girl threw herself off the cliff into the lake. Almost the entire city came to see off this sweet young creature on her last journey. When the cemetery was empty, Nikolai Ugodnik knelt down and stood motionless until the morning, saying goodbye to his beloved, to his unfulfilled dream. Nicholas swore an oath on his beloved’s grave that he would never start a family again.
The next morning he announced to his parents that he was going to travel around the world in order to better understand this cruel and unjust world. Thus began his first journey. His path lay to the east, to the homeland of Jesus. It was his voice that he heard over the grave of his beloved when he was struck by the thought of leaving after her: “Take courage!!! This is not a way out, you must go east, there I will come to you and show you the way. I am telling you this - Jesus!
He set off on a long journey with a caravan of traders heading to Persia. But after 3 weeks, Nicholas decided to continue the journey on his own. Slowly continuing his journey, the young man stopped briefly in many villages, observing the life of the local residents. And only four months later Nicholas reached his final goal - the city of Jesus Christ. Having learned from the local residents where Mount Tabor was located, he, without resting, headed towards it. Nicholas spent three days on the mountain that Jesus loved so much, where he spent many days and nights, praying and preaching. On the third night, in the morning, Nicholas was awakened by a bright light. The glow began near the ground and went far into the sky. At first he didn’t even understand what it was, and when he finally woke up, his heart was beating so hard that it seemed like just a little more and it would jump out of his chest. Standing right in front of him were Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the disciples of Jesus.
Nicholas had not yet finished his thought: “I am sleeping and having a wonderful dream,” when Jesus spoke to him. The conversation was unusual, he did not hear the voice of Jesus, but his thoughts seemed to permeate Nicholas’s whole body and penetrate his heart and soul. The vision lasted 15 minutes, but it seemed like an eternity had passed. And during this time, Nicholas saw the whole life of Jesus, understood all his thoughts and feelings, learned what exactly he was striving for and what he was calling people to. After the conversation, Nicholas fell down exhausted and woke up only at lunchtime. But the young man had no feeling of hunger, and in his soul there was only a powerful desire to move forward.
Nicholas spent three days on the road, stopping only briefly to rest and drink water. Towards the end of the third day, he stopped and looked around; the road led him to the outskirts of the holy city. Nicholas climbed up a small hill. A few minutes later, he suddenly felt an insurmountable pain in his right hand, then his left hand began to ache, after a while the pain pierced his right leg, then his left leg, and when a terrible blow from an invisible spear poked him under the rib on the left side, Nicholas lost consciousness. The young man woke up only in the evening of the next day. Memories flooded back to him, everything that had happened to him in recent years flashed through his head. And Nicholas realized that in this way Jesus showed him exactly what kind of torment he suffered in this very place. He spent about two months on this hill in prayer. Nicholas marked the place where he felt the torment of Jesus with a large boulder, so that he could return here later.
The local Christian community became aware of the vision of the stranger, and at first with some doubt, but then with increasing faith, people began to come to this place to honor the memory of Jesus Christ, praying and asking him for help.
During the vision on Mount Tabor, Jesus not only spoke to him, but also endowed the young man with incredible healing powers and the gift of clairvoyance. Nicholas could hear calls for help hundreds and thousands of kilometers away. He could provide this help while being on the other side of the globe from the person asking.
Dowry for three girls (Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1425).
At the age of 20, Nicholas lost his father, and a year later his mother. The saint accepted the death of his parents calmly, knowing that sooner or later their souls would meet in the next world. Having received a rich inheritance, Nicholas begins to engage in charity work. In the city of Patara there lived a rich man who had three beautiful daughters. This rich man went broke and decided to force his daughters to engage in fornication in order to get money for food. At this time, Nicholas passed by the rich man’s house and read his thoughts, since there was so much bitterness and hopelessness in his father’s soul that it was simply impossible not to feel it. Remembering why his beloved died, Nikolai, in order to save the girls from dishonor, crept up to their house at night and quietly threw a bundle of gold out the window. The girls' father, waking up in the morning, was incredibly happy about this happiness and used the money he received to marry off his daughters. Thanks to this story, the custom of giving gifts for the New Year and Christmas arose. Saint Nicholas (translated into Dutch as Santa Claus) must enter the house unnoticed and leave a bundle with a gift under the tree while no one sees it. And from that time on, Nikolai Ugodnik began to be revered as the patron saint of children.
At the age of 26, Nicholas received the rank of presbyter, and at 30 - archbishop. After 2 years, he decides to visit Gaul (France) and goes there by ship. A week after departure, he had a vision, and Nicholas warned the captain about an approaching storm, and he was able to change his route to avoid the storm. Thus the entire crew was saved from imminent death. On this voyage, one sailor fell from the mast and was badly injured. He broke his arms and legs and did not come to his senses for a week. Nicholas began his treatment, and after two weeks the sailor was able to walk, and a month later he honestly served on the ship at full capacity.
Rescue of Sailors (Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1425)
Nikolai treated people, restored mobility to the paralyzed, restored sight to the blind and gave strength to the weak everywhere he went. Hundreds of thousands of those healed by this man prayed for him, asking God for his health and long life.
Nicholas saved Myra from hunger (he appeared in a dream to a merchant who was carrying bread by sea for sale, and persuaded him to direct the ship to Myra). Waking up, the merchant found three gold coins in his hands. He brought his ship to Myra, and the city residents were able to stock up on bread and avoid starvation.
The Byzantine emperor wanted to execute three slandered governors. The governors began to pray to Nicholas the Pleasant, and he appeared to the emperor in a dream and demanded the release of the innocent, threatening otherwise to raise an uprising that would threaten the death of the emperor. Waking up, the frightened emperor freed the governor.
Under Emperor Diocletian, Nicholas ended up in prison, where he spent two years, steadfastly enduring all the hardships that befell him. In 311 he was released from prison. Nicholas the Pleasant was not spared the persecution to which all other Christians, ministers of the church and God were subjected.
In 325, Nicholas was invited to the Council of Nicaea. He zealously defended the teachings of Jesus Christ from heretics. And when the chief of them, named Arius, proposed to remove much from the New Testament, supposedly for a better understanding and interpretation of the teaching, Nicholas, unable to restrain himself, hit him on the cheek, for which he was imprisoned by other bishops in a tower and deprived of his rank. Nikolai Ugodnik spent only one night in the tower. That same night, Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary appeared to seven bishops in a dream. The next morning, after consulting, the bishops decided to release Nicholas and return him to the rank of archbishop.
Having learned about this incident, the mother of Emperor Constantine, Saint Helena, decided to get to know this man better. They sat talking for about six hours, not noticing how quickly the time flew by. A conversation with Nikolai dispelled Elena’s last doubts, and she finally decided to go to the homeland of Jesus.
In 330, Nikolai Ugodnik visited Jerusalem for the second time. There he visited the Church of the Resurrection and venerated the saving tree of the Cross.
Nikolai Ugodnik lived to a ripe old age and died a gray-haired old man at the age of 94. He was buried in a church in Myra (Turkey) on December 6 (19), 352.
The current state of the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre. 
Interior view of the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre. 
The sarcophagus in which Saint Nicholas was buried.
After his death, Nikolai Ugodnik was canonized. His cult spread widely throughout the Christian world, and his relics became one of the most revered Christian shrines.
Transfer of relics from Mir to the city of Bari
Celebrations of the Venetians on the day of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas. Guido Reni (1575-1642), Louvre
May 9 (22) In 1087, due to frequent Turkish raids, the relics of Nicholas the Ugodnik were transferred from Mir to the city of Bari (Italy), to the Basilica of St. Nicholas, where they are located to this day.BASILICA OF ST. NICHOLAS
Basilica of St. Nicholas the Pleasant in Bari 
Altar and ciborium 
Bishop's throne
Basilica of St. Nicholas (Italian: Basilica di San Nicola) is a basilica in the city of Bari (Italy). It was built to store the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra, transferred in 1087 from the city of Myra.
When the relics of St. Nicholas were brought to the city on May 22, 1087, its Duke Roger I Borsa and Archbishop Urson were in Rome for the coronation of Pope Victor III. The relics were given for safekeeping to the abbot of the Benedictine monastery, Ilya. Upon his return, the archbishop tried to take possession of the relic, and popular unrest began. Ilya was able to convince Urson to abandon his intentions and the abbot was instructed to build a temple to store the relics.
The site for the construction of the temple was chosen in the city center on the territory of the “catapenal citadel” (a place for holding official events and ceremonies). The land was donated to the church by Duke Roger. In 1089, the basilica was consecrated, and the relics of St. Nicholas were placed in its crypt. Soon after its construction, the church became the site of major historical events: in 1095, Peter of Amiens preached the First Crusade there; in 1098, a church council was held in the basilica under the chairmanship of Pope Urban II on the issue of unifying the Western and Eastern churches, which was unsuccessful.
Construction work continued until 1105. In 1156, during the capture of the city by William I the Evil, the basilica was damaged and was restored in 1160.
The basilica was the court chapel of Emperor Frederick II, and during the Angevin dynasty it had the status of a palace temple.
Major restoration work was carried out between 1928 and 1956. During their course, a sarcophagus-reliquary with the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was found under the altar of the basilica (1951). It is made in the form of a small stone ossuary with a hole for collecting the world.
Since 1969, taking into account the ecumenistic policy of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, as a sign of friendship, respect and deep union with the Orthodox, the Orthodox are given the right to serve together in the crypt of the basilica.
The basilica has three naves 39 meters long, a vaulted transept 31.5 meters long, the naves end with apses. The width of the central nave is 12.5 meters, the side ones - 6.5. From the outside, the apses are closed by straight walls with false arcades, which gives the temple a rectangular shape. The façade is divided into three parts by pilasters, on the sides there are two towers between which rises a central pillar. The entrance portal is decorated with carvings on the theme of the Eucharist (early 12th century). The portico of the portal is supported by columns resting on figures of bulls; in the lunette there is a relief with a solar chariot and a triumphant, symbolizing Jesus Christ. The pediment is topped with a winged sphinx.
The basilica is decorated with sculptural decoration, some of which (reliefs, capitals, cornices) were borrowed from more ancient Byzantine buildings. OK. 1130 the throne and ciborium were created (decorated with capitals and angels), in the middle. XII century a bishop's throne appeared, carved from a single piece of marble.
Tomb of St. Nicholas Many people are healed near these relics. From time to time they exude fragrant myrrh, which has healing powers.
Many miracles happened and are happening after his death.
At the beginning, the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by residents of the Italian city of Bari. In other countries of the Christian East and West it was not accepted, despite the fact that the transfer of relics was widely known. The Greek Church also did not establish the celebration of this date, perhaps because the loss of the relics of the Saint was a sad event for it.
In Rus' in the 11th century. veneration of the saint spreads quite quickly and everywhere. The Russian Orthodox Church established the commemoration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari on May 9 shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already strengthened veneration of the great saint of God by the Russian people. Archbishop Filaret of Chernigov believed that in the Russian Church the holiday in honor of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was established in 1091. Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow and Kolomna believed that the holiday was established by Metropolitan John II of Kyiv (1077-1089). Archpriest Nikolai Pogrebnyak believes that the Feast in honor of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was established by the Church, apparently by St. Ephraim (c. 1098). According to D.G. Khrustalev, this holiday appeared in Rus' in 1092.
The holiday is widely celebrated in the Russian and Bulgarian churches. In Serbia, the church holiday of Glory of the Cross is celebrated, and the Glory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is the most common.
This holiday is rarely celebrated by Catholics outside the Italian city of Bari.
March 1, 2009 The church in honor of St. Nicholas (built in 1913 - 1917), together with the Compound of the Russian Orthodox Church in Bari, was transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev accepted the symbolic keys to the courtyard.
The statue of the saint next to the temple was sculpted by Zurab Tsereteli
In 2009, a group from the University of Manchester (University of Manchester, Unit of Art in Medicine), led by Caroline Wilkinson, compiled a reconstruction of Nikolai's face using X-rays and craniological measurements of Professor Martino.
An anthropological study of the relics indicates that the great saint did not eat meat, but only ate plant foods. The height of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was also determined - 167 centimeters.
Nikolai Ugodnik is the Guardian Angel of male babies born in mid-December and named Nikolai.
It helps sailors, travelers, children and those in prison. He helps everyone who turns to him for help.
Velikoretsk Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Velikoretsk Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
According to legend, the icon was found in 1383 by the peasant Semyon Agalakov on the banks of the Velikaya River in the Vyatka Region - near the village of Krutitsy. A radiance emanated from the icon. After the icon healed one of the village residents who could not walk, a pilgrimage to the icon begins. At the site of its discovery, on the banks of the Velikaya River, a wooden chapel is being built.
Velikoretskoe.
With the growing popularity of the icon, it was transferred to the capital of the Vyatka Territory - the city of Khlynov and placed in the main Temple of the city, built in the name of St. Procopius of Ustyug. The transfer of the icon from the village of Krutitsy to the city of Khlynov is called the First Velikoretsk religious procession. Since then, the Velikoretsk religious procession has been held annually - to return the icon to the place of its glorious appearance. Soon, in honor of the icon, St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in Khlynov, which became the main temple of the city.
In 1554, a big fire destroyed many buildings in Khlynov, and St. Nicholas Cathedral, where the Velikoretsk shrine was located, also burned down. But the icon miraculously remained unharmed.
In 1555, the icon was first delivered by the procession to Moscow, to the Assumption Cathedral “by order of Ivan the Terrible” through Kazan, Nizhny Novgorod and Kolomna. At the same time, the icon commemorates the beginning of the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral. Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow and All Rus' himself renovated the Vyatka shrine. The return of the icon was through Vologda, where it would later be hidden during the Tatar invasion. After the expulsion of the Tatars from Vologda, in the place where the icon was hidden, by order of the tsar, the Alexander Nevsky Church was built, in which a copy of the icon was placed, and the icon itself was returned to Vyatka.
View from across the Vologda River to the Bishop's Courtyard. On the left is the Alexander Nevsky Church
The icon has several copies; many churches and monasteries were built in honor of the icon.
In a difficult time for Russia, in 1614 -1615. The icon visits the capital again, now at the request of Tsar Mikhail Feodorovich. The first Vyatka bishop, Bishop Alexander, who arrived at the new Vyatka see in 1668, issued a decree to celebrate the appearance of the Velikoretsk Icon on May 24 (Old Style). Since then, every year on May 24 (June 6), thousands of pilgrims gathered on the banks of the Velikaya River. They sailed there along the Vyatka and Velikaya rivers on rafts and special plows, since the religious procession was initially carried out by water. His Eminence Lawrence, Bishop of Vyatka, in 1778 saw that the procession could be by land, then more pilgrims could take part in it. The Velikoretsk religious procession was and remains the longest religious procession in the Orthodox world and one of the most crowded in Russia.
In 1917 -1918 The political situation in Russia has changed. Religious processions were prohibited, but pilgrims, following the ancient tradition, continued to go to the site of the appearance of the miraculous icon of St. Nicholas. The custodian of the ancient shrine was the Trinity Cathedral in Vyatka, but in 1935 it was blown up and the icon disappeared without a trace. The icon mysteriously appeared and mysteriously disappeared.
Pilgrimage to the Velikaya River was brutally persecuted, and a special resolution was adopted to prohibit it. In the year of the celebration of the Millennium of the Baptism of Rus', the relationship between the Church and the state changed radically, and already in 1989, the chants of the Divine Liturgy began to sound again on the banks of the Velikaya River. And a year later, in 1990, the religious procession was completely revived.
Cm.
PRAYER
O all-merciful Father Nicholas, shepherd and teacher of all who flow with faith to your intercession and call upon you with warm prayer! Strive quickly and deliver Christ’s flock from the destroying wolves, and protect every Christian country and save it with your holy prayers from worldly rebellion, cowardice, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from famine, flood, fire, sword and vain death. And just as you had mercy on three men imprisoned, and you delivered them from the king’s wrath and the beating of the sword, so have mercy on me, in mind, word and deed, in the darkness of sins, and deliver me from the wrath of God and eternal punishment, as through your intercession and With the help of His mercy and grace, Christ God will give me a quiet and sinless life to live in this world and will deliver me from this place, and will make me worthy to be on the right hand with all the saints.
Amen.
Please, God's Pleasant
Holy great Nicholas!
I'm drowning in the sea of life,
Give me a helping hand.
I fall before your icon,
Save me, my Pleasant.
I ask you, Pleasant of God,
Bring your prayer to God.
Enemies surround you everywhere
All my paths are blocked.
They want my death
And so as not to enter into bliss.
But you are my great intercessor
Desired and dear to everyone
Please, God's Pleasant
Have mercy on me.
With your generosity you
You save ships at sea
I ask you, saint of God
Please help me in my sorrows.
You were hidden for everyone until the end
And put a bundle of gold
Parent - elder prayed
You rejected them from false thoughts.
Inexhaustible wonders of the sea
The saint of God accomplished
And just where grief appeared
You came to everyone's aid.
And before the Great Lord
I pray to you, my Pleasant
Ask the Lord for forgiveness
For my sinful soul...
REVERENCE
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is one of the most revered Christian saints among the Slavs. In the East Slavic tradition, the cult of St. Nicholas in importance approaches the veneration of God (Christ) himself.
According to popular beliefs, Nicholas is the “eldest” among the saints, is included in the Holy Trinity and can even succeed God on the throne. A legend from Belarusian Polesie says that “Saint Mikola is not only older than the saints, but also the elders above them<...>Saints Mykola the gods are the heir, as the God of the Pamre, then sv. Mikalay (sic) miracle worker budze bagavac, but not anyone inshy.” The special veneration of the saint is evidenced by the plots of folk legends about how St. Nicholas became a “lord”: he prayed so earnestly in the church that the golden crown fell on his head by itself (Ukrainian Carpathian).
Among the Eastern and Western Slavs, the image of Nicholas, due to some of its functions (“chief” of heaven - holds the keys to heaven; transports souls to the “other world”; patronizes warriors) can be contaminated with the image of St. Mikhail. Among the southern Slavs, the image of the saint as a fighter of snakes and a “wolf shepherd” comes close to the image of St. George.
The main functions of St. Nicholas (patron of livestock and wild animals, agriculture, beekeeping, connection with the afterlife, correlation with the relics of the bear cult), the opposition of the “merciful” Nikola to the “formidable” Elijah the Prophet in folklore legends indicate, according to B. A. Uspensky, the preservation in popular veneration of St. Nicholas traces of the cult of the pagan deity Veles.
Chronicle of St. Nestor, the first Russian writer of everyday life, testifies that in 882 in Kyiv, on the grave of the first Russian Christian prince Askold (in holy baptism Nicholas), a church was built in the name of his angel - St. Nicholas.
Church of St. Nicholas in the courtyard of the Danilov Stavropegial Monastery in Moscow. 
Moscow. Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Pyzhi.
HERE THE WALLS WILL HELP YOU TO PRAY...
L. Kryukova.
And the eagles on the Altar Gates.
Here the soul begins to feel ashamed
For wandering in the dark.
And for sleeping while waiting for Golgotha,
For the shameful death of the country,
For your inept stanzas,
That they are filled with powerless sadness.
Here is the soul in front of the Tsar's icon
He comprehends himself to the bottom.
In repentant tears and bows
She comes to life from her sins.
And the former glory of the Fatherland
Remembering, he rises from the ashes.
Before our Sovereign Lady
He quietly makes vows in his heart.
And then unearthly grace
From the Child in Her Hands
God's grace covers
Church of St. Nicholas
On Bolshaya Ordynka in Pyzhi.
Church of St. Nicholas in the Czech Republic 
Crimean lighthouse temple of St. Nicholas of Myra 
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Khamovniki 
Church of St. Nicholas in Tsimlyansk 
Church of St. Nicholas Embankment in Murom
PRAYER
Natalia Piskunova
I love to watch the candles cry
In the temple of God before the images,
Filling with hot tears
Thin waxy shoulders.
I will stand before the icon of the Wonderworker
And I will silently exclaim: “Father Nicholas!
I'm burning with sorrows and sorrows,
Instead of my heart I feel the sun.”
Whisper your soul into the sacred air,
What are the words, how to pour the blue of flight into them?
I only know, paradise on the wings of stars
Hidden there behind the severity of the icon case.
I slowly raise my eyes -
Rays of wet eyelashes.
I repeat: “Father Nicholas”
And I don’t know how else to pray.
On an icon dark and ancient
The sky paints with holy colors,
The wax hymns fade away
And sadness goes away with them.
Monument to Nikolai Ugodnik in Yeisk
Memorial in Tolyatti
In 1998, a monument to Nicholas the Wonderworker by Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Klykov was erected on the square of the city of Mozhaisk.
On June 12, 2008, on the Cathedral Square of Perm, near the former building of the Perm Regional Museum, a monument to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was unveiled.
On December 19, 2008, the St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Foundation presented the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky with a monument to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
On December 23, 2009, in Kaliningrad, in front of the monument to the fishermen, a monument to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was erected, so both monuments now form a single ensemble. The grand opening of the reconstructed memorial complex took place on July 8, 2010.
Holiness.
Copyright © 2015 Unconditional love
Icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant.
Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (Pleasant): meaning
Any people, be it Slavs or Muslims, honors their ancestors, saints and those who, according to ancient sources, made history. So, today you can find a variety of symbols and signs made in honor of one of the sages, miracle workers. For example, the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant is considered one of the truly worthy works. It is not only beautiful, but also of great importance.
Who is Nikolai Ugodnik?
Let's look into history. Nikolai Ugodnik is an archbishop who was often called a miracle worker. This meant that the holy man was the patron saint of the seas, travelers, children and merchants. In the history of the church, it was considered a symbol of power, goodness and justice. The saint was born in Asia Minor. This happened in the third century AD. The fate of Nikolai Ugodnik was difficult, and, according to many, it was thanks to such trials that his soul and body chose the right path in life.
The boy was born in a Greek colony and was very religious from an early age. From childhood he devoted his life to Christianity. Thanks to his parents, Nikolai Ugodnik was able to receive a basic education. The boy loved to study the Divine Scripture. Almost all the time he was in the dwelling of the Holy Spirit, from where he did not leave during the day. At night, Nikolai prayed, read and mentally talked with God. An interesting fact is that after the death of his parents, the guy gave his entire inheritance to charity.
The beginning of the saint's activity
Saint Nicholas the Pleasant served the church during the reign of the Roman emperors Diocletian, as well as Maximian. These two men hated Christians and issued decrees to persecute them. During this difficult period, temples, communities and other institutions were destroyed. But Nikolai Ugodnik was always on the side of the people. He was nicknamed the “defender” because he always defended the interests of innocently convicted and slandered people.
In addition, Nicholas often prayed for the sailors, mentally sending them good weather, protection from piracy and other adversities. Throughout the life of the saint, many miracles and deeds were attributed to him. The archbishop in Rus' was the most revered, as in the whole world. Today Nikolai Ugodnik (miracle worker) is a symbol of protection from diseases and an advisor in failures who will always help. His power will forever remain great for the Russian people.
Acts of a miracle worker
One of the earliest events in the wonderworker’s youth was a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. The saint decided to take such a step because he wanted to help and fulfill the requests of desperate travelers. Some claim that Nicholas’s prayers revived people, gave them strength and confidence, and saved them from death. It should be noted that as a young man he went to study in Alexandria and at that period of his life resurrected a sailor who had fallen from the mast.
There is also a legend about how Saint Nicholas the Pleasant saved three young girls whose beauty was “sold” by their own father, as he believed that this was the only way to pay off debts and survive in such a difficult time. When the saint learned about the plight of the young virgins, he sneaked into their home at night and left a bag of gold for the eldest of his daughters, which became her dowry. Exactly 12 months later, Nikolai repeated the same thing, only this time he left the money to the middle of the sisters. Somehow their father found out that the Pleasant was helping their family and decided to thank him. Then the man hid in his youngest daughter’s room and waited for Nikolai to come. According to one version, he still saw the miracle worker, but he did not accept any thanks. It should be noted that he was considered a zealous warrior of the Church of Christ. Sources claim that he incinerated idols and pagan temples mercilessly.
Relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
During his long life, Nikolai Ugodnik performed many brave and noble deeds. Some believe that it was for his merits that God granted him long years of life, because it is true that the miracle worker died at a very old age. Today the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant are kept in the Basilica of St. Nicholas (Bari), but not in their entirety. Since some of them are located in Turkey, in the Church of St. Nicholas. This is due to the fact that allegedly all the relics could not be stolen. Therefore, it turned out that they are stored in completely different territories.
In honor of the great saint, churches and temples were erected in different cities and countries. It is assumed that the sailors took some of the relics of Nicholas and transported them to Bari, but the remaining fragments remained in the grave. People brought the remains to Venice, where another church was erected.
The Origin of the Feast of St. Nicholas
Today, in many cities and countries there is a temple of St. Nicholas the Pleasant, which anyone can visit. And it is not surprising that people happily go to this place. Some are looking for support, others are looking for consolation, and others simply want to thank the saint for the help he provided. After all, since ancient times, Nicholas the Wonderworker has been considered the patron saint of ordinary people, the innocent, the slandered, the weak.
In honor of such a great man, St. Nicholas Day is celebrated in our time. How did people come to this? It all started on the day the relics were transferred. At that time, only the residents of Bari, who had the honor of keeping the remains of the saint, celebrated this holiday. In other countries it was not considered authentic and was not taken seriously. However, in the lands of Great Rus', saints have always been revered, and rumors about the feast of St. Nicholas spread very quickly. The Orthodox Church has set the date - May 9. Since then, namely since 1087, people have celebrated the holiday of the great and revered saint of God.
Today, the holiday is celebrated several times a year. But for representatives of the Russian people it is associated with the date December 19th. In addition, this day is considered a children's holiday, as Nikolai brings gifts to his little friends under his pillow (of course, if they behaved well all year).
Modern holiday dates
So, in our time there are several dates for the feast of St. Nicholas. The first is December 6 (19). Previously it was believed that this was the day of the death of the miracle worker, but today it is an ordinary children's holiday, which is associated with sweets and new toys that magically appeared under the child’s pillow. The second date is May 9 (22). This holiday has been celebrated since 1087, when the remains of the saint arrived in Bari. And finally, June 29 (August 11) - Nicholas's Christmas.
The sacred place of Nicholas the Ugodnik in the hearts of the Russian people
On the lands of the Russian Empire the name of the miracle worker has always been revered. In addition, the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant, which meant a lot to every person, was not hidden from curious and believing eyes. This is precisely why a huge number of temples and works that were dedicated to this person are connected. Until the twentieth century, the name Nikolai was one of the most popular when naming babies. People believed that by naming a boy, they subconsciously conveyed to him a piece of the holiness and masculinity of the miracle worker.
Icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant
It has been noted more than once that people loved and idolized Nicholas the Pleasant, and they turned to him with requests for intercession. It is not surprising that after his death they began to worship the icon of the miracle worker. For every Slav it was of great importance. But what was the meaning of the icon? Why did people believe and continue to think that she is capable of healing, helping and protecting?
The symbol of protection, nobility and justice in Rus' was Nikolai Ugodnik. The icon, the meaning of which they have repeatedly tried to characterize and explain, became the embodiment of the miracle worker after his death. People turn to her when they need help; she actually helps believers. And it doesn’t matter whether a person is rich or poor, what his religious preferences are or the color of his skin, the influence of the icon is immense.
The meaning of the miracle worker icon
The icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant “works” differently for each person. But there is a theory about what it actually means. According to many scientists, it is a symbol of the protection of the people. This is where its meaning lies. It is believed that an icon can heal, relieve illnesses, perform real miracles, and it doesn’t even matter whether a person is a believer or not. Thus, the meaning is very easy to decipher - a talisman that helps people. Of course, many preferred to worship the original icon. Today, the image of the saint can be purchased in many places, but this does not diminish the influence of the miraculous painting. It is important to know that the effect of the icon becomes several times stronger if you say a special prayer.
Prayer to Nicholas the Ugodnik
For a long time, prayer in front of an icon was considered a guarantor of protection for a person and the people for whom he asks the image of the saint. Therefore, it is always recommended to pronounce it so that the effect is stronger. In fact, there are a huge number of prayers to Nicholas the Pleasant. A person just needs to choose the one that will help achieve the desired result. For example, ask for marriage or protection, get rid of illnesses or troubles, and so on. But still, there are seven basic prayers that every person can learn. Then, pronouncing them in front of the icon, he can be sure that the unusual power will protect him and all family members, as well as his home and relatives.
The icon of St. Nicholas (the Wonderworker) has magical powers. She can not only fulfill a person’s request, but also answer some questions. Sincere prayer is endowed with an inexplicable power that can heal, relieve mental or physical illnesses, and also become enlightened, unite in legal marriage with a loved one and forget about quarrels. In addition, the icon has energy that solves life’s problems, from small to large. No Russian icons, except those dedicated to the Mother of God, occupied such an important place in the hearts of the Slavic people as the image of St. Nicholas.
Interesting Facts
Each person can meet their own icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. This is due to the fact that the holiday is celebrated on different days of the calendar. Thus, there is an icon of “St. Nicholas of the Winter” and “St. Nicholas of the Spring”. The first was depicted wearing a bishop's miter, and the second with his head uncovered. Therefore, one should not assume that the icons are different, and the people on them are also different. No, both of them have the same meaning and miraculous influence on people.
Among other things, Nikolai Ugodnik is also the patron saint of Orthodox Gypsies. Another interesting fact is that for some, the miracle worker is Santa Claus. This is because, according to one of the legends, when Nikolai left bags for poor girls, and their father wanted to meet him and thank him, he foresaw this situation and threw gold down the chimney. It is on this story that the prototype of the great and generous Santa is built.
It should also be noted that the Ryazan diocese celebrates St. Nicholas Day. This celebration is celebrated locally and in honor of the image of the miracle worker. Among the Slavs, the archbishop is often associated with God himself. He occupies an important place in the hearts of believers and always helps them cope with illnesses and failures. Representatives of the Buddhist people, the Buryats, live in Russia. They identify Nicholas the Pleasant with the deity of prosperity and longevity. The Kalmyks, in turn, included the miracle worker in the pantheon of master spirits of the Caspian Sea.
Saint Nicholas
Strange as it may seem to some non-believers, the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant truly “works.” In our time, there is evidence of this, because ordinary people who prayed to the image of the miracle worker share their stories. For example, by placing an icon in a car, many were saved from serious accidents or death as a result of a dangerous incident. Others share their experiences of the power of healing. The image of the saint helped many women find love and happiness. Saint Nicholas the Pleasant (an icon whose meaning is interpreted as a talisman, a symbol of protection, grace, and so on) was first depicted around 1325.
A place for a “conversation” with a saint
Finally, I would like to note that there is a place where you can always pray and “talk with the miracle worker” - this is the chapel of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. But you can ask for help from a saint at home, in front of his face, or without an icon. The main thing is to do this with good intentions, a pure soul and sincerity.
Prayer
Oh, all-holy Nicholas, exceedingly saintly servant of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper! Help me, a sinner and sad person in this present life, beg the Lord God to grant me forgiveness of all my sins, which I have sinned greatly from my youth, in all my life, in deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me the accursed, beg the Lord God, the Creator of all creation, to deliver me from airy ordeals and eternal torment: may I always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Nicholas the Wonderworker is known as the patron saint of all who are constantly on the move - pilots, fishermen, travelers and sailors, and is the most revered saint throughout the world. In addition, he is the intercessor of those who have been unjustly offended. He patronizes children, women, innocent prisoners and the poor. Icons with his image are the most common in modern Orthodox churches.
Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Among the numerous icons of saints in Orthodoxy, one of the most beloved and revered by believers is the image of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. In Rus', after the Mother of God, this is the most revered saint. In almost every Russian city there is a St. Nicholas Church, and the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is in every Orthodox church in the same area as the images of the Mother of God.
In Rus', the veneration of the saint begins with the adoption of Christianity; he is the patron saint of the Russian people. Often in icon painting he was depicted on the left hand of Christ, and the Mother of God on the right.
Saint Nicholas the Pleasant lived in the 4th century. From a young age he served God, later becoming a priest, and then archbishop of the Lycian city of Myra. During his lifetime, he was a great shepherd who gave consolation to all those who mourned and led the lost to the truth.
Prayer in front of the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant protects from all misfortunes and helps in solving all sorts of problems. The image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker protects those traveling by land and sea, protects the innocently convicted, those who are threatened with a needless death.
Prayer to St. Nicholas heals from illnesses, helps in enlightening the mind, in the successful marriage of daughters, in ending civil strife in the family, between neighbors, and military conflicts. Saint Nicholas of Myra helps in the fulfillment of wishes: it is not for nothing that he was the prototype of Father Frost, who fulfills Christmas wishes.
The Day of Remembrance of St. Nicholas the Pleasant is celebrated three times a year: on May 22, spring St. Nicholas (the transfer of the relics of the saint to Bari in Italy to avoid their desecration by the Turks), on August 11 and December 19 - winter St. Nicholas.
The first known image of the saint of God, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, was found in the 11th century, in the form of a fresco. On it, Nicholas is depicted in full growth, with a blessing right hand and the gospel in his left hand.
There is a lifetime image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the author of the icon is unknown. The icon is located in the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari, Italy.
Basic iconographic images of St. Nicholas
Belt
The saint is depicted from the waist up, with his right hand blessing and the gospel, open or closed, in his left hand.
Full length
The saint is depicted in full growth, with his right hand blessing and a closed gospel in his left hand. More often he is depicted together with other Saints, who are also painted in full height.
Nikola Mozhaisky
Nicholas the Wonderworker is depicted with a sword in his right hand and a city (fortress) in his left hand. On these icons the Saint is revered as the protector of Christian cities. The image was named “Mozhaisk” in honor of the miraculous glorification of the Saint in the city of Mozhaisk.
Hagiographic icons
There are images of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with 12, 14, 20 and 24 marks. The marks on the icons mainly describe the following events from the life of the Saint
There are also iconographic images: Our Lady of the Sign with selected saints, the Nativity of St. Nicholas, the Transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from Mir to Bari.
The Life of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra (from the "Lives of the Saints" of St. Demetrius of Rostov) Prayer to St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker of Myra Prayer to St. Nicholas (traveling) Akathist to St. Nicholas of Myra to the Wonderworker Life (short) of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Nicholas the Wonderworker. Gallery of Shchigry icons
Day of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Several days are dedicated to St. Nicholas in the Orthodox church calendar:
August 11th is his birth. People called these two holidays St. Nicholas Winter and St. Nicholas Autumn.
On May 22, believers remember the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari, which took place in 1087. In Rus', this day was called Nikola Veshny (that is, spring), or Nikola Summer.
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the 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 the Asia Minor Peninsula), was the only son of pious parents Theophanes and Nonna, who vowed to dedicate him to God. The fruit of long prayers to the Lord of childless parents, baby Nicholas, from the day of his birth showed people the light of his future glory as a great wonderworker. 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, unsupported by anyone, thus giving honor to the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas in infancy began a life of fasting, taking his mother's milk on Wednesdays and Fridays only once a day, after the evening prayers of his parents.
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, wonderworker. Icon of the early 20th century. Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (village Naslavcha, Moldova).
From childhood, Nicholas the Wonderworker excelled in the study of Divine Scripture; During the day he did not leave the temple, and at night he prayed and read books, creating within himself a worthy dwelling of the Holy Spirit. His uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patara, rejoicing at the spiritual success and high piety of his nephew, made him a reader, and then elevated Nicholas to the rank of priest, making him his assistant and instructing him to speak instructions to the flock. While serving the Lord, the young man was burning in spirit, and in his experience in matters of faith he was like an old man, which aroused the surprise and deep respect of the believers.
Image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Constantly working and vigilant, being in unceasing prayer, Presbyter Nicholas showed great mercy to his flock, coming to the aid of the suffering, and distributed all his property to the poor. Having learned about the bitter need and poverty of one previously rich resident of his city, Saint Nicholas saved him from great sin. Having three adult daughters, the desperate father planned to give them over to fornication to save them from hunger. The saint, grieving for the dying sinner, secretly threw three bags of gold out his window at night and thereby saved the family from fall and spiritual death. When giving alms, Saint Nicholas always tried to do it secretly and hide his benefits.
Going to worship the holy places in Jerusalem, the Bishop of Patara entrusted the management of the flock to Saint Nicholas, who performed obedience with care 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 approaching storm that would threaten the ship with sinking, for he saw the Devil himself entering the ship. At the request of desperate travelers, he pacified the sea waves with his prayer. Through his prayer, one ship's sailor, who fell from the mast and fell to his death, was restored to health.
Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery. Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Having reached the ancient city of Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas, ascending Golgotha, thanked the Savior of the human race and walked around all the holy places, worshiping and praying. At night on Mount Zion, the locked doors of the church opened by themselves before the great pilgrim who came. Having visited the shrines associated with the earthly ministry of the Son of God, Saint Nicholas decided to retire into the desert, but was stopped by a Divine voice, exhorting him to return to his homeland. Returning to Lycia, the saint, striving for a silent life, entered the brotherhood of the monastery called Holy Zion. However, the Lord again announced a different path awaiting him: “Nicholas, this is not the field in which you must 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 setting, and the Most Holy Theotokos gave him an omophorion. And indeed, after the death of Archbishop John, he was elected Bishop of Myra in Lycia, after one of the bishops of the Council, which was deciding the issue of electing a new archbishop, was shown in a vision the chosen one of God - Saint Nicholas. Called to shepherd the Church of God in the rank of bishop, Saint Nicholas remained the same great ascetic, showing to his flock the 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 St. 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 Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, Saint Nicholas was returned to his flock, who joyfully met their mentor and intercessor. Despite his great meekness of spirit and purity of heart, Saint Nicholas was a zealous and daring warrior of the Church of Christ. Fighting against the spirits of evil, the saint went around pagan temples and temples in the city of Myra itself and its environs, crushing idols and turning the temples to dust. In 325, Saint Nicholas was a participant in the First Ecumenical Council, which adopted the Nicene Creed, and took up arms with Saints Sylvester, Pope of Rome, Alexander of Alexandria, Spyridon of Trimythous and others from the 318 holy fathers of the Council against the heretic Arius.
Icon of St. 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 holy omophorion and put into custody. However, it was revealed to several holy fathers in a vision that the Lord Himself and the Mother of God ordained the saint as a bishop, giving him the Gospel and an omophorion. The Fathers of the Council, realizing that the boldness of the saint was pleasing to God, glorified the Lord, and restored His holy saint to the rank of hierarch. Returning to his diocese, the saint brought peace and blessing to it, sowing the word of Truth, cutting off wrong-thinking and vain wisdom at the very root, denouncing inveterate heretics and healing those who had fallen and deviated through 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. During his lifetime the saint performed many miracles. Of these, the greatest glory was brought to the saint by his deliverance from the death of three men, unjustly condemned by the self-interested mayor. The saint boldly approached the executioner and held his sword, which was already raised above the heads of the condemned. The mayor, convicted by Saint Nicholas of untruth, repented and asked him for forgiveness. 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.
Mozhaisk image of St. Nicholas with the marks of his life.
Appearing in a dream to Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, Saint Nicholas urged him to release the military leaders unjustly condemned to death, who, while in prison, prayerfully called on the saint for help. He performed many other miracles, laboring in his ministry for many years. Through the prayers of the saint, the city of Myra was saved from severe famine. Appearing in a dream to an Italian merchant and leaving him three gold coins as a pledge, which he found in his hand, waking up the next morning, he asked him to sail to the city of Myra and sell grain there. More than once the saint saved those drowning in the sea, and brought 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 very old age, Saint Nicholas peacefully departed to the Lord (+ 342-351). His venerable relics were kept incorrupt in the local cathedral church and exuded healing myrrh, from which many received healings.
In the 11th century, the Greek Empire was going through difficult times. The Turks devastated her possessions in Asia Minor, ravaged cities and villages, killing their inhabitants and accompanying their cruelties by 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 marks of the 17th century.
St. Nicholas Church of the Vysotsky Serpukhov Monastery.
In 792, Caliph Aaron Al-Rashid sent the commander of the fleet, Humaid, to plunder the island of Rhodes. Having devastated this island, Humaid went to Myra Lycia with the intention of breaking into the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead of it, he broke into another one, standing next to the tomb of the Saint. The sacrilege had barely managed to do this when a terrible storm arose at sea and almost all the ships were broken.
The desecration of shrines outraged not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Christians in Italy, among whom there were many Greeks, were especially afraid for the relics of St. Nicholas. Residents of the city of Bar, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of St. Nicholas.
The image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the wall of the St. Nicholas Church in the Novospassky Monastery in Moscow.
In 1087, noble 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 ahead, who, upon returning, reported that everything was quiet in the city, and in the church where the greatest shrine rested, they met only four monks. Immediately 47 people, armed, went to the Church of St. Nicholas.
The guard 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 the oil from the relics of the Saint.
Nikolo-Peshnoshsky Monastery. Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Methodius of Peshnoshsky.
At the same time, the monk told one elder about the appearance of St. Nicholas the day before. In this vision, the Saint ordered that his relics be preserved more carefully. This story inspired the nobles; 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 of 300 gold coins. The watchmen refused the money and wanted to notify the residents of the misfortune that threatened them. But the aliens tied them up and placed their guards at the doors. They smashed the church platform, under which stood a tomb with relics.
Icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Fragment. St. Nicholas Church in Kolomna.
In this matter, the young man Matthew was particularly zealous, wanting to discover the relics of the Saint as quickly as possible. In impatience, he broke the lid and the nobles saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The barians' compatriots, presbyters Luppus and Drogo, performed a litany, 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 his life. A copy of an early 16th century icon copied from a 13th century original.
Image from the page “The Mystery of the Name. Version one" of the book "Temple of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna".
Due to the absence of the ark, Presbyter Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the nobles, carried them to the ship. The liberated monks told the city the sad news about the theft of the relics of the Wonderworker 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. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the village of Zabelino, Ryazan region, miraculously escaped destruction in Soviet times and was subsequently transferred to the Church of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna.
The event associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas aroused special veneration of the Wonderworker and was marked by the establishment of a special holiday on May 9 (May 22 in the new style). At the beginning, the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by residents 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 a 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 Yegoryevsk. A piece of the relics of St. Nicholas was brought from Holy Mount Athos. Those who pray in front of this icon receive the gift of childbirth.
Image from the “Renaissance” page of the book “Temple of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna.”
The Russian Orthodox Church established the commemoration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bar on May 9, shortly after 1087, on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, who crossed over from Greece simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. Countless miracles marked the faith of the Russian people in the unfailing help of the Pleasant of God.
Revered image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. XV century St. Nicholas Church of the Vysotsky Monastery. From the page of the Shrine of the Monastery of the book Serpukhov Most Pure Mother of God Vysotsky Monastery.
Numerous churches and monasteries were and are being erected in honor of St. Nicholas; children are named after him at Baptism. Numerous miraculous icons of the great Saint have been preserved in Russia.
Sainted Father Nicholas, pray to God for us.
How is the rating calculated?Nicholas the Wonderworker is an archbishop known as a great saint of God.
Childhood
The saint comes from the city of Patara in the Lycian region. This region is located on the southern coast of the Asia Minor Peninsula. He was born around 270 thanks to the efforts of Theophanes and Nonna. There were no more children in the family of pious parents. The father and mother decided to dedicate their son to the service of God, and made a corresponding vow for this.
The birth of Nicholas was preceded by repeated prayers of unfortunate parents who could not acquire their first children. But when Nicholas appeared in the light of God, people immediately felt his miraculous abilities.
First of all, his mother Nonna, who suffered from a serious illness before the birth of her son. Soon after giving birth, she managed to improve her health. The first miracle happened during baptism: the baby stood on his feet (a hitherto unprecedented fact!). Moreover, he was held in this position for a long time. It was believed that by doing so he gave honor to the Holy Trinity.
Nikolai began fasting at a very early age. His mother did not feed him her milk often. This happened only after evening prayers, in which she took part together with her husband. The baby fed only on Wednesdays and Fridays, but came to his mother's breast only once a day.
Communion with God
Nicholas discovered the mysteries of the Divine Scripture at an early age. He had to study books at night, since he spent daytime hours in the temple. That is why with the onset of darkness there was time for reading. He alternated reading the texts with prayers.
The boy’s uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patara, could not be happier with his nephew’s diligence. First he made him a reader, then elevated him to the rank of priest. Nicholas' duties included delivering teachings to believers. The flock was much amazed that the young preacher was strong in spirit and possessed wisdom, like an old man. Confidence in him was limitless.
CONTINUED BELOW
Saint Nicholas was merciful and always considered himself in the position of ordinary people. He understood that the life of the people was not easy, so some could stumble and succumb to temptation. This almost happened, for example, to one of the previously wealthy townspeople, who went bankrupt and began to eke out a miserable existence. The former rich man was desperately trying to stay afloat and could not come up with anything better than to save his family from hunger by letting his daughters go into fornication.
And what did Nikolai do when he learned about this sad incident? He helped financially, but did it under cover of darkness. He simply came to the house of a sinner standing on the brink of destruction and threw bags of gold at his window. And then he left because he did not want to gain worldly fame in this way. And henceforth the saint tried to help people in need secretly.
Creation of miracles
Saint Nicholas performed many miracles during his lifetime, and many after his departure to another world. It is known that the living saint helped three men who were sentenced to death by the will of one of the rulers to stay alive. The archbishop ascended the scaffold and prevented the murder - he grabbed the blade of the sword and did not allow the executioner to carry out his terrible act.
The highest military officials, whom they intended to take their lives, also received help from Saint Nicholas. Languishing in prison, they appealed to the archbishop, and he interceded for them before Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine. At the same time, Nicholas appeared before this saint in a dream.
Departure
The saint lived a long life and reached a ripe old age. After his death (in the period from 345 to 351), his body became myrrhic.
Name: Saint Nicholas, Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nicholas the Pleasant, Saint Nicholas, Nicholas of the World of Lycia, Santa Claus
Place of Birth: city of Patara (territory of modern Turkey)
Activity: bishop, archbishop, Orthodox saint, miracle worker
Nationality: Greek
Height: 168 cm
Family status: single, never married
A place of death: city of Myra, province of Lycia (city of Demre, modern Türkiye)
Burial place: initially the city of Myra, then in 1087 65% of the relics were transferred to the city of Bari in Italy, in 1098 the other 20% of the relics were transferred to Venice on the island of Lido, the remaining 15% of the relics were distributed around the world
Honored: Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and Ancient 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 prisoners, 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 come?
Who is Nicholas the Wonderworker?
What does Saint Nicholas bring?
St. Nicholas Day traditions
How does St. Nicholas the Wonderworker help?
Where are the relics of St. Nicholas?
Where do the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker come from?
When is the day of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker?
What date is St. Nicholas the Wonderworker Day?
There is hardly a person today who has not 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 despite all this, only a few know the true biography and life of St. Nicholas.
The world knows Saint 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 has reached us about the biography, life and work of Nicholas the Wonderworker, and those that have reached us raise a lot of questions due to the confusion in them of the lives of two different saints - Nicholas of Myra and Nicholas of Zion of Patara.
The first and only ancient source that gives the life of St. Nicholas is a set of manuscripts written in the 6th century and known as "Acts of the Stratelates".
“The Acts of the Stratilates” are a dozen manuscripts that went through five editions. It is in the very first and oldest manuscript of the “Acts of the Stratilates” that the life of St. Nicholas the Pleasant is first told, and in it, unlike subsequent editions, the most laconic story about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is given, devoid of any pomp and detail. All subsequent editions are further revisions of the first, with the addition of all sorts of new facts and miracles from the life of St. Nicholas. The most detailed and pathetic is the third edition, written much later. It is interesting that to this day there is no translation of “acts” into Russian.
Thus, to this day, among a dozen different biographies of Nicholas, the most famous of them remain the “Acts of the Stratelates”, as well as the “Life of St. Nicholas”, compiled in the 10th century by Simeon Metaphrastus.
As the Acts tell, Nicholas lived in the 3rd-4th centuries AD. And this is, perhaps, all that we know today about the time of the saint’s life: the exact dates of birth and death (day and year) of Nicholas the Wonderworker are unknown and are still a subject of debate 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.
However, based on the “deeds”, it is generally accepted that Nicholas was born around 270 year AD. Nicholas's family lived in the city of Patara, in the territory of modern Turkey (now the city of Demre) on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. At that time it was one of the richest Greek colonies of the Roman Empire.
Nikolai's parents were Greek by nationality and had good income. “Acts” names the names of Nicholas’s parents - Feofan (Epiphanius) and Nona. However, historians question this statement, believing that Theophanes 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 6th century, in the “acts”, the biographies of two Nicholas the Wonderworkers (Nicholas of Myra and Nicholas of Zion) were simply mixed up. Be that as it may, Saint Nicholas of Myra of Lycia is a Wonderworker, a real historical figure.
Nikolai was born when his parents were already old. From an early age he received a good education, knew how to write and read, was pious and strived to study the Holy Scriptures.
When Nicholas reached his youth, his uncle, the local bishop Nicholas of Patarsky, seeing his nephew’s Christian zeal, first made Nicholas a reader, and after some time elevated him to the rank of priest.
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, Nikolai inherited a large fortune, but choosing to serve God, he distributed his inheritance to people in need.
In the bishopric of the city of Patara, Nicholas served as a priest from approximately 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 sacred Council, was appointed bishop of the city of Mira. Thanks to this appointment, Nicholas received a prefix to his name and became the Bishop of Myra of Lycia, which is where another name came from - Nicholas of Myra.
For the next 30 years until his death, Nikolai spent his life in this city of Mira, where he died around 340 of the year.
Information about the burial place of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is not rich in variety and indicates that St. Nicholas was buried in the church of “St. Nicholas” in the city of Demre (formerly Myra).
But for the thoughtful reader of the saint’s life, questions begin to arise here: how did it happen? And before our eyes a whole detective story unfolds with the funeral of the Wonderworker in the Church of St. Nicholas.
So, when Nicholas the Wonderworker died around 334, the temple of “St. Nicholas” did not yet exist and the question naturally arises - where was the original burial of Nicholas if the temple did not yet exist?
All sources provide data 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 first Nicholas the Wonderworker was buried somewhere else, and only then, after the completion of the temple, his relics were transferred to the temple sarcophagus. After all, the builders couldn’t build a temple while trampling over the bishop’s grave.
But it turns out that there is an answer to this question - the body of Bishop Nicholas was buried in a very ordinary grave near the Church of St. Zion, where he served for many years.
It must be said that at the time of the saint’s burial, the custom of burying people within the walls of a church simply did not yet exist in Christianity. This custom was legalized only in 419 at the Council of Carthage. Apparently, around the same time, the decision was made to rebury the remains of Nicholas in the village of the new temple.
The first building over the grave of St. Nicholas was erected in 336 by the stratilates (Roman military leaders) who arrived in Myra to honor Nicholas, whose death they did not know.
“they found the place where his honest body lay... [and] honored Nicholas by building a portico”
Presumably this was a chapel over the grave of the Bishop of Myra in Lycia, Nicholas the Wonderworker.
In fact, there are many questions about the Church of St. Nicholas.
Let's start with the fact that when visiting this temple, the guides tell you that the Church of “St. Nicholas” was built on the foundation of the Hellenic (pagan) Temple of Artemis and show the mosaic preserved on the floor that belonged to the ancient temple.
It is interesting that in some works the destruction of this, then still pagan, temple is attributed personally to Nicholas the Pleasant, elevating this action almost to the rank of miracles performed by Nicholas as bishop.
But historians deny 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 knows how to surprise. And the relics of St. Nicholas were destined to rest in a Christian temple, built on the foundation of a pagan temple of the Greek goddess Artemis.
But the temple only dreamed of peace - the temple of “St. Nicholas” was constantly subjected to looting and destruction, and the relics of the saint themselves had no peace.
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 another 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 14th century the temple was destroyed again. 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 dirt 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 begin its excavations.
Excavations of the temple are also replete with detective details and intrigue.
When, during the Crimean War, in 1853, the Russians found themselves 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 at the site of the temple. Russian settlers flocked to the purchased land for permanent residence. 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 responds that, they say, the land was bought from the Ottoman Empire, so demand a refund from them.
Excavations of the temple by the Russians stopped in 1860 and the next excavations of the Church of St. Nicholas, almost completely located in the sediment, began only 100 years later in 1956 and continued until 1989.
Today, the Church of “St. Nicholas” is not an active 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 (Nicholas is believed to have died on December 6, 343).
Fortunately, by the time the temple was flooded by the river, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were no longer there; by this time the relics of the saint had been transported to Italy almost three centuries ago.
When visiting this temple of “St. 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 it is clear from everything 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 for the repose of the body of the saint, or simply Nicholas simply could not be buried in an ancient pagan coffin. Riddles, riddles.
Another fact worthy of 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 its platform and carry away the sacred body.” As Archimandrite Antonin Kapustin wrote in the 19th century in 1087, “the Barian sailors did not see any tombs in the church.”
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 venerated the grave began to notice that after visiting the temple of “St. Nicholas” and venerating his relics, they began to receive healing. Naturally, 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 11th century, the grave of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was plundered by Italian merchants. Italian merchants robbed the saint's grave twice - in 1087 and 1099.
Today this abduction is usually called the holiday 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 located to this day.
Of course, calling a spade a spade, such a transfer of relics can easily be called ordinary theft. But, as they say, every cloud has a silver lining - and most historians agree that if it had not been for this forced transfer of the relics of the saint, then, most likely, subsequently the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker would have been completely destroyed during one of the later Ottoman raids or flooding of the temple.
Upon death, Nicholas the Wonderworker was buried in his hometown of Mira (now the city of Demre in modern Turkey) and his remains lay peacefully there for more than 700 years, until in 1087 circumstances arose that allowed the Italians to steal the relics of Nicholas and transport them to Italy.
In the 10th century, Christianity in Italy experienced its dawn - faith became firmly established in 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 St. Nicholas the Wonderworker thundered throughout Italy.
It was a time of troubles, the Seljuk Turks were seizing more and more 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 Christian inhabitants of Mir moved to a safer place, located three kilometers from the old city of Mir. Only a few monks remained to serve in the temple itself. 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 Myra, who, fearing the Turks, had gone from here to the mountain, so that they would return to live and guard the city, or know that it 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 told him:
“Go and tell the people and the entire church council to go and take me from Mir and put me in this city, for I cannot abide there in an empty place. God wants it that way"
In the morning the priest told about his vision and everyone joyfully exclaimed:
“The Lord has now sent His mercy to the people and our city, for He has deigned us to receive the relics of His holy Saint Nicholas.”
To fulfill the will of the Wonderworker, the Italians, under the 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 in this expedition have been preserved to this day, as well as a detailed report on how it took place.
And so on April 20, 1087, three merchant ships moored off the coast of modern Turkey. The sailors landed at the port of the city of Mira. Only two people were sent to investigate 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 merchants’ offer 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 hastily 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 saint’s relics was already far away.
On May 8, 1087, the ships arrived safely in the city of Barii, and the “joyful” 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, specifically for storing the relics of St. Nicholas, Pope Urban II consecrated the Church of St. Nicholas, built in honor of the saint.
Meanwhile, residents of the city of Mira, grieving the loss of the shrine, began to transfer small fragments of the relics of St. Nicholas remaining from the looting. But the fact was that during the hasty abduction, the Italian merchants did not take 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 protect the saint’s relics from final plunder.
Soon, other Italian merchants from Venice, knowing that the relics of the saint continue to be kept in Mira, decide to complete the work of their compatriots. And in 1099, during the first crusade, the Venetians stole 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 delivered 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 smallest surviving fragments of holy relics disappeared from Myra and dispersed throughout the world.
So, as a result of the looting of the grave, not a single relic of the saint remained in Nicholas’s native church.
Examinations carried out in 1957 and 1987 showed that the relics located in Bari and Venice belong to one person.
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 9. The Greeks and the Byzantine East did not accept this holiday, but in Rus' it became widespread and is celebrated to this day.
Today, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are kept in various places and this is due to the fact that at one time the tomb with the relics of the saint was plundered several times.
The bulk of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (about 65%) are kept in the Catholic Basilica of St. Nicholas in the Italian city of Bari, under the altar altar of the crypt, in the floor of which a round hole is 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 released by the relics of St. Nicholas the Pleasant.
The other 20% of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are kept in a shrine above the altar of the Catholic Church of St. Nicholas on the Lido Island in Venice.
The remaining 15% percent of the parts of the relics of St. Nicholas are distributed throughout the world and are kept in various churches and private collections. All these 15% percent of small fragments of the saint’s relics do not have confirmation of genetic testing for their correspondence to the relics stored in the city of Baria.
In 1992, an anthropological (important: not genetic) examination was carried out, during which visual comparisons were made to determine the correspondence of the relics of St. Nicholas stored in Bari and Venice. After a visual inspection 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 information, part of the relics of Nicholas (fragments of jaws and skull) are 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 strong build, tall for that time, approximately 168 cm, he had a high forehead, prominent cheekbones and chin.
In 2017, Turkish archaeologists sensationally stated that the remains stored in Italy do not belong to St. Nicholas the Pleasant at all, but to a completely different person, which is allegedly proven by the latest excavations, as a result of which a grave with the remains of the true St. Nicholas was found.
A special place in the “acts” is given to the miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker:
- standing as an infant during baptism in the font without anyone's support for three hours;
- accepting milk only from the mother’s right breast;
- taking mother's milk on Wednesdays and Fridays only once and only in the evening, at nine o'clock;
- saving a father and three girls from the fall;
— a visit to Holy places, during which the doors of all temples opened spontaneously before the saint at night;
- expelling the devil from the ship;
— pacifying the storm with the power of prayer;
- resurrection of a sailor who fell from the mast during a storm;
- saving three innocently convicted townspeople from execution;
- salvation from death without guilt of slandered Roman military leaders;
- saving Mira’s hometown from hunger;
— posthumous miracles include the streaming of myrrh from the relics of a saint.
In addition, it is customary to turn to Nikolai for help with health and healing.
There is an opinion among Christians that Nicholas the Wonderworker is the fastest saint to respond to the requests of those asking for help and intercession.
The Orthodox Church celebrates celebrations in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker three times a year - on August 11, on his birthday, on December 19, on the day of his death, and on 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 modern Santa Claus. This happened after Nikolai 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. This is where the tradition of Christmas gifts came from, which are usually placed in a Christmas stocking.
Santa Claus translated from English sounds nothing more than St. Nicholas.
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is revered as a helper and protector of sailors and travelers, merchants, a protector of the unjustly convicted and a helper of children.
Christians celebrate three holidays in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
Each of the holidays has its own hymnography.
Orthodox and Catholics celebrate these holidays on different days - this is due to the use of different calendars (Julian and Gregorian, respectively) in services by Orthodox and Catholics.
Holidays in honor of St. Nicholas are immutable, 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 Baria - Orthodox celebrate it on May 22, Catholics celebrate it on May 9 - “Nicholas of the Spring.”
Then Christians celebrate the birthday of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker - Orthodox celebrate August 11, Catholics celebrate July 29 - “Nicholas 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 - “Nicholas the Winter.”
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 the Constantinople presbyter Eustratius. This document was written 200 years after the death of the miracle worker in the 6th century. Meanwhile, the notes of Eustratius are nothing more than a small fragment of manuscripts called “Acts of the Stratelates” (Praxis de stratelatis).
The time of compilation of the manuscripts called “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 “Acts of the Stratelates.”
The “Acts of the Stratilates” in its genre belong to lifetime miracles. it tells us the earliest information 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 Metaphrast, by order of Constantine Porphyrogenitus, compiled from previous sources, including the manuscripts of the “Acts of the Stratelates,” the complete 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 Nicholas’s actions are simply completely at odds with historical dates.
In his writings, Archimandrite Antonin wrote that the ancient hagiographers made an unforgivable mistake in their manuscripts by mixing up 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 abbot of the Zion Monastery, Archbishop of Pinar.
When studying documents about the life of Nicholas of Pinarsky, it turned out that his parents’ names were Epiphanius and Nona, and he also had an uncle, and also Bishop Nicholas, who built the Zion Monastery.
Also in the life of Nikolai Pinarsky there is a story about his baptism and how during the baptism he stood in the font for two hours.
Here is how the Venerable Archimandrite Antonin (Kapustin) wrote:
“One can marvel at how two faces, both famous, merged in the popular imagination, and then in church memory, and one is a venerable and blessed image, but the fact cannot be denied... And so there were two St. Nicholas of Lycia.”
During one of his first sea voyages from Myra to Alexandria, where he went for training, Nicholas the Wonderworker resurrected a sailor who fell from a ship's mast and fell to his death.
One day Nikolai saved an entire family.
In his hometown there lived a bankrupt merchant who, due to the lack of a dowry, could not marry off his daughters.
Having found nothing better to improve his plight, the merchant decides to send his adult daughters to earn money - to engage in prostitution.
Having learned about this decision, Nikolai decides to save the unfortunate family.
At night, he secretly throws bags of gold through the merchant’s window three times. The merchant, using the gold he receives, not only restores his well-being, but also marries his daughters.
According to legend, one of the bags of gold, thrown by Nicholas at the merchant’s window, ends up directly in a sock left to dry.
It is thanks to this incident that today there is a custom of putting gifts for children in special socks for gifts from Santa Claus, who today is considered St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
During one of his travels, Saint Nicholas to the holy places in Jerusalem also experienced miracles.
It was like that.
When approaching 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 Nicholas began to pray fervently, and with the power of his prayer, he could drive the devil out of the ship, calm the storm and save the sailors from certain death.
Other miracles occurred directly in Jerusalem itself. After Saint Nicholas entered the city, that same night on Mount Zion the locked doors of all churches opened before him by themselves, allowing Nicholas access to all holy places.
After visiting holy places, Nicholas suddenly decides to retire into 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 Holy Zion, where he takes a silent lunch. But again the Lord intervenes in the Fate of Saint Nicholas and announces to him a different path:
“Nicholas, this is not the field in which you must bear the fruit I expect; but turn and go into the world, and let My Name be glorified in you.”
Miracles of St. Nicholas...The miraculous establishment of St. Nicholas as bishop of the city of Myra
While Nicholas was serving in his hometown of Patara, Archbishop John dies in the neighboring city of Myra and the question arises of choosing a new bishop for the city of Myra. The day of choosing a new bishop comes. There is no agreement in the camp of those choosing. A miracle occurs again - one of the bishops of the Council receives a vision in a dream, in which the Lord points to Nicholas as the new bishop so that he can continue his service in the rank of bishop. The next morning, the Council unanimously decides to appoint Nicholas as bishop of the city of Mira.
Another of the miracles performed by Saint Nicholas was the salvation from death of three unjustly convicted townspeople, who were slandered by the selfish mayor of the city.
During the execution, when the executioner had already raised his sword over the heads of those unjustly convicted, Saint Nicholas ascended the scaffold, held the raised sword with his hand and stopped the execution. The shamed mayor fell on his face before Nicholas, repented and asked Saint Nicholas for his forgiveness.
The next miracle is the miraculous salvation of three Roman military leaders, whom the emperor wanted to execute based on a false denunciation.
When Nicholas saved the slandered townspeople from death, three Roman military leaders watched the failed execution. They, having seen 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 envious people slandered them, attributing to them a conspiracy against the emperor, he changed his mercy to anger and ordered their execution.
By order of the emperor, the military leaders are arrested and placed in prison in order to be executed in the morning. Sitting in prison, the military leaders remember Saint Nicholas and the miracle that he showed them, the day before stopping the execution of innocent townspeople. Then they begin to fervently pray to Nicholas, asking him for intercession.
And the miracle was not slow to happen. That same night, Nicholas appears in a dream both before the emperor and before the prefect Ablabia. Nicholas, on pain of death, orders 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.
Having made sure that the military leaders were slandered, the emperor pardons the condemned and gives them gifts - a golden Gospel, a golden censer decorated 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 Myra and present gifts for the temple, warmly thanking their intercessor Nicholas the Wonderworker.
One day, Saint Nicholas had the opportunity to save Myra’s hometown from famine. When there were very few food supplies left in the city and it seemed that there was no way to wait for help, Nikolai created a new miracle that saved the city.
In a dream, he appears to one of the Italian merchants, in a dream he tells him about a city suffering from hunger and asks him to bring food, promising to pay generously.
In the morning, the merchant awakens and finds three gold pieces clutched in his palm, which Saint Nicholas sent him as an advance payment for food.
Responding to the saint’s request, the merchant immediately and without delay equipped a ship with food. This is how Saint Nicholas saved an entire city from hunger.
On icons, Saint Nicholas is usually depicted with a miter on his head, a symbol of his bishopric.
Note
City of Peace - Türkiye, Antalya province, the modern city of Demre.
Arianism is one of the early movements in Christianity that affirmed the non-consubstantiality of God the Father and God the Son. It existed from the 4th to the 6th centuries AD. e.
