A. Voznesensky

Nicholas the Wonderworker: the complete story of life, miracles and holiness

“Bless me, brethren, to speak of a miracle,

about the miracle of St. Mykola,

about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker"

The greatness of the miraculous phenomena and signs of the Pleasant of God Nicholas was the reason that from the earliest times (from the 5th century) biographies of him appeared, the number of which increased over time. Since the 11th century, “The Lives of St. Nicholas" come to us in Russia and appear mainly in two editions: in handwritten copies and collections. Recently, in our hagiographic literature, experiments have appeared with a critical attitude towards existing accounts of the life of St. Nicholas.

Offered to readers is the “Life of St. Nicholas of Christ, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, miracle worker,” following his “Life” as presented by St. Demetrius of Rostov, verified and supplemented with all possible information that could be collected from church writers. In addition, his life is presented here in connection with the great events during which St. Nicholas lived and acted. These events necessarily influenced the life and work of the Pleasant of God and were reflected on it more or less noticeably, and therefore modern writings about them not only verify and explain, but partly also supplement the meager information about this or that time in the life of the great Wonderworker.

The blessed death of Saint Nicholas took place in Myra in Lycia. But his honest relics remained here only until the end of the 11th century, when, by the will of God, they were transferred to the Italian city of Bari. The transfer of the venerable relics of St. Nicholas to Bar-grad with the events immediately preceding and following it is therefore the subject of the second section of the “Life”.

In view of the undoubted interest that the Myra Church, where the relics of St. were originally buried, is of Christian interest. Nicholas, and the Bargrad Church, in which they are currently located, we have posted stories about these attractions dear to Christians and our Russian travelers to holy places.

By the grace of God, the pastoral activity of St. Nicholas did not end with his righteous dormition in the Lycian Worlds, but miraculously became famous throughout almost all subsequent centuries in the space of the Orthodox Church.

O. Gusev

Instead of a preface to the second part of this work, as its compiler, I consider it necessary to note the following for my part.

The need for such a detailed collection of information about St. Nicholas, which we have undertaken, has long been ripe in our society and requires satisfaction. From different sides, requests have long been heard for a complete and complete study of the Pleasant of God, from time immemorial so glorious and revered in our fatherland. Therefore, when I saw that I already had a fairly extensive supply of information about the Wonderworker, although not yet completely complete, I decided to stop for a while and finish my work, albeit from the incomplete one that I had. I was supported in my decision by the thought that even in what my work would provide in its present form, it was extremely timely, useful and even necessary. I thought that even if my research turns out to be one-sidedly processed, then - firstly - this does not deprive me of the opportunity to continue my research further and subsequently supplement and completely process my work. Secondly, Orthodox readers, to whom this study is mainly dedicated, will easily extract from it in this form everything they need for their soul, mind and heart. The religious consciousness of the Russian people and from what is proposed will see all the great national, historical significance of the glorious Wonderworker for our fatherland, and the heart of every reverent Russian person will be enough to be filled with feelings of surprise, delight, gratitude and love for the Saint. At the same time, I hoped that in this form my work would present in its entirety, if not the entire essence, then the entire scope and path of research about the great Pleasant in relation to his greatest significance for our land. I dare to believe that, in combination with the first half of the work of my colleague, my part in this form will provide the admirers of the Saint, if not the entire permanent completed building of the literary temple named after the Wonderworker, then at least the entire plan of this monument, broadly outlined, and a lot of material.

So, based on all of the above, I ask my future readers to kindly forgive me the many shortcomings of my work, all the sometimes so obvious discrepancy in it between the greatness of the task undertaken and the imperfection of its execution.

In conclusion, I consider it my duty to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who sympathetically responded to my requests about their local shrines named after the Pleasant and helped me with artistic and literary material in my work, and especially to the deeply revered Professor N.V. Pokrovsky.

A. Voznesensky

About 16 centuries have passed since Saint Nicholas, the great wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra, lived on earth, whom the entire Christian world now honors and glorifies for his zeal for the faith, virtuous life and countless miracles that he performs to this day. to all who resort to him with faith in his help and God’s mercy.

It pleased God's providence to send St. Nicholas to earth at one of the most difficult times for Christianity. The third century after the Nativity of Christ, in the second half of which he was born, was a time of decisive struggle between Christianity and paganism, when the question had to be finally resolved - will the faith of Christ replace paganism, or will the latter remain indestructible and suppress Christianity forever? Christianity undoubtedly surpassed the already decaying paganism with its inner strength, based on the divine teaching of Jesus Christ and His holy apostles. But at that time there was an external force on the side of paganism, which tried to suppress Christianity, which it hated, by all means available to it. Thus, a Christian was considered a criminal of the laws, an enemy of the Roman gods and Caesar, an ulcer of society, which they tried in every possible way to exterminate. Zealous pagans - the Roman emperors - considering Christianity the death of the Roman Empire, and Christians as its most dangerous enemies, carried out severe persecutions against them, during which they forced them to renounce Christ and worship idols and images of Caesar. If Christians did not agree to this, they were thrown into prison and subjected to the most painful tortures - they were tortured with hunger and thirst, beaten with rods, ropes and iron rods, and burned on fire. If, after all this, they remained unshakable in the Christian faith, then they were put to an equally painful death - drowned in rivers, given over to be torn to pieces by wild animals, burned in ovens or on fires. It is impossible to list all the cruel torments that irritated pagans subjected innocent Christians to! One of the most severe persecutions of Christians was that undertaken by the Roman Emperor Valerian. In 258 A.D. he issued an edict that prescribed terrible measures against Christians. According to this edict, bishops, presbyters and deacons were killed with swords; senators and judges were deprived of their property, and if they remained Christians even then, they were also executed; noble women, after their property was taken away, were sent into exile; all other Christians, chained, were condemned to hard labor. This persecution fell with particular force on the pastors of the Church, and many of them sealed their faith with martyrdom. (Then Saint Cyprian in Carthage fell under the ax, Saint Lawrence in Rome was baked on an iron grate.)

At the courtyard of the St. Michael-Athos Hermitage in the village of Beregovoye there is a temple of St. Nicholas.

This is how Saint Nicholas addressed the rescued sailors, wanting to save not only their bodies, but also their souls:

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

Nicholas's childhood

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

When this blessed youth was born, he was given the name Nikolai, which means winner of nations . And he, with the blessing of God, truly appeared as the conqueror of evil, for the benefit of the whole world. After his birth, his mother Nonna was immediately freed from illness and from that time until her death she remained barren. By this, nature itself seemed to testify that this wife could not have another son like Saint Nicholas: he alone had to be the first and the last. Sanctified in his mother's womb by God-inspired grace, he showed himself to be a reverent admirer of God before he saw the light, began to perform miracles before he began to feed on his mother's milk, and was a faster before he became accustomed to eating food. After his birth, while still in the baptismal font, he stood on his feet for three hours, unsupported by anyone, thus giving honor to the Most Holy Trinity, whose great servant and representative he was to appear subsequently.

One could recognize the future miracle worker in him even by the way he clung to his mother’s nipples; for he fed on the milk of one right breast, thus signifying his future standing at the right hand of the Lord along with the righteous. He showed his considerable fasting in the fact that on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate his mother’s milk only once, and then in the evening, after his parents had completed their usual prayers. His father and mother were very surprised at this and foresaw what a strict faster their son would be in his life. Having become accustomed to such abstinence from the swaddling clothes of infancy, Saint Nicholas spent his entire life until his death on Wednesdays and Fridays in strict fasting. Growing up over the years the boy also grew in intelligence, perfecting himself in the virtues that he was taught from his pious parents. And he was like a fruitful field, receiving and growing the good seed of teaching and bearing new fruits of good behavior every day. When the time came to study the Divine Scripture, Saint Nicholas, with the strength and sharpness of his mind and the help of the Holy Spirit, in a short time comprehended much wisdom and succeeded in book teaching as befits a good helmsman of Christ’s ship and a skillful shepherd of verbal sheep. Having achieved perfection in speech and teaching, he showed himself to be perfect in life itself. He avoided vain friends and idle conversations in every possible way, avoided conversations with women and did not even look at them. Saint Nicholas maintained true chastity, always contemplating the Lord with a pure mind and diligently visiting the temple of God, following the Psalmist who says: “I would rather be at the threshold of the house of God” (Psalm 83:11).

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

Saint Nicholas devotes himself entirely to God

The Spirit of God truly dwelt in this virtuous and pure young man, and, serving the Lord, he burned in spirit. No habits characteristic of youth were noticed in him: in his disposition he was like an old man, which is why everyone respected him and was surprised at him. An old man, if he shows youthful passions, is a laughing stock for everyone; on the contrary, if a young man has the character of an old man, then he is respected by everyone with surprise. Youth is inappropriate in old age, but old age is worthy of respect and beautiful in youth.

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

When he ordained Saint Nicholas as a priest, then, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, turning to the people who were in the church, he prophetically said:

“I see, brethren, a new sun rising over the earth and representing a merciful consolation for those who mourn. Blessed is the flock that is worthy of having him as their shepherd, for this one will well shepherd the souls of the lost, nourish them in the pastures of piety, and will be a merciful helper in troubles and sorrows.”

This prophecy was subsequently indeed fulfilled, as will be seen from the subsequent narrative.

Service of St. Nicholas to people

Having accepted the priesthood, Saint Nicholas applied labor to labor; being awake and in constant prayer and fasting, he, being mortal, tried to imitate the incorporeal. Carrying out such an equal life with the angels and day by day more and more flourishing in the beauty of his soul, he was completely worthy to rule the Church. At this time, Bishop Nicholas, wishing to go to Palestine to worship holy places, entrusted the management of the Church to his nephew. This priest of God, Saint Nicholas, taking the place of his uncle, took care of the affairs of the Church in the same way as the bishop himself. At this time, his parents moved into eternal life. Having inherited their estate, Saint Nicholas distributed it to those in need. For he did not pay attention to fleeting wealth and did not care about its increase, but, renouncing all worldly desires, with all zeal he tried to devote himself to the One God, crying out: “To You, O Lord, I lift up my soul” (Psalm 24:1). “Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God” (Psalm 143:10); “I was left to You from the womb; from my mother’s womb You are my God” (Psalm 21:11).

And his hand was stretched out to the needy, on whom she poured out rich alms, like a high-flowing river, abounding in streams. This is one of the many works of his mercy.

Saint Nicholas saves a father and his three daughters with alms

There lived in the city of Patara a certain man, noble and rich. Having fallen into extreme poverty, it lost its former meaning, for the life of this age is impermanent. This man had three daughters who were very beautiful. When he had already lost everything he needed, so that there was nothing to eat and nothing to wear, he, for the sake of his great poverty, planned to give his daughters to fornication and turn his home into a house of fornication, in order to thus obtain a means of living for himself and acquire and clothes and food for myself and my daughters. Oh woe, what unworthy thoughts extreme poverty leads to! Having this unclean thought, this husband wanted to fulfill his evil intention. But the All-Good Lord, who does not want to see a person in destruction and humanely helps in our troubles, put a good thought into the soul of His saint, the holy priest Nicholas, and with secret inspiration sent him to his husband, who was perishing in soul, for consolation in poverty and a warning from sin. Saint Nicholas, having heard about the extreme poverty of that husband and having learned by God's revelation about his evil intentions, felt deep regret for him and decided with his beneficent hand to extract him together with his daughters, as if from fire, from poverty and sin. However, he did not want to show his kindness to that husband openly, but decided to give him generous alms secretly. Saint Nicholas did this for two reasons. On the one hand, he himself wanted to avoid vain human glory, following the words of the Gospel: "Be careful not to do your alms before people"(Matt. 6:1).

On the other hand, he did not want to offend his husband, who had once been a rich man, but had now fallen into extreme poverty. For he knew how difficult and offensive alms are for one who has gone from wealth and glory to poverty, because it reminds him of his former prosperity. Therefore, Saint Nicholas considered it best to act according to the teachings of Christ: “But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”(Matt. 6:3).

He avoided human glory so much that he tried to hide himself even from the one to whom he benefited. He took a large bag of gold, came to that husband’s house at midnight and, throwing this bag out the window, he hurried to return home. In the morning the husband got up and, finding the bag, untied it. At the sight of gold, he came into great horror and did not believe his eyes, because he could not expect such a good deed from anywhere. However, as he fingered the coins, he became convinced that it was indeed gold. Rejoicing in spirit and marveling at this, he cried with joy, thought for a long time about who could show him such a benefit, and could not think of anything. Attributing this to the action of Divine Providence, he constantly thanked his benefactor in his soul, giving praise to the Lord who cares for everyone. After this, he gave his eldest daughter in marriage, giving her the gold miraculously given to him as a dowry. Saint Nicholas, having learned that this husband acted according to his wishes, loved him and decided to do the same favor to his second daughter, intending to protect and her from sin. Having prepared another bag of gold, the same as the first, at night, secretly from everyone, he threw it through the same window into his husband’s house. Getting up in the morning, the poor man again found gold. Again he was surprised and, falling to the ground and shedding tears, said:

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

Having thus prayed to the Lord and thanked His goodness, that husband celebrated the marriage of his second daughter. Trusting in God, the father cherished the undoubted hope that He would give his third daughter a legitimate spouse, again secretly bestowing with a benevolent hand the gold needed for this. To find out who was bringing him gold and from where, the father did not sleep at night, lying in wait for his benefactor and wanting to see him. A little time passed before the expected benefactor appeared. The saint of Christ, Nicholas, quietly came for the third time and, stopping at the usual place, threw the same bag of gold into the same window, and immediately hurried to his house. Hearing the sound of gold thrown out the window, the husband ran as quickly as he could after the saint of God. Having caught up with him and recognizing him, because it was impossible not to know the saint by his virtue and noble origin, this man fell at his feet, kissing them and calling the saint a deliverer, helper and savior of souls who had come to extreme destruction.

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

And he spoke many more similar words to the saint with tears. As soon as he lifted him from the ground, the holy saint took an oath from him that for the rest of his life he would not tell anyone about what happened to him. Having told him many more things that would benefit him, the saint sent him home.

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

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

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

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

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

The joyful travelers gave thanks to God and His saint, Holy Father Nicholas, and were doubly surprised at his prediction about the storm and the end of grief. After that, one of the shipmen had to climb to the top of the mast. Descending from there, he broke off and fell from the very height into the middle of the ship, was killed to death and lay lifeless. Saint Nicholas, ready to help before it was needed, immediately resurrected him with his prayer, and he stood up as if awakening from sleep. After this, having raised all the sails, the travelers continued their voyage safely, with a fair wind, and calmly landed on the shore of Alexandria. Having healed many sick and demoniacs here and comforted the mourning, the saint of God, Saint Nicholas, again set off along the intended path to Palestine.

Having reached the holy city of Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas came to Golgotha, where Christ our God, stretching out His most pure hands on the cross, brought salvation to the human race. Here the saint of God poured out warm prayers from a heart burning with love, sending thanks to our Savior. He toured all the holy places, performing zealous worship everywhere. And when at night he wanted to enter the holy church to pray, the closed church doors opened by themselves, opening an unrestricted entrance to those for whom the heavenly gates were also open.

Returning home to Lycia. Desire for a silent monastic life

Having stayed in Jerusalem for quite a long time, Saint Nicholas intended to retire into the desert, but was stopped by a Divine voice from above, exhorting him to return to his homeland. The Lord God, who arranges everything for our benefit, did not deign that the lamp, which, according to the will of God, was to shine on the Lycian metropolis, remained hidden under a bushel, in the desert. Arriving on the ship, the saint of God persuaded the shipmen to take him to his native country. But they planned to deceive him and sent their ship not to Lycian, but to another country. When they sailed from the pier, Saint Nicholas, noticing that the ship was sailing along a different route, fell at the feet of the shipbuilders, begging them to direct the ship to Lycia. But they did not pay any attention to his pleas and continued to sail along the intended path: they did not know that God would not abandon His saint. And suddenly a storm came, turned the ship in the other direction and quickly carried it towards Lycia, threatening the evil shipmen with complete destruction. Thus carried by Divine power across the sea, Saint Nicholas finally arrived in his fatherland. Due to his kindness, he did not do any harm to his malicious enemies. He not only did not get angry and did not reproach them with a single word, but with a blessing he let them go to his country. He himself came to the monastery founded by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara, and called Holy Zion, and here he turned out to be a welcome guest for all the brethren. Having received him with great love as an Angel of God, they enjoyed his inspired speech, and, imitating the good morals with which God adorned His faithful servant, they were edified by his equal-angelic life. Having found a silent life and a quiet haven for contemplation of God in this monastery, Saint Nicholas hoped to spend the rest of his life here undisturbed.

Calling of the saint to archpastoral service

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

- Nikolai, if you want to be rewarded with a crown from Me, go and strive for the good of the world.

Hearing this, Saint Nicholas was horrified and began to think about what this voice wanted and demanded of him. And I heard again:

- Nikolai, this is not the field on which you must bear the fruit I expect; but turn and go into the world, and let My name be glorified in you.

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

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

- The election of a bishop to this throne is not subject to the decision of people, but is a matter of God’s structure. It is appropriate for us to pray that the Lord Himself will reveal who is worthy to accept such a rank and be the shepherd of the entire Lycian country.

This good advice met with universal approval, and everyone devoted themselves to fervent prayer and fasting. The Lord, who fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, listening to the prayer of the bishops, thus revealed His good will to the eldest of them. When this bishop was standing in prayer, a bright-looking man appeared before him and ordered him to go to the church doors at night and watch who would enter the church first.

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

The bishop announced such a divine vision to the other bishops, and they, hearing this, intensified their prayers. The bishop, rewarded with the revelation, stood in the place where he was shown in the vision and awaited the arrival of the desired husband. When the time came for the morning service, Saint Nicholas, prompted by the spirit, came to the church before everyone else, for he had the custom of getting up at midnight for prayer and coming to the morning service earlier than others. As soon as he entered the vestibule, the bishop, who had received the revelation, stopped him and asked him to say his name. Saint Nicholas was silent. The bishop asked him the same thing again. The saint meekly and quietly answered him:

- My name is Nikolai, I am a slave of your shrine, Lord.

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

- Follow me, child.

When he honorably brought the saint to the bishops, they were filled with Divine sweetness and, consoled in the spirit that they had found the husband indicated by God Himself, they led him to church. The rumor spread everywhere and countless people flocked to the church faster than birds. The bishop, rewarded with the vision, turned to the people and exclaimed:

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

All the people gave thanks to God and rejoiced with indescribable joy. Unable to bear human praise, Saint Nicholas for a long time refused to accept holy orders; but yielding to the zealous pleas of the council of bishops and all the people, he ascended the episcopal throne against his will. He was prompted to this by a Divine vision that came to him even before the death of Archbishop John. Saint Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, tells about this vision. One day, he says, Saint Nicholas saw at night that the Savior was standing before him in all His glory and was giving him the Gospel, decorated with gold and pearls. On the other side of himself, Saint Nicholas saw the Most Holy Theotokos placing the holy omophorion on his shoulder. After this vision, a few days passed, and the Mir Archbishop John died.

Remembering this vision and seeing in it the clear favor of God and not wanting to refuse the fervent entreaties of the council, Saint Nicholas received the flock. The council of bishops with all the church clergy dedicated him and celebrated brightly, rejoicing in the shepherd given by God, Saint Nicholas of Christ. Thus, the Church of God received a bright lamp, which did not remain hidden, but was placed in its proper hierarchical and pastoral place.

Beginning of bishop's service

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

- Nikolai! The rank you have taken requires of you different customs, so that you live not for yourself, but for others.

Wanting to teach his verbal sheep virtues, he no longer hid, as before, his virtuous life. For before he spent his life secretly serving God, Who alone knew his exploits. Now, after he had accepted the rank of bishop, his life became open to everyone, not out of vanity before people, but for their benefit and the increase of the glory of God, so that the word of the Gospel would be fulfilled: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”(Matt. 5:16).

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

He was meek and kind in character, humble in spirit and avoided all vanity. His clothes were simple, his food was fasting, which he always ate only once a day, and then in the evening. He spent the whole day doing work befitting his rank, listening to the requests and needs of those who came to him. The doors of his house were open to everyone. He was kind and accessible to everyone, he was a father to orphans, a merciful giver to the poor, a comforter to those who mourn, a helper to the offended, and a great benefactor to everyone. To help him in church government, he chose two virtuous and prudent advisers, endowed with presbyteral rank. These were men famous throughout Greece - Paul of Rhodes and Theodore of Ascalon.

Martyrdom of Christians during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian

Thus Saint Nicholas shepherded the flock of Christ’s verbal sheep entrusted to him. But the envious evil serpent, who never ceases to raise war against the servants of God and cannot tolerate prosperity among people of piety, raised a persecution against the Church of Christ through the wicked kings Diocletian and Maximian. At that very time, a command came out from these kings throughout the entire empire that Christians should reject Christ and worship idols. Those who did not obey this command were ordered to be forced to imprisonment and severe torment and, finally, to be put to death. This storm, breathing malice, through the zeal of the zealots of darkness and wickedness, soon reached the city of Mir. Blessed Nicholas, who was the leader of all Christians in that city, freely and boldly preached the piety of Christ and was ready to suffer for Christ. Therefore, he was captured by wicked tormentors and imprisoned along with many Christians. Here he stayed for quite some time, enduring severe suffering, enduring hunger and thirst and the cramped conditions of prison. He fed his fellow prisoners with the word of God and gave them to drink the sweet waters of piety; confirming in them faith in Christ God, strengthening them on an indestructible foundation, he convinced them to be strong in the confession of Christ and to suffer diligently for the truth. Meanwhile, freedom was again granted to Christians, and piety shone like the sun after dark clouds, and a kind of quiet coolness came after a storm. For the Lover of Mankind, Christ, having looked upon His property, destroyed the wicked, casting down Diocletian and Maximian from the royal throne and destroying the power of the zealots of Hellenic wickedness. By the appearance of His Cross to Tsar Constantine the Great, to whom He deigned to entrust the Roman Empire, "and raised up" Lord God to His people "horn of salvation"(Luke 1:69). Tsar Constantine, having come to know the One God and placed all his hope in Him, defeated all his enemies by the power of the Honest Cross and ordered the destruction of idol temples and the restoration of Christian churches, dispelling the vain hopes of his predecessors. He freed all those imprisoned for Christ, and, having honored them as courageous warriors with great praise, he returned these confessors of Christ, each to his own fatherland. At that time, the city of Myra again received its shepherd, the great bishop Nicholas, who was awarded the crown of martyrdom. Carrying within himself Divine grace, he, as before, healed the passions and ailments of people, and not only the faithful, but also the unfaithful. For the sake of the great grace of God that abided in him, many glorified him and marveled at him, and everyone loved him. For he shone with purity of heart and was endowed with all the gifts of God, serving his Lord in honor and truth.

The fight against pagan misconceptions

At that time, there were still many Hellenic temples left, to which wicked people were attracted by devilish inspiration, and many of the world’s inhabitants were in perdition. The bishop of the Most High God, inspired by God’s zeal, walked through all these places, destroying and turning to dust the idol’s temples and cleansing his flock from the filth of the devil. Thus, fighting against the spirits of evil, Saint Nicholas came to the temple of Artemis, which was very large and richly decorated, representing a pleasant dwelling for demons. Saint Nicholas destroyed this temple of filth, razed its tall building to the ground, and scattered the very foundation of the temple, which was in the ground, through the air, taking up arms more against the demons than against the temple itself. The crafty spirits, unable to bear the coming of the saint of God, emitted mournful cries, but, defeated by the prayer weapon of the invincible warrior of Christ, St. Nicholas, they had to flee from their home.

The Divine Zeal of St. Nicholas at the Ecumenical Council in Nicaea

The blessed Tsar Constantine, wishing to establish the faith of Christ, ordered an ecumenical council to be convened in the city of Nicaea. The holy fathers of the council expounded the right teaching, condemned the Arian heresy and with it Arius himself, and, confessing the Son of God as equal in honor and co-essential with God the Father, restored peace in the holy Divine Apostolic Church. Among the 318 fathers of the council was St. Nicholas. He courageously stood against the wicked teachings of Arius and, together with the holy fathers of the council, approved and betrayed to everyone the dogmas of the Orthodox faith. The monk of the Studite monastery, John, tells about Saint Nicholas that, inspired, like the prophet Elijah, by zeal for God, he disgraced this heretic Arius at the council not only in word, but also in deed, striking him on the cheek. The fathers of the council were indignant at the saint and, for his daring act, decided to deprive him of his episcopal rank. But our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His Most Blessed Mother, looking from above at the feat of Saint Nicholas, approved of his courageous act and praised his divine zeal. For some of the holy fathers of the council had the same vision, which the saint himself was awarded with even before his installation as a bishop. They saw that on one side of the saint stood Christ the Lord himself with the Gospel, and on the other the Most Pure Virgin Mother of God with an omophorion, and they gave the saint signs of his rank, which he had been deprived of. Realizing from this that the saint’s boldness was pleasing to God, the fathers of the council stopped reproaching the saint and gave him honor as a great saint of God. Returning from the cathedral to his flock, Saint Nicholas brought him peace and blessing. With his honey-melting lips, he taught sound teaching to all the people, nipped at the very roots of wrong thoughts and speculations, and, denouncing the hardened, insensitive and inveterate heretics, drove them away from the flock of Christ. Just as a wise farmer cleanses everything that is on the threshing floor and in the winepress, selects the best grains, and shakes off the tares, so the prudent worker at the threshing floor of Christ, St. Nicholas, filled the spiritual granary with good fruits, but scattered the tares of heretical deception and swept them far from the wheat of the Lord. That is why the Holy Church calls him a spade, scattering the tares of Aryan teachings. And 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. This good shepherd had great care for his flock in all its needs, not only feeding it in spiritual pasture, but also taking care of its bodily food.

Saint Nicholas saves the inhabitants of Lycia from hunger

Once there was a great famine in the Lycian country, and in the city of Myra there was an extreme shortage of food. Regretting the unfortunate people dying of hunger, the bishop of God appeared at night in a dream to a merchant who was in Italy, who had loaded his entire ship with livestock and intended to sail to another country. Having given him three gold coins as collateral, the saint ordered him to sail to Myra and sell livestock there. Waking up and finding gold in his hand, the merchant was horrified, surprised at such a dream, which was accompanied by the miraculous appearance of coins. The merchant did not dare to disobey the command of the saint, went to the city of Myra and sold his grain to its inhabitants. At the same time, he did not hide from them about the appearance of St. Nicholas in his dream. Having acquired such consolation in hunger and listening to the merchant’s story, the citizens gave glory and thanksgiving to God and glorified their wonderful nourisher, the great Bishop Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas do not allow unrighteous judgment to be fulfilled

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

“Our whole city,” they said, “is mourning and crying and awaiting your return, sir.” For if you had been with us, the ruler would not have dared to carry out such an unjust judgment.

Hearing about this, the bishop of God was heartbroken and, accompanied by the governor, immediately set off on the road. Having reached a place nicknamed “Lion,” the saint met some travelers and asked them if they knew anything about the men condemned to death. They answered:

“We left them on the field of Castor and Pollux, dragged to execution.”

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

Nicholas the Wonderworker saves three falsely accused governors from death

Seeing everything that happened, the governors who arrived with the saint were amazed at the zeal and goodness of God’s great bishop. Having received his holy prayers and received his blessing on their journey, they went to Phrygia to fulfill the royal command given to them. Arriving at the scene of the rebellion, they quickly suppressed it and, having fulfilled the royal order, returned joyfully to Byzantium. The king and all the nobles gave them great praise and honor, and they were honored with participation in the royal council. But evil people, envious of such glory of the commanders, became hostile to them. Having planned evil against them, they came to the governor of the city, Eulavius, and slandered those men, saying:

“The governors are giving bad advice, for, as we have heard, they are introducing innovations and plotting evil against the king.”

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

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

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

“It would be better for me if I did not know you and did not enjoy a pleasant conversation and meal with you.” Then I would easily bear the separation from you and would not grieve my soul so much about the misfortune that has come to you. The morning will come, and the final and terrible separation will befall us. I will no longer see your dear faces and I will not hear your voice, for the king has ordered your execution. Bequeath to me what to do with your property while there is time and death has not yet prevented you from expressing your will.

He interrupted his speech with sobs. Upon learning of their terrible fate, the commanders tore their clothes and tore out their hair, saying:

- What enemy envied our life for the sake of which we, as villains, were condemned to death? What have we done that deserves to be put to death?

And they called on their relatives and friends by name, putting God Himself as a witness that they had not done any evil, and they wept bitterly. One of them, named Nepotian, remembered Saint Nicholas, how he, having appeared in Myra as a glorious helper and good intercessor, delivered three husbands from death. And the governors began to pray:

“God of Nicholas, who delivered three men from unrighteous death, now look upon us, for there can be no help for us from people.” A great misfortune has come upon us, and there is no one who could save us from the misfortune. Our voice was interrupted before our souls left the body, and our tongue dried up, burned by the fire of heartfelt sorrow, so that we could not even offer a prayer to You. “Let Your tender mercies soon precede us, for we are greatly exhausted” (Psalm 78:8). Tomorrow they want to kill us, so hurry to our aid and save us innocents from death.

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

- Get up quickly and free the commanders languishing in prison. You have slandered them, and they suffer innocently.

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

“If you don’t listen to me and don’t let them go, then I will raise a rebellion against you, similar to what happened in Phrygia, and you will die an evil death.”

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

- Who are you that you dare to threaten us and our state?

He answered:

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

The king became confused and, getting up, began to ponder what this vision meant. Meanwhile, on the same night the saint appeared to the governor Evlavius ​​and announced to him about the condemned the same as he had told the king. Having risen from sleep, Evlavius ​​was afraid. While he was thinking about this vision, a messenger from the king came to him and told him about what the king had seen in his dream. Hastening to the king, the ruler told him his vision, and both of them were surprised that they saw the same thing. Immediately the king ordered the commander to be brought out of prison and said to them:

- By what sorcery did you bring such dreams to us? The man who appeared to us was very angry and threatened us, boasting that he would soon bring abuse upon us.

The governors turned to each other in bewilderment, and, not knowing anything, looked at each other with a tender gaze. Noticing this, the king softened and said:

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

They answered with tears and sobs:

“Tsar, we do not know any sorcery and did not plot any evil against your power, may the All-Seeing Lord Himself be a witness of this.” If we deceive you, and you find out something bad about us, then let there be no mercy or mercy either for us or for our family. From our fathers we learned to honor the king and, above all, to be faithful to him. So now we faithfully guard your life and, as is characteristic of our rank, we have steadily carried out your instructions to us. Serving you with zeal, we pacified the rebellion in Phrygia, stopped internecine hostilities and sufficiently proved our courage by deeds, as those who know this well testify. Your power previously showered us with honors, but now you have armed yourself with rage against us and mercilessly condemned us to a painful death. So, king, we think that we suffer only for our zeal for you, for it we are condemned and, instead of the glory and honors that we hoped to receive, we were overcome by the fear of death.

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

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

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

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

With these words, he handed them the golden Gospel, a golden censer decorated with stones and two lamps and ordered them to give all this to the Church of the World. Having received a miraculous rescue, the commanders immediately set off on their journey. Arriving in Myra, they rejoiced and were glad that they were privileged to see the saint again. They brought great thanks to Saint Nicholas for his miraculous help and sang: “Lord, who is like You, delivering the weak from the strong, the poor and needy from their plunderer?” (Psalm 34:10).

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

These are the works of God with which the Lord magnified His saint. The fame of them, as if on wings, swept everywhere, penetrated overseas and spread throughout the entire universe, so that there was no place where they did not know about the great and wondrous miracles of the great Bishop Nicholas, which he performed by the grace given to him by the Almighty Lord .

Rescue of seafarers during a storm

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

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

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

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

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

Having taught those men with soulful speeches, the saint sent them away in peace. For the saint’s character was like that of a loving father, and his gaze shone with Divine grace, like that of an Angel of God. From his face emanated, as from the face of Moses, a radiant ray, and those who only looked at him received great benefit. Anyone who was aggravated by some kind of passion or spiritual sorrow had only to turn his gaze to the saint in order to receive consolation in his sadness; and the one who talked with him was already successful in goodness. And not only Christians, but also infidels, if any of them heard the sweet and honeyed speeches of the saint, were moved by emotion and, sweeping aside the malice of unbelief that had taken root in them from infancy and receiving the right word of truth in their hearts, they entered the path of salvation.

The Departure of Saint Nicholas
to the Lord.

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

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

The Legend of the Transfer of the Relics of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra

In the summer of 1087, under the Greek king Alexy Komnenos and under the Patriarch of Constantinople Nicholas Grammaticus, during the reign of Vsevolod Yaroslavich in Rus' in Kiev and his son Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh in Chernigov, the Ishmaelites invaded the Greek region, both from both sides of the sea. They walked through all the cities and villages, from Korsun to Antioch and to Jerusalem; at the same time, they cut off men, took women and children captive and burned houses and property. Churches and monasteries were deserted, and cities fell into the hands of infidels. Then the Lycian Myra, in which the body of St. Nicholas rested, was devastated, a precious and honorable body that performed wondrous and glorious miracles. This venerable man could have protected his city and the Church from devastation, but, at the command of God, he did not resist, saying: “Lord, I will do what is right in your sight.”

But our Lord Jesus Christ could not allow the relics of the saint to rest in a desolate place and not be glorified by anyone, according to what is said in Scripture: “Let the saints rejoice in glory” (Ps. 149:5); and further: “Glory shall be to all His saints” (Ps. 149:9).

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

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

They immediately chose reverent and God-fearing men from among them and sent them in three ships to retrieve the relics of the saint. Posing as if they were going to trade, those men loaded their ships with wheat and set off.

Sailing to Antioch, they sold wheat and bought everything they needed. Then they learned that the Venetians who were there wanted to warn them and take the relics of St. Nicholas. Immediately the nobles set off in haste, arrived at Myra in Lycia and landed at the city pier. Having conceived a matter to save themselves and their city, they armed themselves and entered the church of St. Nicholas. Here they saw four monks and asked them where the relics of St. Nicholas rested. They showed them the place of the shrine. The nobles dug up the church platform and found a shrine full of peace. They poured myrrh into a vessel, and took the relics of the saint and carried them to the ship, then sailed away. Two monks remained in Myra, and two accompanied the relics of St. Nicholas. They departed from the city of Mir in the month of April on the 11th day, and arrived in the city of Bari in the month of May on the 9th day, on Sunday evening. Seeing that they had arrived from the city of Mir with the relics of St. Nicholas, all the inhabitants of the city of Bari, men and wives, from young to old, came out to meet the saint with candles and incense, received the relics with joy and great honor and placed them in the Church of St. John the Baptist at seas.

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

And Saint Nicholas performed other miracles throughout his days, like a source flowing endlessly. And they brought many gifts to the saint, gold and silver and valuable clothes. Seeing his glorious miracles, the citizens were filled with great joy, created a great and beautiful church in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and forged a gilded silver shrine for his relics. In the third summer after the transfer of the relics from Myra Lycia, they sent to Pope Urban, asking him to come to Bari with his bishops and the entire church clergy to transfer the relics of St. Nicholas. The pope arrived accompanied by bishops and clergy; They placed the relics of the saint in a silver shrine, then the bishops and nobles transferred it to the new, great church and placed it in the altar, on the 9th day of May. They also moved the saint’s dilapidated coffin, in which he had been brought from Mir, placed the coffin in the church and placed in it part of the hand from the saint’s relics. Many people came and worshiped the saint, kissing his relics and the shrine. Pope Urban, the bishops and all the citizens created a great holiday and glorification of the saint on that day, which they continue to do to this day. In those days they consoled themselves with food and drink and, having given generous alms to the poor, returned to their homes in peace, glorifying and praising God and His holy saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker

This great saint performed many great and glorious miracles on land and sea. He helped those in trouble, saved them from drowning and brought them to land from the depths of the sea, freed them from captivity and brought those freed home, delivered them from bonds and prison, protected them from being cut by the sword, freed them from death and gave many many healings, the blind - sight, the lame - walking, the deaf - hearing, the dumb - the gift of speech. He enriched many who were suffering in squalor and extreme poverty, served food to the hungry, and was a ready helper, warm intercessor, and quick intercessor and defender for everyone in every need. And now he also helps those who call on him and delivers them from troubles. It is impossible to count his miracles in the same way as it is impossible to describe all of them in detail. This great miracle worker is known to the East and West, and his miracles are known to all ends of the earth. May the Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit be glorified in him, and may his holy name be boasted by the lips of all forever. Amen.

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

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

“I would like to bring this vessel to the saint’s tomb, but I am very afraid of the sea journey, because it is dangerous for a weak woman suffering from a stomach illness to sail by sea.” Therefore, I beg you, take this vessel, bring it to the saint’s tomb and pour the oil into the lamp.

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

Having been in misery for many days on an unsuccessful voyage, they lost patience with the prolonged sea waves and decided to return back. They had already directed the ship in their direction when Saint Nicholas appeared before them in a small boat and said:

—Where are you sailing, men, and why, having left your previous path, are you returning back? You can calm the storm and make the path easy to navigate. The devil's snares are preventing you from sailing, because the vessel of oil was given to you not by a woman, but by a demon. Throw the vessel into the sea, and immediately your voyage will be safe."

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

Saint Nicholas. Three icons. Patriarch Afanasy

Saint Nicholas performed many miracles, not only during his life, but also after his death. Who wouldn’t be surprised when hearing about his wondrous miracles! For not one country and not one region, but the whole of heaven was filled with the miracles of St. Nicholas. Go to the Greeks, and there they will marvel at them; go to the Latins - and there they are amazed at them, and in Syria they praise them. All over the earth they marvel at Saint Nicholas. Come to Rus', and you will see that there is neither a city nor a village where there are not many miracles of St. Nicholas.

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

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

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

“Let’s have a meal in our house and pray to God about our sins.”

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

- Glory to Thee, Christ God, who created all creation. It was worthy to paint this image.

Then, approaching the second icon, he said:

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

Approaching the third icon, the patriarch said:

— This is the image of Nicholas, Archbishop of Mir. It should not have been depicted on such a great icon. After all, he was the son of simple people, Feofan and Nonna, who came from the villages.

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

- Theophan, they didn’t tell Haggai to paint the image of Nicholas in such a large size.

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

“It’s hardly convenient for him to stand with Christ and the Most Pure One.”

The pious husband Theophan, with great sadness, carried the icon of St. Nicholas out of the upper room, placed it in a cage in a place of honor, and, having chosen from the cathedral a clergy member, a wondrous and intelligent man, named Callistus, begged him to stand before the icon and magnify St. Nicholas. He himself was very saddened by the words of the patriarch, who ordered the icon of St. Nicholas to be taken out of the upper room. But the Scripture says: “I will glorify those who glorify Me” (1 Samuel 2:30). Thus said the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom, as we shall see, the saint himself will be glorified.

Having glorified God and the Most Pure One, the patriarch sat down at the table with his entire congregation, and there was a meal. After her, the patriarch stood up, exalted God and the Most Pure One, and, having drunk wine, rejoiced along with the entire cathedral. At this time, Callistus glorified and magnified the great Saint Nicholas. But there was not enough wine, and the patriarch and those accompanying him still wanted to drink and have fun. And one of those gathered said:

“Theophan, bring more wine to the patriarch and make the feast enjoyable.”

He answered:

“There is no more wine, my lord, and they no longer sell it at the market, and there is nowhere to buy it.”

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

- Oh Saint Nicholas! your birth was wonderful and your life was holy, you healed many sick people. I pray you, show me a miracle now, add more wine to me.

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

“I haven’t drunk this kind of wine.”

And those who drank said that Theophanes saved the best wine for the end of the feast. And he hid the wonderful miracle of St. Nicholas.

In joy, the patriarch and the cathedral retired to the house at St. Sophia. In the morning, a certain nobleman named Theodore, from a village called Sierdalsky, from Mirsky Island, came to the patriarch and prayed to the patriarch to go to him, for his only daughter was possessed by a demonic illness, and read the Holy Gospel over her head. The Patriarch agreed, took the Four Gospels, entered the ship with the entire cathedral and sailed away. When they were on the open sea, the storm raised strong waves, the ship capsized, and everyone fell into the water and swam, crying and praying to God, the Most Pure Mother of God and St. Nicholas. And the Most Pure Mother of God begged Her Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, for a council, so that the priestly order would not perish. Then the ship righted itself, and, by the grace of God, the whole cathedral entered it again. While drowning, Patriarch Athanasius remembered his sin before Saint Nicholas and, crying out, prayed and said:

“O great saint of Christ, Archbishop of Mir, miracle worker Nicholas, I have sinned before you, forgive and have mercy on me, a sinner and accursed one, save me from the depths of the sea, from this bitter hour and from vain death.”

Oh, glorious miracle - the highly intelligent humbled himself, and the humble became miraculously exalted and honestly glorified.

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

- Afanasy, or did you need help in the abyss of the sea from me, who comes from ordinary people?

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

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

And the saint said to him:

- Do not be afraid, brother, Christ is delivering you by my hand. Don’t sin anymore, so that the worst doesn’t happen to you. Enter your ship.

Having said this, Saint Nicholas took the patriarch from the water and put him on the ship, with the words:

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

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

“Glory to You, Christ the Savior, and to You, the Most Pure Queen, Lady Theotokos, who saved our master from drowning.”

As if awakening from sleep, the patriarch asked them:

- Where am I, brothers?

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

The patriarch burst into tears and said:

- Brothers, I sinned before Saint Nicholas, he is truly great: he walks on the sea as if on dry land, took me by the hand and put me on a ship; truly he is quick to help everyone who calls on him in faith.

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

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

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

Help from St. Nicholas to spouses who sacredly honor his memory

In Constantinople there lived a certain man named Nicholas, who lived by handicrafts. Being pious, he made a covenant never to spend days dedicated to the memory of St. Nicholas without remembering the saint of God. He observed this unflaggingly, according to the word of Scripture: “Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your increase” (Prov. 3:9), and always firmly remembered this. So he reached a ripe old age and, not having the strength to work, fell into poverty. The day of remembrance of St. Nicholas was approaching, and so, thinking about what to do, the elder said to his wife:

— The day of the great bishop of Christ Nicholas, whom we honor, is coming; How can we poor people, given our poverty, celebrate this day?

The pious wife answered her husband:

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

She showed her husband her carpet and said:

- Take the carpet, go and sell it and buy everything you need for a worthy celebration of the memory of St. Nicholas. We have nothing else, and we don’t need this carpet, because we don’t have children to whom we could leave it.

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

- Dear friend, where are you going?

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

Coming closer, Saint Nicholas said:

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

The elder said to the saint:

“This carpet was once bought for 8 zlotniks, but now I’ll take for it whatever you give me.”

The saint said to the elder:

— Do you agree to take 6 zlatnikov for it?

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

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

- Take this, friend, and give me the carpet.

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

“Don’t you see a ghost, old man, that you’re talking alone?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Having said these words and similar ones, she brought the carpet to her husband and said:

- Take it, you won’t see me again; you lied to Saint Nicholas and therefore you will lose everything you achieved by celebrating his memory. For it is written: “If anyone keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10).

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

- Glory to You, Christ God, who works miracles through Saint Nicholas!

And the old man said to his wife:

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

His wife answered him:

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

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

- The Lord lives! - he exclaimed. “The man who bought the carpet from me and brought it back to the house of our poor and humble slaves is truly Saint Nicholas, for those who saw me in conversation with him said: “Are you not seeing a ghost?” They saw me alone, but he was invisible.

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

Saving the innocent from trouble, and Epiphanius from grave sin

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

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

Hearing this, the boy was afraid, for the master did not give him gold, and said:

“You didn’t give me any gold, sir.”

The gentleman said:

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

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

He himself said:

“I will decide his fate when the feast of St. Nicholas passes, for this feast was supposed to be on another day.”

Prisoner alone in the temple, the youth cried out with tears to Almighty God, who delivers those in trouble:

- Lord my God, Jesus Christ, Almighty, Son of the Living God, living in the unapproachable light! I cry out to You, for You know the human heart, You are a Helper to the orphans, Deliverance to those in trouble, Comfort to those who mourn: deliver me from this misfortune unknown to me. Create a merciful deliverance, so that my master, having gotten rid of the sin and untruth inflicted on me, glorifies You with joy of heart, and so that I, Your wicked servant, having gotten rid of this misfortune that unjustly befell me, offer You thanks for Your love for mankind.

Speaking with tears this and the like, adding prayer to prayer and tears to tears, the youth cried out to Saint Nicholas:

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

Night came, and the tired youth fell asleep. And Saint Nicholas appeared to him, always quick to help everyone who calls on him with faith, and said:

- Do not grieve: Christ will deliver you through me, His servant.

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

“Why did you commit lies to your servant, Epiphanius?” You yourself are to blame, for you forgot where you put the gold, but you tormented the boy without guilt, and he is faithful to you. But since you did not plan this yourself, but were taught by your primordial evil enemy the devil, I appeared so that your love for God would not dry out. Arise and free the boy: if you disobey me, then great misfortune will befall you.

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

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

Having said this, he became invisible.

The nobleman Epiphanius woke up in trepidation, went to the place indicated to him in the saint’s chamber, and found the gold that he himself had placed. Then, overcome with fear and filled with joy, he said:

- Glory to Thee, Christ God, Hope of the entire Christian race; glory to You, Hope of the hopeless, the despairing, quick Consolation; glory to You, who showed the luminary to the whole world and the imminent uprising of those fallen in sin, Saint Nicholas, who heals not only bodily ailments, but also spiritual temptations.

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

“I thank you, honest father, for you saved me, unworthy and sinful, and came to me, bad, and cleansed me from my sins.” What will I reward you for looking at me by coming to me?

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

“Child, it is not I who am a sinner, but your God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and His holy saint, Nicholas, free you from slavery, so that I too may someday be forgiven the injustice that I, out of ignorance, committed to you.”

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

“Take this, child, and you will not owe anyone except St. Nicholas.” I will take care of you like a loving father.

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

Resurrection of a drowned child and transference of him to the temple

Once in Kyiv, on the day of remembrance of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, many people flocked from all the cities and sat down to celebrate the feast of the holy martyrs. A certain Kievite, who had great faith in Saint Nicholas and the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, got into a boat and sailed to Vyshgorod to venerate the tomb of the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb, taking with him candles, incense and prosphora - everything necessary for a worthy celebration. Having venerated the relics of the saints and rejoiced in spirit, he went home. When he was sailing along the Dnieper River, his wife, holding a child in her arms, dozed off and dropped the child into the water, and he drowned. The father began to tear out the hair on his head, exclaiming:

- Woe to me, Saint Nicholas, was it for this reason that I had great faith in you, so that you would not save my child from drowning! Who will be the heir to my estate? Who will I teach to create a bright celebration in memory of you, my intercessor? How can I tell your great mercy, which you poured out on the whole world and on poor me when my child drowned? I wanted to raise him, enlightening him with your miracles, so that after death they would praise me for the fact that my fruit creates the memory of St. Nicholas. But you, saint, not only gave me sadness, but also yourself, for soon the very memory of you in my house must cease, for I am old and awaiting death. If you wanted to save the child, you could have saved him, but you yourself allowed him to drown, and did not save my only begotten child from the depths of the sea. Or do you think that I don’t know your miracles? they have no number, and human language cannot convey them, and I, Holy Father, believe that everything is possible for you, whatever you want to do, but my iniquities have prevailed. Now I understood, tormented by sadness, that if I had kept the commandments of God immaculately, all creation would have submitted to me, like Adam in paradise, before the Fall. Now all creation is rising up against me: the water will drown, the beast will tear it to pieces, the serpent will devour, the lightning will burn, the birds will eat, the cattle will become furious and trample everything, people will kill, the bread given to us for food will not satisfy us and, according to the will of God, it will be for us. to destruction. We, gifted with soul and mind and created in the image of God, do not, however, fulfill the will of our Creator as we should. But do not be angry with me, holy Father Nicholas, that I speak so boldly, for I do not despair of my salvation, having you as an assistant.

His wife tore her hair and beat herself on the cheeks. Finally, they reached the city and mournfully entered their house. Night fell, and now, quick to help everyone calling on him, Bishop Nicholas of Christ performed a wondrous miracle that had not happened in previous times. At night, he took a drowned child from the river and laid him in the choir of the Church of St. Sophia, alive and unharmed. When it was time for morning prayer, the sexton entered the church and heard children crying in the choir. And for a long time he stood in thought:

- Who let a woman into the choir?

He went to the man in charge of order in the choir and began to reprimand him; he said that he knew nothing, but the sexton reproached him:

“You have been caught in fact, because the children are screaming in the choir.”

The head of the choir was frightened and, approaching the castle, he saw it untouched and heard a child’s voice. Entering the choir, he saw in front of the image of St. Nicholas a child, completely soaked in water. Not knowing what to think, he told the Metropolitan about this. After serving Matins, the Metropolitan sent people to gather in the square and ask them whose child was lying in the choir in the Church of St. Sophia. All the citizens went to church, wondering where a child wet from water had come from in the choir. The child’s father also came to marvel at the miracle, and when he saw it, he recognized it. But, not believing himself, he went to his wife and told her everything in detail. She immediately began to reproach her husband, saying:

- How is it that you don’t understand that this is a miracle created by Saint Nicholas?

She hastily went to church, recognized her child, and, without touching him, fell before the image of St. Nicholas and prayed, with tenderness and tears. Her husband, standing in the distance, shed tears. Hearing about this, all the people flocked to see the miracle, and the whole city gathered, praising God and Saint Nicholas. The Metropolitan created an honest holiday, such as is celebrated on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas, glorifying the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Troparion, tone 4:

The rule of faith and the image of meekness and abstinence as a teacher show you to your flock, Even the things of the Truth: for this reason you have acquired high humility, rich in poverty, Father Hierarch Nicholas, pray to Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion, tone 3:

In Mireh the holy priest appeared: for having fulfilled the venerable Gospel of Christ, you laid down your soul for your people, and saved the innocent from death. For this reason you have been sanctified, as the great hidden place of God’s grace.

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

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

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

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

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

Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh ruled from 1073 to 1125.

The Ishmaelites here mean the same-tribal eastern peoples: Turks, Pechenegs and Polovtsians.

An ancient city in Crimea, near Sevastopol, also called Tauride Chersonese.

The city of Bari is located in the south of the Italian peninsula, on its eastern shore near the Adriatic Sea, in an area called Apulia. The population of southern Italy has long been Greek. By the end of the 9th century. The power of the Greek emperor was established here. In 1070, the city of Bari was taken from the Greeks by the Normans, a northern tribe of the Germanic people, but even after this, the Orthodox faith and worship were preserved in some Apulian monasteries, and they were subordinated to the Patriarch of Constantinople.

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

The celebration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas to Rus' was established under Metropolitan John II of Kiev in 1089.

This church still exists today.

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About Birth

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

When this blessed youth was born, he was given the name Nicholas, which means conqueror of nations. And he, by the blessing of God, truly appeared as a conqueror of evil, for the benefit of the whole world. After his birth, his mother Nonna was immediately freed from illness and from that time until her death she remained barren. By this, nature itself seemed to testify that this wife could not have another son like Saint Nicholas: he alone had to be the first and the last.

Sanctified in his mother's womb by divinely inspired grace, he showed himself to be a reverent admirer of God before he saw the light, began to work miracles before he began to feed on his mother's milk, and was a faster before he became accustomed to eating food. After his birth, while still in the baptismal font, he stood on his feet for three hours, supported by no one, thereby giving honor to the Most Holy Trinity as the great servant and representative of Which he was to appear later. One could recognize the future miracle worker in him even by the way he clung to his mother’s nipple; for he fed on the milk of one right breast, thus signifying his future standing at the right hand of the Lord together with the righteous. He showed his considerable fasting in the fact that on Wednesdays and Fridays he ate his mother’s milk only once, and then in the evening, after his parents had completed their usual prayers. His father and mother were very surprised at this and foresaw what a strict faster their son would be in his life. Having become accustomed to such abstinence from the swaddling clothes of childhood, Saint Nicholas spent his entire life until his death on Wednesdays and Fridays in strict fasting. Growing over the years, the boy also grew in intelligence, improving in the virtues that he was taught from his pious parents. And he was like a fruitful field, receiving and returning the good seed of teaching and bearing new fruits of good behavior every day.

Study Period

When the time came to study the Divine Scripture, Saint Nicholas, with the strength and sharpness of his mind and the help of the Holy Spirit, in a short time comprehended much wisdom and succeeded in book teaching as befits a good helmsman of Christ’s ship and a skillful shepherd of verbal sheep. Having achieved perfection in word and teaching, he showed himself to be perfect in life itself. He avoided vain friends and idle conversations in every possible way, avoided conversations with women and did not even look at them. Saint Nicholas maintained true chastity, always contemplating the Lord with a pure mind and diligently visiting the temple of God, following the Psalmist who says: “I would rather be at the threshold of the house of God” (Ps. 83:11). In the temple of God, he spent whole days and nights in divine prayer and reading divine books, learning spiritual wisdom, enriching himself with the divine grace of the Holy Spirit and creating within himself a dwelling worthy of Him, according to the words of Scripture: “You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God lives in you "(1 Cor. 3:16). The Spirit of God truly dwelt in this virtuous and pure young man, and, serving the Lord, he burned in spirit. No habits characteristic of youth were noticed in him: in his disposition he was like an old man, which is why everyone respected him and was surprised at him. An old man, if he shows youthful hobbies, is a laughing stock for everyone; on the contrary, if a young man has the character of an old man, then he is respected by everyone with surprise. Youth is inappropriate in old age, but old age is worthy of respect and beautiful in youth.

Ordination to the Presbyterate

Saint Nicholas had an uncle, the bishop of the city of Patara, the same name for his nephew, who was named Nicholas in his honor. This bishop, seeing that his nephew was succeeding in a virtuous life and was withdrawing from the world in every possible way, began to advise his parents to give their son to the service of God. They listened to the advice and dedicated their child to the Lord, which they themselves accepted from Him as a gift. For in the ancient books it is told about them that they were barren and no longer hoped to have children, but with many prayers, tears and alms they asked God for a son, and now they did not regret bringing him as a gift to the One who gave him. The bishop, having accepted this young elder, about which it is said: “Wisdom is gray hair for people, and blameless life is the age of old age” (Wisdom 4:9), elevated him to the priesthood. When he ordained Saint Nicholas as a priest, then, at the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, turning to the people who were in the church, he prophetically said:

- “I see, brethren, a new sun rising over the earth and representing a merciful consolation for those who mourn. Blessed is the flock that is worthy of having him as a shepherd, for this good will shepherd the souls of the lost, feed them in the pasture of piety and will be a merciful helper in troubles and sorrows."

This prophecy was subsequently indeed fulfilled, as will be seen from the subsequent narrative.

Help provided to St. Nicholas in need, during his lifetime

Having accepted the priesthood, Saint Nicholas applied labor to labor; being awake and in constant prayer and fasting, he, being mortal, tried to imitate the incorporeal. Carrying out such an equal life with the angels and day by day more and more flourishing in the beauty of his soul, he was completely worthy to rule the Church. At this time, Bishop Nicholas, wishing to go to Palestine to worship holy places, entrusted the management of the Church to his nephew. This priest of God, Saint Nicholas, taking the place of his uncle, took care of the affairs of the Church in the same way as the bishop himself. At this time, his parents moved into eternal life. Having inherited their estate, Saint Nicholas distributed it to those in need. For he did not pay attention to fleeting wealth and did not care about its increase, but, renouncing all worldly desires, with all zeal he tried to devote himself to the One God, crying out: “To You, Lord, I lift up my soul. Teach me to do Your will, because You are my God. I was left to You from the womb; from my mother’s womb You are my God" (Ps. 24:1; Ps. 142:10; Ps. 21:11)

And his hand was stretched out to the needy, on whom she poured out rich alms, like a high-flowing river, abounding in streams.

Salvation of a pious husband and three virgins with three bags of gold, during life

This is one of the many works of his mercy. There lived in the city of Patara a certain man, noble and rich. Having fallen into extreme poverty, it lost its former meaning, for the life of this age is impermanent. This man had three daughters who were very beautiful. When he was deprived of everything necessary, so that there was nothing to eat and nothing to wear, he, for the sake of his great poverty, planned to give his daughters to fornication and turn his home into a house of fornication, in order to thus obtain a means of living for himself and to acquire for himself and daughters clothes and food. Oh woe, what unworthy thoughts extreme poverty leads to! Having this unclean thought, this husband wanted to fulfill his evil intention. But the All-Good Lord, who does not want to see a person in destruction and who humanely helps in our troubles, put a good thought into the soul of His saint, the holy priest Nicholas, and with secret inspiration sent him to his husband, who was perishing in soul, for consolation in poverty and warning from sin.
Saint Nicholas, having heard about the extreme poverty of that husband and having learned by God's revelation about his evil intentions, felt deep regret for him and decided with his beneficent hand to extract him together with his daughters, as if from fire, from poverty and sin. However, he did not want to show his kindness to that husband openly, but decided to give him generous alms secretly. Saint Nicholas did this for two reasons. On the one hand, he himself wanted to avoid vain human glory, following the words of the Gospel: “See that you do not do your alms before men” (Matthew 6:1), on the other hand, he did not want to offend his husband, who was once a rich man, but is now fallen into extreme poverty. For he knew how difficult and offensive alms are for one who has passed from wealth and glory into poverty, because it reminds him of his former prosperity. Therefore, Saint Nicholas considered it best to act according to the teachings of Christ: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3). He avoided human glory so much that he tried to hide himself even from the one to whom he benefited. He took a large bag of gold, came to that husband’s house at midnight and, throwing this bag out the window, he hurried to return home. In the morning the husband got up and, finding the bag, untied it. At the sight of the gold, he came into great horror and did not believe his eyes, because he could not expect such a good deed from anywhere. However, as he fingered the coins, he became convinced that it was indeed gold. Rejoicing in spirit and marveling at this, he wept with joy, thinking for a long time about who could show him such a benefit, and could not think of anything. Attributing this to the action of Divine Providence, he constantly thanked his benefactor in his soul, giving praise to the Lord who cares for everyone. After this, he gave his eldest daughter in marriage, giving her as a dowry the gold miraculously given to him. Saint Nicholas, having learned that this husband acted according to his wishes, fell in love with him and decided to show the same mercy to his second daughter, intending to protect her from sin by legal marriage. Having prepared another bag of gold, the same as the first, at night, secretly from everyone, he threw it through the same window into his husband’s house. Getting up in the morning, the poor man again found gold. Again he was surprised and, falling to the ground and shedding tears, said:

- “Merciful God, Builder of our salvation, who redeemed me with Your very blood and now redeems my house and my children with gold from the snares of the enemy, You Yourself show me the servant of Your mercy and Your humane goodness. Show me that earthly angel who saves us from sinful destruction, so that I can find out who is plucking us from the poverty that oppresses us and delivering us from evil thoughts and intentions. Lord, by Your mercy, secretly done to me by the generous hand of Your saint unknown to me, I can give my second daughter in marriage according to the law, and thus to escape the snares of the devil, who wanted to increase my already great destruction with a bad profit."

Having thus prayed to the Lord and thanked His goodness, that husband celebrated the marriage of his second daughter. Trusting in God, the father cherished the undoubted hope that He would give his third daughter a legitimate spouse, again secretly bestowing with a benevolent hand the gold needed for this. To find out who brought him the gold and from where, the father did not sleep at night, lying in wait for his benefactor and wanting to see him. A little time passed before the expected benefactor appeared. The saint of Christ, Nicholas, quietly came for the third time and, stopping at the usual place, threw the same bag of gold into the same window and immediately hurried to his house. Hearing the sound of gold being thrown out the window, the husband ran as quickly as he could after the saint of God. Having caught up with him and recognizing him, because it was impossible not to know the saint by his virtue and noble origin, this man fell at his feet, kissing them and calling the saint a deliverer, helper and savior of souls who had come to extreme destruction.

“If,” he said, “the Great Lord in mercy had not raised me up with your generosity, then I, an unfortunate father, would have long ago perished along with my daughters in the fire of Sodom. Now we are saved by you and delivered from the terrible fall.”
And he spoke many more similar words to the saint with tears. As soon as he lifted him from the ground, the holy saint took an oath from him that for the rest of his life he would not tell anyone about what happened to him. Having told him many more things that would benefit him, the saint sent him home.
Of the many deeds of mercy of the saint of God, we told only about one, so that it would be known how merciful he was to the poor. For we would not have enough time if we were to tell in detail how generous he was to the needy, how many hungry he fed, how many he clothed the naked, and how many he redeemed from lenders.

Departure for Palestine, rescue from a sea storm, resurrection of a shipbuilder from the dead

After this, the Reverend Father Nicholas wished to go to Palestine to see and worship those holy places where the Lord our God, Jesus Christ, walked with His most pure feet. When the ship sailed near Egypt and the travelers did not know what awaited them, Saint Nicholas, who was among them, foresaw that a storm would soon arise, and announced this to his companions, telling them that he saw the devil himself, who entered the ship so that everyone drown them in the depths of the sea. And at that very hour, the sky suddenly became covered with clouds, and a strong storm raised terrible waves on the sea. The travelers were in great horror and, despairing of their salvation and expecting death, they begged Holy Father Nicholas to help them, who were perishing in the depths of the sea. “If you, saint of God,” they said, “do not help us with your prayers to the Lord, then we will perish immediately.”

Having commanded them to take courage, place their hope in God and without any doubt expect speedy deliverance, the saint began to earnestly pray to the Lord. Immediately the sea calmed down, there was great silence, and general sorrow turned into joy. The joyful travelers gave thanks to God and His saint, Holy Father Nicholas, and were doubly surprised at both his prediction of the storm and the cessation of grief. After that, one of the shipmen had to climb to the top of the mast. Descending from there, he broke off and fell from the very height into the middle of the ship, was killed to death and lay lifeless. Saint Nicholas, ready to help before anyone needed it, immediately resurrected him with his prayer, and he stood up as if awakening from sleep. After this, having raised all the sails, the travelers continued their voyage safely with a fair wind and calmly landed on the shore of Alexandria. Having healed many sick and demoniacs here and comforted the mourning, the saint of God, Saint Nicholas, again set off along the intended path to Palestine.

Return to Lycia, a miracle revealed by the Lord at sea

Having reached the holy city of Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas came to Golgotha, where Christ our God, stretching out His most pure hands on the cross, brought salvation to the human race. Here the saint of God poured out warm prayers from a heart burning with love, sending thanks to our Savior. He toured all the holy places, performing zealous worship everywhere. And when at night he wanted to enter the holy church to pray, the closed church doors opened by themselves, opening an unrestricted entrance to those for whom the heavenly gates were also open. Having stayed in Jerusalem for quite a long time, Saint Nicholas intended to retire into the desert, but was stopped by a Divine voice from above, exhorting him to return to his homeland. The Lord God, who arranges everything for our benefit, did not deign that that lamp, which, by the will of God, was to shine on the Lycian metropolis, remained hidden under a bushel, in the desert. Arriving on the ship, the saint of God persuaded the shipmen to take him to his native country. But they planned to deceive him and sent their ship not to Lycian, but to another country. When they sailed from the pier, Saint Nicholas, noticing that the ship was sailing along a different route, fell at the feet of the shipbuilders, begging them to direct the ship to Lycia. But they did not pay any attention to his pleas and continued to sail along the intended path: they did not know that God would not abandon His saint. And suddenly a storm came, turned the ship in the other direction and quickly carried it towards Lycia, threatening the evil shipmen with complete destruction. Thus, carried by Divine power across the sea, Saint Nicholas finally arrived in his fatherland.

God's command to serve people in the world

Due to his kindness, he did not do any harm to his malicious enemies. He not only did not get angry and did not reproach them with a single word, but with a blessing he let them go to his country. He himself came to the monastery founded by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara, and called Holy Zion, and here he turned out to be a welcome guest for all the brethren. Having received him with great love as an angel of God, they enjoyed his inspired speech and, imitating the good morals with which God adorned His faithful servant, were edified by his equal-angelic life. Having found a silent life and a quiet haven for contemplation of God in this monastery, Saint Nicholas hoped to spend the rest of his life here undisturbed. But God showed him a different path, for he did not want such a rich treasure of virtues, with which the world should be enriched, to remain imprisoned in the monastery, like a treasure buried in the ground, but so that it would be open to everyone and a spiritual purchase would be made with it, winning many souls . And then one day the saint, standing in prayer, heard a voice from above:

- “Nicholas, if you want to be rewarded with a crown from Me, go and strive for the good of the world.”

Hearing this, Saint Nicholas was horrified and began to think about what this voice wanted and demanded of him, and again he heard:

- “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.”

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

Stay in the city of Myra. Accession to the episcopal throne of the entire Lycian country by command of God.

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

- “The election of a bishop to this throne is not subject to the decision of people, but is a matter of God’s structure. It is appropriate for us to pray so that the Lord Himself will reveal who is worthy to accept such a rank and be the shepherd of the entire Lycian country.”

This good advice met with universal approval, and everyone devoted themselves to fervent prayer and fasting. The Lord, who fulfills the desires of those who fear Him, listening to the prayer of the bishops, thus revealed His good will to the eldest of them. When this bishop was standing in prayer, a bright-looking man appeared before him and ordered him to go to the church doors at night and watch who would enter the church first.

“This,” He said, “is My chosen one; accept him with honor and make him an archbishop: this man’s name is Nicholas.”

The bishop announced such a divine vision to the other bishops, and they, hearing this, intensified their prayers. The bishop, rewarded with the revelation, stood in the place where he was shown in the vision and awaited the arrival of the desired husband. When the time came for the morning service, Saint Nicholas, prompted by the spirit, came to the church before everyone else, for he had the custom of getting up at midnight for prayer and came to the morning service earlier than others.

As soon as he entered the vestibule, the bishop, who had received the revelation, stopped him and asked him to say his name. Saint Nicholas was silent. The bishop asked him the same thing again. The saint meekly and quietly answered him:

“My name is Nikolai, I am a slave of your shrine, lord.”

The pious bishop, having heard such a brief and humble speech, understood both by the very name - Nicholas - predicted to him in a vision, and by his humble and meek answer, that before him was the very man whom God had favored to be the primate of the Worldly Church. For he knew from the Holy Scriptures that the Lord favors the meek, the silent, and the one who trembles at the word of God. He rejoiced with great joy, as if he had received some secret treasure. Immediately taking Saint Nicholas by the hand, he said to him:

- “Follow me, child.”

When he honorably brought the saint to the bishops, they were filled with Divine sweetness and, consoled in the spirit that they had found the husband indicated by God Himself, they led him to church. The rumor spread everywhere, and countless people flocked to the church faster than birds. The bishop, rewarded with the vision, turned to the people and exclaimed:

- “Receive, brothers, your shepherd, whom the Holy Spirit Himself anointed and to whom He entrusted the care of your souls. He was not appointed by a human assembly, but by God Himself. Now we have the one we desired, and we have found and accepted the one we were looking for. Under Through his rule and guidance we will not be deprived of hope that we will appear before God on the day of His appearing and revelation.”
All the people gave thanks to God and rejoiced with indescribable joy. Unable to bear human praise, Saint Nicholas for a long time refused to accept holy orders; but yielding to the zealous pleas of the council of bishops and all the people, he ascended the episcopal throne against his will. He was prompted to this by a Divine vision that came to him even before the death of Archbishop John. Saint Methodius, Patriarch of Constantinople, tells about this vision. Once, he said, Saint Nicholas saw at night that the Savior was standing before him in all His glory and was giving him the Gospel, decorated with gold and pearls. On the other side of himself, Saint Nicholas saw the Most Holy Theotokos placing the holy omophorion on his shoulder. After this vision, a few days passed, and the Mir Archbishop John died.

Bishop's ministry, instruction to the flock

Remembering this vision and seeing in it the clear favor of God and not wanting to refuse the fervent entreaties of the council, Saint Nicholas received the flock. The council of bishops with all the church clergy dedicated him and celebrated brightly, rejoicing in the shepherd given by God, Saint Nicholas of Christ. Thus, the Church of God received a bright lamp, which did not remain hidden, but was placed in its proper hierarchical and pastoral place. Honored with this great dignity, Saint Nicholas rightly ruled the word of truth and wisely instructed his flock in the teachings of the faith.

At the very beginning of his shepherding, the saint of God said to himself:

- “Nikolai! The rank you have taken requires of you different customs, so that you live not for yourself, but for others.”

Wanting to teach his verbal sheep virtues, he no longer hid, as before, his virtuous life. For before he spent his life secretly serving God, Who alone knew his exploits. Now, after he had accepted the rank of bishop, his life became open to everyone, not out of vanity before people, but for the sake of their benefit and the increase of the glory of God, so that the word of the Gospel would be fulfilled: “So let your light shine before people, so that they may see your good deeds.” deeds and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Saint Nicholas, through his good deeds, was, as it were, a mirror for his flock and, in the words of the apostle, “a model for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” (1 Tim. 4:12). He was meek and kind in character, humble in spirit and avoided all vanity. His clothes were simple, his food was fasting, which he always ate only once a day, and then in the evening. He spent the whole day doing work befitting his rank, listening to the requests and needs of those who came to him. The doors of his house were open to everyone. He was kind and accessible to everyone, he was a father to orphans, a merciful giver to the poor, a comforter to those who weep, a great benefactor to the offended, a helper to all. To help him in church government, he chose two virtuous and prudent advisers, endowed with presbyteral rank. These were men famous throughout Greece - Paul of Rhodes, Theodore of Ascalon.

Devil's machinations, imprisonment

Thus Saint Nicholas shepherded the flock of Christ’s verbal sheep entrusted to him. But the envious evil serpent, who never ceases to raise war against the servants of God and cannot tolerate prosperity among people of piety, raised a persecution against the Church of Christ through the wicked kings Diocletian and Maximian. At that very time, a command came out from these kings throughout the entire empire that Christians should reject Christ and worship idols. Those who did not obey this command were ordered to be forced to imprisonment and severe torment and, finally, to be put to death. This storm, breathing malice, through the zeal of the zealots of darkness and wickedness, soon reached the city of Mir. Blessed Nicholas, who was the leader of all Christians in that city, freely and boldly preached the piety of Christ and was ready to suffer for Christ. Therefore, he would have been captured by wicked tormentors and imprisoned along with many Christians. Here he spent a considerable time, enduring severe suffering, enduring hunger and thirst and prison overcrowding. He fed his fellow prisoners with the word of God and gave them to drink the sweet waters of piety; confirming in them faith in Christ God, strengthening them on an indestructible foundation, he urged them to be firm in their confession of Christ and to suffer diligently for the truth.

Liberation from imprisonment, the fight against anti-Christian heresy for the affirmation of the Christian faith. Destruction of the Temple of Artemis

Meanwhile, freedom was again granted to Christians, and piety shone like the sun after dark clouds, and a kind of quiet coolness came after a storm. For the Lover of Mankind, Christ, having looked upon His property, destroyed the wicked, casting down Diocletian and Maximian from the royal throne and destroying the power of the zealots of Hellenic wickedness. By the appearance of His Cross to Tsar Constantine the Great, to whom He deigned to entrust the Roman Empire, the Lord God erected a “horn of salvation” to His people (Luke 1:69). Tsar Constantine, having come to know the One God and placed all his hope in Him, defeated all his enemies by the power of the Honest Cross and ordered the destruction of idol temples and the restoration of Christian churches, dispelling the vain hopes of his predecessors. He freed all those imprisoned for Christ and, having honored them as courageous warriors with great praise, returned each of these confessors of Christ to his own fatherland. At that time, the city of Myra again received its shepherd, the great bishop Nicholas, who was awarded the crown of martyrdom. Carrying within himself Divine grace, he, as before, healed the passions and ailments of people, and not only the faithful, but also the unfaithful. For the sake of the great grace of God that abided in him, many glorified him and marveled at him, and everyone loved him. For he shone with purity of heart and was endowed with all the gifts of God, serving his Lord in honor and truth.

At that time, there were still many Hellenic temples left, to which wicked people were attracted by devilish inspiration, and many of the worldly inhabitants were in ruin. The bishop of the Most High God, inspired by God's zeal, walked through all these places, ruining and turning to dust the idolatrous temples and cleansing his flock from the filth of the devil. Thus, fighting against the spirits of evil, Saint Nicholas came to the temple of Artemis, which was very large and richly decorated, representing a pleasant dwelling for demons. Saint Nicholas destroyed this temple of filth, razed its tall building to the ground, and scattered the very foundation of the temple, which was in the ground, through the air, taking up arms more against demons than against the temple itself. The crafty spirits, unable to bear the coming of the saint of God, emitted mournful cries, but, defeated by the prayer weapon of the invincible warrior of Christ, Saint Nicholas, they had to flee from their home.

Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. Divine Jealousy of St. Nicholas

The blessed Tsar Constantine, wishing to establish the faith of Christ, ordered an ecumenical council to be convened in the city of Nicaea. The holy fathers of the council set forth the right teaching, condemned the Arian heresy and with it Arius himself, and, confessing the Son of God as equal in honor and co-essential with God the Father, restored peace in the holy Divine Apostolic Church. Among the 318 fathers of the council was St. Nicholas. He courageously stood against the wicked teachings of Arius and, together with the holy fathers of the council, approved and betrayed to everyone the dogmas of the Orthodox faith. The monk of the Studite Monastery, John, tells the story of St. Nicholas. that, inspired, like the prophet Elijah, by zeal for God, he disgraced this heretic Arius at the council not only in word, but also in deed, striking him on the cheek. The fathers of the council were indignant at the saint and, for his daring act, decided to deprive him of his episcopal rank. But our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and His Most Blessed Mother, looking from above at the feat of Saint Nicholas, approved of his courageous act and praised his divine zeal. For some of the holy fathers of the council had the same vision, which the saint himself was awarded with even before his installation as a bishop. They saw that on one side of the saint stood Christ the Lord himself with the Gospel, and on the other the Most Pure Virgin Mary with an omophorion and gave the saint signs of his rank, of which he was deprived. Realizing from this that the saint’s boldness was pleasing to God, the fathers of the council stopped reproaching the saint and gave him honor as a great saint of God.

Returning from the cathedral to his flock, Saint Nicholas brought him peace and blessing. With his honey-melting lips, he taught sound teaching to all the people, nipped at the very roots of wrong thoughts and speculations, and, denouncing the hardened, insensitive and inveterate heretics, drove them away from the flock of Christ. Just as a wise farmer cleanses everything that is on the threshing floor and in the winepress, selects the best grains and shakes off the tares, so the prudent worker at the threshing floor of Christ, Saint Nicholas, filled the spiritual granary with good fruits, but scattered the tares of heretical deception and swept them far from the wheat of the Lord. That is why the Holy Church calls him a spade, scattering the tares of Aryan teachings. And 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. This good shepherd had great care for his flock in all its needs, not only feeding it in the spiritual field, but also taking care of its bodily food.

Great famine in the Lycian country. The miracle of the three coins is the miraculous appearance of Nicholas to a merchant selling bread.
Once there was a great famine in the Lycian country, and in the city of Myra there was an extreme shortage of food. Regretting the unfortunate people dying of hunger, the bishop of God appeared at night in a dream to a merchant who was in Italy, who had loaded his entire ship with livestock and intended to sail to another country. Having given him three gold coins as collateral, the saint ordered him to sail to Myra and sell livestock there. Waking up and finding gold in his hand, the merchant was horrified, surprised at such a dream, which was accompanied by the miraculous appearance of coins. The merchant did not dare to disobey the command of the saint, went to the city of Myra and sold his grain to its inhabitants. At the same time, he did not hide from them about the appearance of St. Nicholas in his dream. Having acquired such consolation in hunger and listening to the merchant’s story, the citizens gave glory and thanksgiving to God and glorified their wonderful nourisher, the great Bishop Nicholas.

Rebellion in Greater Phrygia. Blessing of the governor of Tsar Constantine. Miraculous release from death penalty of three husbands

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

“Our whole city,” they said, “is lamenting and crying and awaiting your return, lord. For if you were with us, the ruler would not dare to commit such an unjust judgment.”

Hearing about this, the bishop of God was heartbroken and, accompanied by the governor, immediately set off on the road. Having reached a place nicknamed "Lion", the saint met some travelers and asked them if they knew anything about the men condemned to death. They answered:

- “We left them on the field of Castor and Pollux, dragged to execution.”

Saint Nicholas walked faster, trying to prevent the innocent death of those men. Having reached the place of execution, he saw that many people had gathered there. The condemned men, with their hands tied crosswise and their faces covered, had already bowed to the ground, stretched out their naked necks and awaited the blow of the sword. The saint saw that the executioner, stern and frantic, had already drawn his sword. Such a sight filled everyone with horror and sorrow. Combining rage with meekness, the saint of Christ walked freely among the people, without any fear he snatched the sword from the hands of the executioner, threw it to the ground and then freed the condemned men from their bonds. He did all this with great boldness, and no one dared to stop him, because his word was powerful and Divine power appeared in his actions: he was great before God and all people.

The men spared the death penalty, seeing themselves unexpectedly returned from near death to life, shed hot tears and let out joyful cries, and all the people gathered there gave thanks to their saint. Governor Eustathius also arrived here and wanted to approach the saint. But the saint of God turned away from him with contempt and, when he fell at his feet, pushed him away. Calling upon him God's vengeance, Saint Nicholas threatened him with torture for his unrighteous rule and promised to tell the tsar about his actions. Convicted by his conscience and frightened by the threats of the saint, the ruler with tears asked for mercy. Repenting of his untruth and wishing for reconciliation with the great Father Nicholas, he laid the blame on the city elders Simonides and Eudoxius. But the lie could not help but be revealed, for the saint knew well that the ruler had condemned the innocent to death, having been bribed with gold. The ruler begged for a long time to forgive him, and only when he, with great humility and tears, recognized his sin, did the saint of Christ grant him forgiveness.

Seeing everything that happened, the governors who arrived with the saint were amazed at the zeal and goodness of God’s great bishop. Having received his holy prayers and received his blessing on their journey, they went to Phrygia to fulfill the royal command given to them.

The king's unjust condemnation of three commanders to death. Prayer of the governor. The miraculous appearance of St. Nicholas to the Tsar and Governor Eulavius ​​in a dream and the salvation of the governor from death

Arriving at the scene of the rebellion, they quickly suppressed it and, having fulfilled the royal order, returned joyfully to Byzantium. The king and all the nobles gave them great praise and honor, and they were honored with participation in the royal council. But evil people, envious of such glory of the commanders, became hostile to them. Having planned evil against them, they came to the governor of the city, Eulavius, and slandered those men, saying:

- “The governors are giving bad advice, for, as we have heard, they are introducing innovations and plotting evil against the king.”

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

- “Oh, king, not a single one of those imprisoned wants to repent. They all persist in their evil intent, never ceasing to plot against you. Therefore, they were ordered to immediately hand them over to torture, so that they would not warn us and complete their evil deed, which they planned against the governor and you."

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

- “It would be better for me if I did not know you and did not enjoy a pleasant conversation and meal with you. Then I would easily endure separation from you and would not grieve my soul so much about the misfortune that has come to you. The morning will come, and we "A final and terrible separation will befall me. I will no longer see your dear faces and I will not hear your voice, for the king has ordered your execution. Bequeath to me what to do with your property while there is time and death has not yet prevented you from expressing your will."

He interrupted his speech with sobs. Upon learning of their terrible fate, the commanders tore their clothes and tore out their hair, saying:

- “What enemy envied our life? Why are we, as villains, condemned to death? What have we done that deserves to be put to death?”

And they called on their relatives and friends by name, putting God Himself as a witness that they had not done any evil, and they wept bitterly. One of them, named Nepotian, remembered Saint Nicholas, how he, having appeared in Myra as a glorious helper and good intercessor, delivered three husbands from death. And the governors began to pray:

- “God of Nicholas, who delivered three men from unrighteous death, look now upon us, for there can be no help for us from people. A great misfortune has come upon us, and there is no one who would save us from the misfortune. Our voice was interrupted before leaving the bodies of our souls, and our tongue dries up, burned by the fire of heartfelt sorrow, so that we cannot even offer a prayer to You. “Soon may Your mercies precede us, O Lord. Take us out of the hands of those who seek our souls" (Ps. 78:8). Tomorrow they want to kill us, hasten to our aid and deliver us innocents from death."

Hearing the prayers of those who fear Him and, like a father pouring out generosity on his children, the Lord God sent your holy saint, the great Bishop Nicholas, to help those condemned. That night, while sleeping, Saint Nicholas appeared before the Tsar and said:

- “Get up quickly and free the commanders languishing in prison. You have slandered them, and they are suffering innocently.”

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

- “If you don’t listen to me and don’t let them go, then I will raise a rebellion against you, similar to the one that happened in Phrygia, and you will die an evil death.”

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

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

He replied:

- “My name is Nikolai, I am the bishop of the Mir Metropolis.”

The king became confused and, getting up, began to ponder what this vision meant. Meanwhile, on the same night the saint appeared to the governor Evlavius ​​and announced to him about the condemned the same as he had told the king. Having risen from sleep, Evlavius ​​was afraid. While he was thinking about the vision, a messenger from the king came to him and told him about what the king had seen in his dream. Hastening to the king, the ruler told him his vision, and both of them were surprised that they saw the same thing. Immediately the king ordered the commander to be brought out of prison and said to them:

- “What kind of sorcery did you bring such dreams to us? The man who appeared to us was very angry and threatened us, boasting that he would soon bring abuse upon us.”

The governors turned to each other in bewilderment and, not knowing anything, looked at each other with a tender gaze. Noticing this, the king softened and said:

- “Do not fear any evil, tell the truth.”

They answered with tears and sobs:

- “Tsar, we do not know any magic and did not plot any evil against your power, may the All-Seeing Lord Himself be a witness to this. If we deceive you and you find out something bad about us, then let there be no mercy and mercy neither to us, nor to our family. From our fathers we learned to honor the king and, above all, to be faithful to him. So now we faithfully guard your life and, as is characteristic of our rank, we steadily carried out your instructions to us. Serving you with zeal, we humbled the rebellion in Phrygia, they stopped internecine hostility and sufficiently proved their courage by their deeds themselves, as is testified by those who know this well. Your power previously showered us with honors, but now you have armed yourself with rage against us and mercilessly condemned us to a painful death. So, king “We think that we suffer only for our zeal for you, for which we are condemned and, instead of the glory and honors that we hoped to receive, we were overcome by the fear of death.”

From such speeches the king was moved and repented of his rash act. For he trembled before the judgment of God and was ashamed of his royal scarlet, seeing that he, being a lawgiver for others, was ready to create lawless judgment. He looked mercifully at the condemned and spoke meekly with them. Listening with emotion to his speeches, the governors suddenly saw that Saint Nicholas was sitting next to the tsar and with signs he was promising them forgiveness. The king interrupted their speech and asked:

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

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

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

With these words, he handed them the golden Gospel, a golden censer decorated with stones and two lamps and ordered them to give all this to the Church of the World. Having received a miraculous rescue, the commanders immediately set off on their journey. Arriving in Myra, they rejoiced and were glad that they were privileged to see the saint again. They brought great thanks to Saint Nicholas for his miraculous help and sang:

- “Lord! who is like You, delivering the weak from the strong, the poor and needy from their plunderer?” (Ps. 34:10)

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

These are the works of God with which the Lord magnified His saint. The fame of them, as if on wings, swept everywhere, penetrated overseas and spread throughout the entire universe, so that there was no place where they did not know about the great and wondrous miracles of the great Bishop Nicholas, which he performed by the grace given to him by the Almighty Lord .

The prayer of travelers on the ship to Bishop Nicholas, the miraculous appearance of Nicholas on the ship, the salvation of travelers from a sea storm. Instructions for travelers

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

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

Everyone saw that he took the helm and began to steer the ship. Just as our Lord Jesus Christ once forbade the winds and the sea, the saint immediately commanded the storm to stop, remembering the words of the Lord:

He who believes in Me will do the works that I do (John 14:12).

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

- “Children, I beg you, think within yourself and correct yourself with your hearts and thoughts to please the Lord. For, even if we hid ourselves from many people and considered ourselves righteous, nothing can be hidden from God. Therefore, try with all diligence to preserve holiness of the soul and purity of the body. For this is what the Divine Apostle Paul says: “If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will punish him: for the temple of God is holy, and this temple is you” (1 Cor. 3:17).

Having taught those men with soulful speeches, the saint sent them away in peace. For the saint’s character was like that of a loving father, and his gaze shone with Divine grace, like that of an angel of God. From his face emanated, as from the face of Moses, a radiant ray, and those who only looked at him received great benefit. Anyone who was aggravated by any passion or spiritual sorrow had only to turn his gaze to the saint in order to receive consolation in his sadness; and the one who talked with him was already successful in goodness. And not only Christians, but also infidels, if any of them heard the sweet and honeyed speeches of the saint, were moved by emotion and, sweeping aside the malice of unbelief that had taken root in them from infancy and receiving the right word of truth in their hearts, they entered the path of salvation.

The end of earthly life (death) of St. Nicholas

The great saint of God lived for many years in the city of Mira, shining with Divine kindness, according to the word of Scripture: “like the morning star among the clouds, like the full moon in days, like the sun shining over the temple of the Most High, and like a rainbow shining in the majestic clouds, like a flower roses on spring days, like lilies by springs of water, like a branch of frankincense on summer days" (Sir.50:6-8). Having reached a very old age, the saint repaid his debt to human nature and, after a short physical illness, peacefully ended his temporary life. With joy and psalmody, he passed into eternal blissful life, accompanied by holy angels and greeted by the faces of saints. The bishops of the Lycian country with all the clergy and monks and countless people from all cities gathered for his burial. The saint’s venerable body was laid with honor in the cathedral church of the Metropolis of Mir on the sixth day of December. Many miracles were performed from the holy relics of the saint of God. For his relics exuded fragrant and healing myrrh, with which the sick were anointed and received healing. For this reason, people from all over the earth flocked to his tomb, seeking healing for their illnesses and receiving it. For with that holy world not only physical ailments were healed, but also spiritual ones, and evil spirits were driven away. For the saint, not only during his life, but also after his repose, armed himself with demons and defeated them, as he conquers now.

The devil's machinations against men who wanted to venerate the relics of St. Nicholas. The miraculous appearance of St. Nicholas and the salvation of God-fearing men

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

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

With these words, the demon handed the vessel to the lovers of God. It is not known with what demonic charms that oil was mixed, but it was intended for the harm and death of travelers. Not knowing the disastrous effect of this oil, they fulfilled the request and, taking the vessel, set sail from the shore and sailed safely the whole day. But in the morning the north wind rose, and their navigation became difficult. Having been in misery for many days on an unsuccessful voyage, they lost patience with the prolonged sea waves and decided to return back. They had already directed the ship in their direction when Saint Nicholas appeared before them in a small boat and said:

- “Where are you sailing, men, and why, having left your previous path, are you returning? You can calm the storm and make the path comfortable for navigation. The devil’s machinations are preventing you from sailing, because the vessel with oil was given to you not by a woman, but by a demon. Throw the vessel into sea, and immediately your voyage will be safe."

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

Closing words of St. Dmitry of Rostov

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

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

They had no children until they were very old; in constant fervent prayer, they asked the Almighty to give them a son, promising to devote him to the service of God. Their prayer was heard: the Lord gave them a son, who at holy baptism received the name Nicholas, which means in Greek “victorious people.”

Already in the first days of his infancy, Saint Nicholas showed that he was destined for special service to the Lord. A legend has been preserved that during baptism, when the ceremony was very long, he, unsupported by anyone, stood in the font for three hours. From the very first days, Saint Nicholas began a strict ascetic life, to which he remained faithful until the grave.

All the unusual behavior of the child showed his parents that he would become a great saint of God, so they paid special attention to his upbringing and tried, first of all, to instill in their son the truths of Christianity and direct him to a righteous life. The youth soon comprehended, thanks to his rich talents and guided by the Holy Spirit, book wisdom.

While excelling in his studies, the youth Nikolai also excelled in his pious life. He was not interested in the empty conversations of his peers: an infectious example of camaraderie leading to anything bad was alien to him.

Avoiding vain, sinful entertainment, the youth Nicholas was distinguished by exemplary chastity and avoided all unclean thoughts. He spent almost all his time reading the Holy Scriptures and performing feats of fasting and prayer. He had such love for the temple of God that he sometimes spent whole days and nights there in divine prayer and reading divine books.

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

While performing the Sacrament of the Priesthood over Saint Nicholas, the bishop, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophetically predicted to the people the great future of the Pleasant of God: “Behold, brothers, I see a new sun rising over the ends of the earth, which will be a consolation for all the sad. Blessed is the flock that is worthy to have such a shepherd! He will feed well the souls of the lost, feeding them in the pastures of piety; and he will be a warm helper to everyone in trouble!”

Having accepted the priesthood, Saint Nicholas began to lead an even more strict ascetic life. Out of deep humility, he performed his spiritual exploits in private. But God’s Providence wanted the saint’s virtuous life to direct others to the path of truth.

The uncle bishop went to Palestine, and entrusted the administration of his diocese to his nephew, the presbyter. He devoted himself wholeheartedly to fulfilling the difficult duties of episcopal administration. He did a lot of good to his flock, showing widespread charity. By that time, his parents had died, leaving him a rich inheritance, which he used all to help the poor. The following incident also testifies to his extreme humility. In Patara there lived a poor man who had three beautiful daughters. He was so poor that he had no money to marry off his daughters. What can the need of a person who is not sufficiently imbued with Christian consciousness lead to?

The unfortunate father's need led him to the terrible idea of ​​sacrificing the honor of his daughters and extracting from their beauty the funds necessary for their dowry.

But, fortunately, in their city there was a good shepherd, St. Nicholas, who vigilantly monitored the needs of his flock. Having received a revelation from the Lord about his father’s criminal intentions, he decided to deliver him from physical poverty in order to thereby save his family from spiritual death. He planned to do a good deed in such a way that no one knew about him as a benefactor, not even the one to whom he did the good.

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

Saint Nicholas, when he saw that his good deed had brought the proper fruit, decided to see it through to the end. One of the following nights, he also secretly threw another bag of gold through the window into the poor man's hut.

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

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

Upon his uncle’s return from Palestine, Saint Nicholas himself gathered there. While traveling on the ship, he showed the gift of deep insight and miracles: he foretold the approaching severe storm and pacified it with the power of his prayer. Soon, here on the ship, he performed a great miracle, resurrecting a young sailor who had fallen from the mast onto the deck and died. On the way, the ship often landed on the shore. Saint Nicholas everywhere took care to heal the ailments of local residents: he healed some of incurable diseases, expelled from others the evil spirits that tormented them, and finally gave others consolation in their sorrows.

Upon his arrival in Palestine, Saint Nicholas settled near Jerusalem in the village of Beit Jala (biblical Ephrathah), which is located on the way to Bethlehem. All the inhabitants of this blessed village are Orthodox; There are two Orthodox churches there, one of which, in the name of St. Nicholas, was built on the spot where the saint once lived in a cave, which now serves as a place of worship.

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

Inflamed with love for the Divine Lover of Mankind, Saint Nicholas had the desire to remain forever in Palestine, withdraw from people and secretly strive before the Heavenly Father.

But the Lord wanted such a lamp of faith not to remain hidden in the desert, but to brightly illuminate the Lycian country. And so, by will from above, the pious presbyter returned to his homeland.

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

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

Holy horror seized Presbyter Nicholas: what exactly did the wonderful voice command him to do? “Nikolai! This monastery is not the field in which you can bear the fruit I expect from you. Leave here and go into the world, among people, so that My name may be glorified in you!”

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

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

Having received this divine revelation, the elder bishop told others about it, who, hoping for God’s mercy, intensified their prayers.

As night fell, the elder bishop stood in the vestibule of the church, awaiting the arrival of the chosen one. Saint Nicholas, getting up at midnight, came to the temple. The elder stopped him and asked about his name. He quietly and modestly answered: “I am called Nikolai, servant of your shrine, master!”

Judging by the name and deep humility of the newcomer, the elder was convinced that he was God’s chosen one. He took him by the hand and led him to the council of bishops. Everyone joyfully accepted him and placed him in the middle of the temple. Despite the night time, the news of the miraculous election spread throughout the city; a lot of people gathered. The elder bishop, who was granted the vision, addressed everyone with the words: “Receive, brothers, your shepherd, whom the Holy Spirit has anointed for you and to whom he has entrusted the stewardship of your souls. It was not a human council, but the Judgment of God that established it. Now we have the one we were waiting for, accepted and found, the one we were looking for. Under his wise guidance, we can confidently hope to appear before the Lord on the day of His glory and judgment!”

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

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

But the days of testing were approaching. The Church of Christ was persecuted by the Emperor Diocletian (285-305). Temples were destroyed, divine and liturgical books were burned; bishops and priests were imprisoned and tortured. All Christians were subjected to all sorts of insults and torments. The persecution also reached the Lycian Church.

During these difficult days, Saint Nicholas supported his flock in the faith, loudly and openly preaching the name of God, for which he was imprisoned, where he did not cease to strengthen the faith among the prisoners and confirmed them in a strong confession of the Lord, so that they would be ready to suffer for Christ.

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

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

Desiring to establish peace in the flock of Christ, shocked by the heresy of Ariev’s false teaching. Equal to the Apostles Emperor Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council of 325 in Nicaea, where three hundred and eighteen bishops gathered under the chairmanship of the emperor; here the teachings of Arius and his followers were condemned.

Saint Athanasius of Alexandria and Saint Nicholas especially labored at this Council. Other saints defended Orthodoxy with the help of their enlightenment. Saint Nicholas defended the faith by faith itself - by the fact that all Christians, starting with the Apostles, believed in the Divinity of Jesus Christ.

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

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

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

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

Even during his lifetime, Saint Nicholas became famous as a pacifier of warring parties, a defender of the innocently condemned, and a deliverer from vain death.

During the reign of Constantine the Great, a rebellion broke out in the country of Phrygia. To pacify him, the king sent an army there under the command of three commanders: Nepotian, Urs and Erpilion. Their ships were washed up by a storm on the shores of Lycia, where they had to stand for a long time. The supplies were depleted, and they began to rob the population who resisted, and a fierce battle took place near the city of Plakomat. Having learned about this, Saint Nicholas personally arrived there, stopped the hostility, then, together with three governors, went to Phrygia, where with a kind word and exhortation, without the use of military force, he pacified the rebellion. Here he was informed that during his absence from the city of Myra, the local city governor, Eustathius, innocently sentenced to death three citizens slandered by their enemies. Saint Nicholas hurried to Myra and with him three royal commanders, who were very fond of this kind bishop, who had rendered them a great service.

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

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

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

“I am Nicholas, Archbishop of Lycia!”

Waking up, the king began to think about this dream. That same night, Saint Nicholas also appeared to the governor of the city, Evlavius, and demanded the release of the innocently convicted.

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

“What kind of witchcraft are you doing to give me and Eulavius ​​visions in our sleep?” - asked the king and told them about the appearance of St. Nicholas.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

More than seven hundred years have passed since the death of the Pleasant of God. The city of Myra and the entire Lycian country were destroyed by the Saracens. The ruins of the temple with the tomb of the saint were in disrepair and were guarded only by a few pious monks.

In 1087, Saint Nicholas appeared in a dream to an Apulian priest of the city of Bari (in southern Italy) and ordered his relics to be transferred to this city.

The presbyters and noble townspeople equipped three ships for this purpose and, under the guise of traders, set off. This precaution was necessary in order to lull the vigilance of the Venetians, who, having learned about the preparations of the inhabitants of Bari, had the intention of getting ahead of them and bringing the relics of the saint to their city.

The nobles, taking a roundabout route through Egypt and Palestine, visiting ports and conducting trade as simple merchants, finally arrived in the Lycian land. The scouts sent reported that there were no guards at the tomb and it was guarded only by four old monks. The barians came to Myra, where, not knowing the exact location of the tomb, they tried to bribe the monks by offering them three hundred gold coins, but due to their refusal, they used force: they tied up the monks and, under the threat of torture, forced one faint-hearted person to show them the location of the tomb.

A wonderfully preserved white marble tomb has been opened. It turned out to be filled to the brim with fragrant myrrh, in which the relics of the saint were immersed. Unable to take the large and heavy tomb, the nobles transferred the relics into the prepared ark and set off on their way back.

The journey lasted twenty days, and on May 9, 1087 they arrived in Bari. A solemn meeting was arranged for the great shrine with the participation of numerous clergy and the entire population. Initially, the relics of the saint were placed in the church of St. Eustathius.

Many miracles happened from them. Two years later, the lower part (crypts) of the new temple was completed and consecrated in the name of St. Nicholas, built deliberately to store his relics, where they were solemnly transferred by Pope Urban II on October 1, 1089.

The service to the saint, performed on the day of the transfer of his relics from Myra Lycia to Bargrad - May 9/22 - was compiled in 1097 by the Russian Orthodox monk of the Pechersk monastery Gregory and the Russian metropolitan Ephraim.

The Holy Orthodox Church honors the memory of St. Nicholas not only on December 6 and May 9, but also weekly, every Thursday, with special chants.

In ancient times, on the territory of Asia Minor, which today is part of Turkey, the state of Lycia was located. One of its largest and most famous cities in our time was called Patara. There, in 270, the great saint of the Christian Church, Nicholas the Wonderworker, was born, whose life and miracles became part of the Holy Tradition, sacredly preserved for many centuries.

Son begged from God

From the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, compiled shortly after his blessed dormition, which followed around 345, it is clear that the parents of the future saint of God - Theophan and Nonna - were deeply devout and pious people. For the virtues and many alms performed in relation to the poor and disadvantaged, the Lord sent them a youth who became a quick helper to all true believers and their intercessor before the Throne of the Most High.

They named their firstborn Nicholas, which translated from Greek means “conqueror of nations.” This became symbolic in its own way, since in the future many nations bowed before his name, paying tribute to the great conqueror of human malice and hatred. When presenting a brief summary of the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker, one cannot miss the important fact that he was a child begged from God, since, having lived for many years in marriage, Theophanes and Nonna had no children, and only through their incessant prayers did the Lord finally send them the long-awaited happiness.

Ordination to the Priesthood

The pious parents responded with great willingness to the proposal of their closest relative, the bishop of the city of Patara, who advised them to dedicate their son to God. This archpastor of God, who also bore the name Nicholas, was the future saint’s uncle and from an early age took upon himself the work of his spiritual care. Rejoicing at the sight of how the boy, moving away from the temptations of the vain world, constantly sought communication with God, the uncle, with his inner eye, saw in his nephew the future vessel of true faith. From that time on, the fate of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was inextricably linked with the service of the Church.

After several years spent studying the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church Fathers, Bishop Nicholas ordained his charge to the priesthood. The life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker says that after the sacrament was performed, the archpastor, turning to the parishioners who filled the temple, said that the Lord showed them “a new sun rising over the earth.” His words turned out to be truly prophetic.

Having become a presbyter, which, according to the ancient canons, corresponded to the second degree of priesthood, he worked tirelessly, fulfilling his pastoral mission. Being a mortal, like all the people around him, he strived with all his soul to imitate ethereal forces, filling his life with fasting and prayer. Such deep dedication allowed him to ascend to a high level of spiritual perfection and become worthy to rule the Church.

Led by the Christians of Patara

An important event noted in the biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker is the departure of his uncle to Palestine, where he went to worship holy places. Leaving Patara for a long period of time, the archpastor entrusted the management of all church affairs to his nephew, since he considered him sufficiently mature spiritually to fulfill such a high mission.

Having become the head of the church life of the city, Saint Nicholas fulfilled his duties as zealously as his uncle, who was in Palestine at that time. This stage of his earthly path was marked by a very characteristic event, testifying to the young presbyter’s commitment to eternal values.

Soon after the bishop's departure, the Lord called the parents of Saint Nicholas to His Heavenly palace, and he became the heir to a very significant estate. However, instead of taking advantage of the benefits he received and surrounding himself with comfort, he sold all the property he received and gave the money to the poor. By this, Saint Nicholas exactly fulfilled the covenant of Jesus Christ, which he gave to all who wished to gain eternal life.

Almsgiving done in secret

Presenting further a brief summary of the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one cannot ignore one more episode, which fully shows his readiness to come to the aid of his neighbor and show concern for the salvation of his soul. It is known that one, previously very rich and respected resident of the city of Patara, suddenly went bankrupt and fell into extreme poverty. The blows of fate, following one after another, plunged him into such despair that, seeing no other way to provide himself and his three daughters with food, he intended to give them over to fornication, turning his home into a nest of debauchery.

The unfortunate father was already ready to destroy the souls of his young daughters and doom himself to eternal destruction, but the All-Merciful Lord instilled compassion for the dying family into the heart of His servant Nicholas the Wonderworker. In secret from everyone (for Jesus Christ commanded this way to give alms), he performed a great deed. Under the cover of night, Saint Nicholas carried purses of gold to this man’s house, which helped him get out of poverty and marry his daughters to decent and wealthy people. This is just one example of the mercy characteristic of the saint of God Nicholas the Wonderworker. The life of the saint describes many cases when he fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and ransomed insolvent debtors from their creditors.

Path to the Holy Land

After some time, Bishop Nicholas returned from Palestine, and his nephew, who had deservedly gained the glory of a worthy and respected shepherd, also decided to go to the holy land to see with his own eyes the places connected by the events described in the New Testament.

The sea voyage to the holy land became another important episode included in the biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker, since several miracles that glorified his name are associated with it. It is known, in particular, that at a time when a ship with pilgrims was sailing past the coast of Egypt, and the sea was almost completely calm, the saint unexpectedly announced to his companions that a storm was approaching, capable of destroying them. His words were met with doubt, since even seasoned sailors did not see signs of imminent trouble at that moment.

However, very soon the sky became cloudy, the wind blew and a terrible storm broke out. The waves overwhelmed the ship, and it was ready to plunge into the depths of the sea. Then Saint Nicholas cried out to the Lord and begged Him to save them from imminent death. His words were heard, and soon the storm subsided. Grateful pilgrims praised God and His faithful servant, who had so miraculously brought them salvation.

Following the description of this miracle, the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker contains a story about his resurrection of a sailor who fell from the mast and crashed to death on the deck flooring. It is known that the Lord grants grace to accomplish such lofty deeds only to His chosen children, and therefore the return to life of a man who recently lay on the deck as a cold corpse is proof of his true holiness. The miracles described above, performed by Saint Nicholas on his way to the holy land, became the basis for recognizing him as the patron saint of travelers.

Worship of holy places

Having made a stop in Alexandria and healed many suffering people there, the holy saint of God continued his journey and arrived safely in Palestine. In the holy city of Jerusalem, he poured out his warm prayers to the Lord, standing on the stones of Calvary, which witnessed His torment on the cross for the salvation of the human race. He also visited other places connected with the earthly life of Jesus Christ, everywhere offering prayers and glorifying God.

The book of the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker describes, in particular, how the doors of one Jerusalem church, locked at night, opened before him by themselves, testifying to the fact that the entrance to the temple of God is not forbidden to those for whom the Heavenly Gates are open. Having stayed in the holy land for a long time, Saint Nicholas wanted to retire to the desert, and there, exhausting himself with ascetic deeds, continue serving God, but a voice from above commanded him to return to his homeland.

Acceptance of archbishopric rank

Returning to Lycia, the saint of God did not settle in Patara, since there his name was surrounded by universal veneration, and he tried to avoid worldly glory. He chose the large and populous city of Myra as his place of residence, where no one knew him. However, even there his holiness did not remain hidden from people. By the will of God, Saint Nicholas was soon honored to take the vacant place of archbishop and head of the entire Lycian Church.

Having accepted the archpastoral rank, Saint Nicholas set an example in everything to follow for his large flock. The doors of his house were constantly open to all those in need of help and support. Imitating the holy apostles, whose successor he was, the saint brought the word of God to people, but, in addition, he became a support in their earthly life, trying, if possible, to be useful to everyone. That is why it has become a tradition to offer prayers to Nicholas the Wonderworker for help in work and in all other everyday matters.

Test strip of flesh and spirit

For several years, the saint peacefully shepherded the flock of God entrusted to him, until the enemy of the human race instilled hatred of Christians in the hearts of the two wicked kings Maximian and Diocletian. They issued a decree according to which everyone who professed the teachings of Christ and did not want to renounce it was to be thrown into prison, and then given over to torture and death. Among the other prisoners who suffered for their faith was everyone’s beloved Archbishop Nicholas. Once in prison, he endured suffering with extraordinary courage and supported those around him with his archpastoral words.

But the all-merciful Lord did not allow the wicked to commit lawlessness for a long time. The power of the godless kings collapsed, and Emperor Constantine I the Great, who replaced them on the throne, made Christianity the state religion. One of his first acts was the convening of an Ecumenical Council in the city of Nicaea, at which the holy fathers of the church, among whom was the Archbishop of the Lycian city of Myra, condemned the heretical teaching of the wicked Arius. The life of Nicholas the Wonderworker, a brief summary of which formed the basis of this story, reproduces in all its details the scene of his fiery speech, which served the triumph of true Christian teaching.

Archpastoral service to God and people

Returning to Myra, the Archpastor of God continued his ministry, as before, zealously protecting the souls of the townspeople from the chaff of heretical teachings and at the same time protecting them from the arbitrariness of unrighteous rulers. Thus, with the power given to him by God, the saint delivered from death three men condemned to execution on false charges. He also forced certain governors, who were heading to Phrygia to pacify the rebellion, to restrain the soldiers entrusted to them from looting and robbery, and then, when, having returned to Byzantium, they became victims of malicious slander, he saved their lives.

Another clear proof that the Lord gave Nicholas the Wonderworker the power to command the winds and waves can be seen in an episode also described in his life. From the pages of this book we learn how one day a ship sailing from Egypt was caught in a storm, and the sailors, in despair, mentally appealed to the well-known and highly revered Archbishop of Myra of Lycia with a prayer for salvation. The saint immediately appeared to them and ordered the storm to calm down. The wind immediately died down, the waves subsided, and, standing at the helm of the ship, the saint of God helped the sailors reach the shore safely.

Death and beginning of posthumous veneration

Having lived a long life in Myra and devoting himself entirely to serving God, the holy saint died in 345. All the archpastors of the Lycian land, accompanied by numerous clergy and laity, came to his burial. The body of the deceased was placed in the cathedral church and was soon filled with myrrh, and miracles of healing began to take place around him. The rumor about them quickly spread throughout the country, and thousands of the sick and crippled hurried to the burial place. From that time on, the posthumous worship of Nicholas the Wonderworker began, quickly moving beyond the borders of Lycia and entering into the tradition of the entire Christian world.

Transfer of the relics to the city of Bari

The relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker rested in the city of Myra for several centuries, but over time, Asia Minor was completely conquered by the Arabs, and many tombs of Christian saints were desecrated. In 792, such a threat loomed over the grave of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, but a detachment of Janissaries sent to plunder it mistakenly opened a neighboring grave.

In 1087, Italian merchants made an attempt to save the shrine from imminent desecration, and at the same time raise the religious prestige of their city of Bari. They cunningly found out the place where the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker were located and, opening the tomb, stole them. Having delivered the priceless cargo to their hometown, the merchants were greeted with universal rejoicing. Since then, Bari has become one of the most visited centers of Christian pilgrimage. Today, as over many past centuries, believers from all over the world flock to it to worship one of the most famous and revered saints.

Relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior

St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is such a significant figure in the minds of Christians around the world that the need to venerate his relics is common among people from all over the world. Since not all of them can go on pilgrimage, the Church meets them halfway and periodically gives them the opportunity to venerate the shrine in their homeland. So, in May 2017, the ark with the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was delivered to Moscow. This became a significant event in the religious life of all of Russia.

They stayed in the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker until mid-July and after that they were transported to St. Petersburg. During their stay in the capital, 1.8 million people came to worship the Lycian saint, and about a million more believers venerated them in the city on the Neva. After this, on July 28, the precious ark returned to Italy.

Veneration of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Russia

Despite the importance of such a significant event, it should be noted that in Russia itself there are many churches where the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are located, albeit in the form of extremely small fragments, which, however, does not deprive them of their blessed power. This is understandable, since Archbishop Myra of Lycia, or, as he is popularly called, St. Nicholas the Pleasant, is one of the most revered of the Orthodox Church. And, accordingly, over the centuries, every effort has been made to ensure that particles of his relics become a national treasure.

It is known that the veneration of the saint spread widely in Rus' back in the 11th century, and at the same time a holiday was established in his honor, timed to coincide with the day of the transfer of the venerable relics from Myra Lycia to the Italian city of Bari. Currently, his memory is celebrated twice a year - December 6 (19) and July 29 (August 11). Prayers to Nicholas the Wonderworker for help in work, family life and various everyday matters are offered by Orthodox believers both on holidays and on weekdays. The text of one of them is given in our article. It contains a request for help in “this present life,” that is, in all aspects of life, including work that brings us our daily bread.

In many cities of the country, churches were erected in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. One of the most famous among them is the St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg, built in 1762 according to the design of the architect S. I. Chevakinsky. A photo of this amazing masterpiece of Russian Baroque is placed at the end of the article.

Many episodes from the life path of the saint of God became the subjects of paintings telling about his service to God, but, undoubtedly, the most complete picture of him can be obtained by reading the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, a brief summary of which forms the basis of this article.