Nicholas the miracle worker - the alphabet of faith. In Slavic folklore and folk beliefs. Son begged from God

TASS-DOSIER. On May 21, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered Christian saints, were brought to Moscow from Bari (Italy).

Until July 12, the relics will be in Moscow in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, then until July 28 they will be placed in the Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg.

Lives, sources

The oldest text that mentions Nicholas the Wonderworker is the Acts of the Stratilates (4th century). The main life of Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Greek (Orthodox) tradition was compiled by Simeon Metaphrastus in the 10th century. In it, according to the assumptions of historians, the details of the life of two Christian bishops who lived in Asia Minor in the 3rd-4th and 6th centuries could be combined.

In total, there are several dozen lives and descriptions of miracles performed by St. Nicholas.

biography

Nicholas the Wonderworker (also Nicholas the Pleasant, Nicholas of Myra), according to Christian biographies, was born in the city of Patara in the ancient Roman province of Pamphylia (now - the territory of Turkey, the province of Antalya). The exact dates of his life are unknown, presumably, he was born in 270.

Nicholas' parents were Christians, from his youth he studied the Holy Scriptures. Subsequently, his uncle, Bishop of Patara, elevated his nephew to the priesthood.

At the end of the 3rd century, Nicholas made a pilgrimage to Egyptian Alexandria, then to Palestine. It is believed that during one of his trips to Egypt he performed a miracle: he resurrected a sailor who fell from the mast. According to other legends, he saved the ship from the wreck by prayer.

Around 300, he became the bishop of the city of Myra (Lycia, now Demra, Antalya province, Turkey). During the reign of Emperor Diocletian (284-305), who subjected Christians to persecution, Nicholas was imprisoned and subsequently released. According to some of his lives, he participated in the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (325), during which he "hit" Arius, the founder of the heresy of Arianism, on the cheek. For this he was condemned at the council, but escaped punishment. As a bishop, he became famous for his charity, intercession for those sentenced to death, etc.

He died, presumably, in 345-351. in the city of Mira. In the Orthodox Church, the memory of the saint is celebrated on December 19 (6 - according to the Julian calendar) and on May 22 (9).

relics

The relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker were kept in the city of Mira in a small church. In the early 1080s. the city was captured by the Seljuk Turks, who did not touch the Greek monks who served in the church, but limited the pilgrimage. In 1087, Norman pirates transported the bulk of the relics to the Italian city of Bari, where they are currently stored in the Basilica of St. Nicholas.

Part of the relics (particles of the skeleton and clothes), which remained in the Worlds, in 1099-1101. was taken to Venice, is now in the church of St. Nicholas on the island of Lido. In 1957 and 1987 Examination of samples of the relics stored in Bari and Venice showed that they belong to one person. There are also small particles of relics in dozens of Catholic and Orthodox churches around the world, in particular - in the St. Danilov Monastery (Moscow), St. Nicholas Monasteries in Saratov, Staraya Ladoga (Leningrad region), Pereslavl-Zalessky (Yaroslavl region). ), the Alexander Nevsky Novo-Tikhvin Convent in Yekaterinburg, etc.

veneration

Soon after his death, Nicholas the Wonderworker began to be revered as a saint (the exact date of canonization is unknown) and remains one of the most significant Christian ascetics in the Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and ancient Eastern churches.

It is believed that after his death, his body began to exude incense, after which it became an object of pilgrimage. There are widespread reports of the posthumous miracles of Nicholas of Myra, performed after prayer to his icons, etc. Known as an intercessor of the poor, the patron of sailors and travelers. In Russia, Nicholas the Wonderworker is one of the most revered saints. Already at the end of the 11th century, the Russian church calendar noted not only the day of his burial in December, but also the memory of the transfer of relics to Bari in May.

The Italian traveler Nikolai Veronsky, who visited Russia in the 16th century, noted that among Russians St. Nicholas is considered the "patron of the Fatherland." Many churches and monasteries are dedicated to the memory of Nicholas the Wonderworker in Russia (only the Mother of God is more numerous).

The lives often mention that St. Nicholas gave gifts and helped poor children. In Catholic countries since the 19th century, he has become the prototype of Santa Claus, a folklore character who gives gifts to children at Christmas.

Iconography

The earliest surviving image of Nicholas the Wonderworker is on the fold of a triptych stored in the monastery of St. Catherine in Sinai (Egypt). In iconography, the image of the saint took shape by the 11th century: he is usually depicted with a short beard and a rounded forehead, in the vestments of a metropolitan, with a closed Gospel placed in his hand. The oldest image in ancient Russian art is the altar mosaic and frescoes in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv (1st half of the 11th century).

The Bishop of Myra is canonized for the miracles that took place during his life and after his death. The years of life of Nicholas the Wonderworker are filled with fidelity, service to God, people with special love. Great help was provided by the prayers of the Saint to those who traveled, were at sea. The Saint especially helped unlawfully convicted, offended and abandoned children, as evidenced by the brief biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The childhood of the future saint

The Roman province of Lycia, namely the Greek colony of Patara, became the birthplace of a special boy. This happened in 270 AD.

His parents were true Christians, their faith was passed on to their son. Father Nicolas, as the child was called, was a wealthy man and managed to give his son an education. In some sources, there is an erroneous opinion that the parents of the future Miracle Worker and the Pleaser of God were called Epiphanius and Nonna. Such people really lived at that time, but they were the parents of another saint, whose name is Nikolai Pinarsky.

The parents gave their son the name Nicholas, prophesying that he would become the conqueror of the peoples. According to the faith of people who love their son, God gave the boy a special anointing from birth to overcome the malice of this age.

According to the legends of the saints, during the offering before God, while dipping into the font, the baby stood up, stood on his own for several hours, with his hands raised to glorify the Almighty.

Interesting. Traditions also claim that the little boy was applied only to the right breast, thereby predetermining his place near the Lord. On days when the Orthodox usually do not eat fast food, and this is Wednesday and Friday, little Nicolas demanded breast milk only after the evening prayer of his parents. In the future, the Holy Pleaser these days will strictly adhere to fasting.

Nicholas the Wonderworker

The Time of Knowledge of Divine Scripture

It took a talented student from Lycia very little time to learn the deep wisdom of Holy Scripture.

A brief biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker says that in his adolescence he did not like to spend time in empty entertainment with friends, he was in the temple all his free time from study.

Filled with the grace of God, guided by the Holy Spirit, the lad perfected his mind and body to match the Temple in which the Holy Spirit lives (First Cor. 3:16).

Seeing the youth's dedication to Christ, his uncle, known to the laity under the name of Nicholas of Patara, entrusted the God-fearing nephew with the place of the reader. Upon the death of his parents, the future Saint distributed all his inheritance to the poor and devoted himself entirely to God.

Beginning to serve the Lord

Serving under his uncle, Nicholas was ordained a priest. It was the time after the terrible Christian persecution.

The Roman emperor Diocletian introduced a law allowing the destruction of Christians throughout the empire, which was supported by the emperor Maximian. For many years (303-311), Christians were killed, thrown into furnaces, and given to wild beasts, until before his death, Emperor Galerius ordered to be tolerant of various beliefs. His successor Licinius, who ruled until 324, allowed Christian communities to develop.

While on a pilgrimage to Palestine, the priest approached the temple, but found it closed. After praying in front of the gates, he was surprised by the fall of the castles.

During his stay in Palestine, the Wonderworker learned that the Lycian people were dying of hunger, a terrible disaster covered the country.

The Holy Pleaser spent hours in fasting and prayer, asking God to forgive the people and save them from starvation.

Prayer to the saint:

At that time, in distant Italy, a merchant loaded bread onto ships in order to go to distant lands, but the decision was changed after a night's sleep, during which the Saint ordered the merchant to sail to Lycia, leaving the gold.

The next morning, the Italian found coins in a clamped hand. Not daring to violate the order of the Saint, he sailed to Lycia, which saved many people from death.

Interesting. In Palestine, from generation to generation, information about good deeds, bestowed by God through the prayers of faith, performed by the Holy Pleasure is passed on. Until now, Christian Palestinians come with requests and prayers to the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, built in the city of Beit Jala on the site of a destroyed church of the third century, in which the Saint prayed.

Great was the desire of the saint to remain in solitude, but by God's command, not to his native Patara, where the inhabitants of the city knew him well, but to Myra. Here the Priest lived like a beggar, being content with the smallest things both in housing and food.

By this time, the Bishop of Mirliky was already preaching in Mir. Now it is the Turkish province of Antalya, the city of Demre.

Icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker in the city of Beit Jala

Obtaining the rank of archbishop

The history of consecration to the rank of archbishop is filled with God's leading.

In the city of Myra, after the death of the archbishop, at a meeting of local bishops, they could not in any way choose a new anointed of God.

The priests of Myrlikia spent hours in prayer until the oldest of the bishops had a dream. The Lord indicated to him that the first to attend the morning service would be a man pleasing to God on the throne of the archbishop, whose name is Nicholas.

The elder passed on his dream to the rest of the assembly. With great excitement, the priests stood along the porch of the church, waiting for the future archbishop.

As soon as the saint appeared at the entrance to the temple, he was asked to give his name. The answer was humbly and quietly that his name was Nikolai, and he recognized himself as a slave of the lord.

The joyful news about the chosen one spread throughout the city at midnight, and all the rights of the Archbishop of Myra were transferred to Nikolai that same night.

“Receive, brethren, your shepherd, whom the Holy Spirit has anointed for you and to whom he has entrusted the management of your souls. Not a human cathedral, but the Court of God set him up. Now we have the one we were waiting for, accepted and found, the one we were looking for. Under his wise guidance, we can boldly hope to stand before the Lord in the day of His glory and judgment!”

The new dignity did not cause pride and exaltation of the saint, these feelings were alien to him. The head of the Myrlikian diocese decides to fully serve the people, forgetting about his own needs.

First Ecumenical Council

At this time, the persecution of Christians continued. The miracle worker with his flock goes to prison. Seeing the constantly praying priest, feeling his support, many Christians persevered, did not renounce their faith.

A zealous Christian, the Bishop of Mirliki was intolerant of paganism. By his order, the famous temple of the goddess Artemis was destroyed.

At the First Ecumenical Council (325), the issue of the celebration of Easter, the Creeds, the Divinity of Christ was decided.

Bishop Arius and several priests began to refute the divinity of Jesus, for which, according to some historians, the Archbishop of Myra slapped the heretic for outright heresy. This fact was not confirmed in official reports, but is mentioned in some documents of the bishops present at the Council.

Good deeds done by the Holy Pleaser

According to historians, Nikolai Ugodnik always took the side of the slandered people, demanded that the condemned be treated fairly.

Wherever the Miracle Worker appeared, he helped everyone:

• healed the sick;
• cast out demons;
• gave consolation;
• fed the hungry;
• clothed the naked;
• restored justice.

His good deeds were done with meekness and humility; there was no arrogance and greed in him. The Holy Pleaser directed all the glory and gratitude from the people to God.

There is no end to the list of good deeds done by Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Historical records contain information about the resurrection of the dead, the healing of the sick, the release of captives literally from under the sword, and much more.

Ark with a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the altar of the Basilica of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari

Quiet blessed care

The Saint of Myra lived to a ripe old age, leading an ascetic life. The exact date of the departure of the Holy Pleasure to another world has not been preserved. According to historical premises, this happened between 345 and 351 years.

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

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

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

Childhood years of Nicholas

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

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

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

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

Saint Nicholas fully devotes himself to God

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

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

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

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

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

The service of St. Nicholas to the people

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

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

Saint Nicholas saves his father and his three daughters with alms

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Return home to Lycia. Desire for the Silent Monastic Life

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

The call of the saint to the archpastoral service

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Follow me, child.

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

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

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

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

Beginning of hierarchal ministry

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

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

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

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

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

Martyrdom of Christians during the reign of Diocletian and Maximian

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

Fight against pagan delusions

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

Divine Zeal of Saint Nicholas at the Ecumenical Council in Nicaea

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

Saint Nicholas saves the people of Lycia from starvation

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

Saint Nicholas, do not allow unjust judgment to be fulfilled

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

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

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

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

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

Nicholas the Wonderworker saves three falsely accused governors from death

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He replied:

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

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

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

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

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

They answered with tears and sobs:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rescue of sailors during a storm

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

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

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

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

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

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

Departure of Saint Nicholas
to the Lord.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saint Nicholas the Miracle Worker

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Saint Nicholas. Three icons. Patriarch Athanasius

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Then, approaching the second icon, he said:

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

Approaching the third icon, the patriarch said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He replied:

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

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

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

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

I didn't drink that kind of wine.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the saint said to him:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Where am I, brethren?

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

Weeping, the patriarch said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The pious wife answered her husband:

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

She showed her husband her carpet and said:

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

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

Dear friend, where are you going?

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

Coming closer, Saint Nicholas said:

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

The elder said to the saint:

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

The saint said to the old man:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And the old man said to his wife:

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

His wife answered him:

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

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

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

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

Saving the innocent from misfortune, and Epiphany from grave sin

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

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

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

“You gave me no gold, sir.

The lord said:

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

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

He himself said:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Having said this, he became invisible.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Resurrection of a drowned child and transferring him to the temple

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

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

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

- Who let a woman into the choirs?

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

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

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

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

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

Troparion, tone 4:

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

Kontakion, tone 3:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vladimir Vsevolodovich Monomakh ruled from 1073 to 1125

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

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

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

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

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

This church still exists today.

NIKOLAY UGODNIK
NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER

Saint Nicholas of Myra, or as he is also called, Nicholas the Wonderworker, is one of the most revered Christian saints. Thousands of people all over the world turn to him with prayers every day, and many of them leave evidence of how Nicholas the Wonderworker helped in solving their most difficult and difficult problems.

But how exactly, when, to whom and? We can learn about this from his life, as well as from numerous testimonies about the miracles that he performed after his earthly death.

Nicholas the Wonderworker helps travelers

Since ancient times, Nicholas the Wonderworker has been considered the patron saint of travelers and, first of all, sailors. In his life, a case is described: while still a very young man, Saint Nicholas went to study in Alexandria. During the journey on the ship, a tragedy happened: one of the sailors died after falling off the mast. St. Nicholas began to sincerely pray for him, and to everyone's amazement, the Lord performed a miracle - he resurrected the unfortunate sailor.

Over the past centuries, sailors have collected a lot of evidence of how Nicholas the Wonderworker helps. But land travelers also turn to the saint in their prayers. Even if you just leave the house in the morning and you have a long way to go, it will not be out of place to briefly pray to the saint for a successful journey and return home.

Nicholas the Wonderworker helps to get married

This one story from the life of St. Nicholas is terrible in essence, but with a happy ending. A certain poor man, the father of three daughters, had no money for a dowry, despaired of marrying them off and, in order to somehow feed his family, decided to sell the girls to a brothel. Upon learning of this, Bishop Nicholas did not ask God for miraculous help, but decided that this time he must help himself, to the best of his human strength. At night, he secretly went to the poor man's house and planted his own savings on him. The disinterested act of the city bishop was not immediately known, and then by chance - the saint did not want to tell anyone about what had happened.

In memory of this act, young girls today pray to Nicholas the Wonderworker and ask for his patronage and help in starting a family. They believe that the saint helps them to follow the path of salvation, including through a good family life.

A lot of evidence has been preserved of how St. Nicholas helps various people from all over the world in search of love and family happiness.

Patron of prisoners and unjustly condemned

Another incident from the life of Nicholas the Wonderworker is reflected in a famous painting by Ivan Repin: the saint suddenly appeared on the square during the execution of three condemned prisoners of the city prison and literally grabbed the hand of the executioner, who was already raising his sword. No one dared to argue with the respected church bishop, the execution was postponed, and soon they found evidence of the innocence of the convicts. The Lord revealed to Saint Nicholas the true circumstances of the case in advance, so that the saint would help the prisoners and prevent an unjust execution.

Since then and until now, Nicholas the Wonderworker has been helping all those unjustly condemned. However, those prisoners who know that they deserved the punishment also often turn to him with a request for intercession before God. And Nicholas the Wonderworker helps everyone, because the highest virtue of a Christian, which this saint has always been famous for, is the ability to forgive even those who stumbled on the path of life.

Icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker helps the unbeliever

And this story happened many years after the earthly death of St. Nicholas, in the 1920s in the Chinese city of Harbin. In early spring, a local fisherman went to the river. The weather was already warm and suddenly the ice broke, and the unfortunate fisherman found himself in cold spring water. He felt himself being sucked into the depths and realized that he was dying. At the last moment, the fisherman remembered the mysterious image-icon, which was hung at the city station by Russian emigrants. “The old man of the station, help me, save me!” he pleaded and immediately lost consciousness. The fisherman woke up already on the shore far from the water. This incident was recalled in his book by the famous pop singer of the first half of the 20th century Alexander Vertinsky.

Vertinsky writes that later that Chinese converted to Orthodoxy, and some of his countrymen friends followed his example.

Saint Nicholas helps everyone

But what to do, you ask, if my request does not answer any of the above cases, can I really not count on the help of St. Nicholas? No, it's not like that at all. Unfortunately, today, even among believing Christians, stereotypes often persist: one saint is prayed solely for toothache, another for academic success, and a third for health. But this attitude is more like magic than faith. Saints are being treated the same way as the pagan gods were once treated, endowing each of them with a kind of "specialization".

Christianity is above such conventions. And although believers often ask St. Nicholas for help in sea voyages, and St. Panteleimon for the health of loved ones, this is only a tradition and convention, and not a rule at all.

Remembering how powerful the prayer of St. Nicholas has, you can ask him for any help, ask him any question and your voice will be heard.

How does Saint Nicholas help?

This question is obvious to people of faith, but it is often asked by those who are far from the Church. Indeed: how exactly and under what circumstances can one count on the help of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker?

Here it is important to remember how Nicholas performed his miracles during his lifetime. Being a deeply religious person, the saint possessed an amazing talent: his prayers were a truly sincere appeal to God, and therefore the Lord never left them unanswered. And, of course, having left our world and united with God, St. Nicholas did not lose, but only strengthened this connection. Therefore, turning to him in our prayers, we can ask him to intercede for us before God.

Saints are often called “intercessors,” that is, petitioners who speak to the Creator on our behalf. But it is also important to understand that asking them for intercession before the Almighty is not a mechanical spell. If adherents of witchcraft conduct a kind of bargaining with the dark forces (“I am a sacrifice to you - you help me”, “I give you soul and devotion - you give me success in business”), then prayers to the saints are something completely different. This is rather a confidential appeal to a loved one, in the hope of his support and understanding. The Church teaches us that prayers never go unanswered. If help in our affairs does not harm us, the Lord, through the prayer of Nicholas the Wonderworker and other saints, will not refuse us our requests, but we must also learn to ask sincerely, without guile and desire to deceive.

So if you are ready to talk with God and his great saint - Nicholas the Wonderworker, just read, and if possible - kiss the icon of the saint and believe that the Lord will not leave you alone with your difficulties!

How Saint Nicholas helps: living testimonies

Hieromonk Dimitry Pershin: One euro of last hope

Hieromonk Dimitry (Pershin). Photo by Sergey Milov/Foma magazine

In the early 1990s, my friends got into trouble. The travel agency went bankrupt and the whole family with a child they were stuck in Cyprus. Not that churched Christians. The father is not baptized at all, and the mother only celebrated Easter. But when the pressure is on, everyone turns to Heaven. So they, passing by some temple, asked their son to put a candle on the last euro in front of the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. They didn’t even come in themselves - they were ashamed. When they returned to the hotel, it turned out that of the entire group, it was their accommodation and air tickets that were paid for. The announcement of this came in those moments of their timid request for help. It is impossible to say that after that they became devout prayer books. A true miracle is not intrusive. But they retain a grateful memory of the saint who did not leave them in trouble. And this memory grows through the years, albeit still rare, but serious participation in the Sacraments of his Church.

Priest Nikolai Petrov,

Cleric of the Church of the Holy Right-Believing Tsarevich Dimitri at the First City Hospital in Moscow, teacher at the St. Demetrius School of Sisters of Mercy and St. Demetrius Comprehensive School, Moscow

I, bearing the name of this great saint, often turn to him, for example, when leaving my home and my family, with such a prayer, “Father Nicholas, stay here instead of me,” that is, I entrust my relatives to his protection, and so far, by the grace of God, my faith was not ashamed.

You can, of course, apply in your own words with a specific need. As, for example, the nun Tikhon from the Orenburg monastery, who, while still an unbaptized Jewess, somehow began to drown while bathing and shouted: “Russian God, Nikolai, save me and I will become a Christian” (she even thought that the saint was God, seeing his veneration among the Russians). And another time, when she lost an important bill of exchange from her father, and the whole family had to suffer, she decided to go to drown herself, and even prayed like this: “Oh, Nikolai, saint, you could write a bill, and I would certainly be baptized! But where can you write a bill of exchange! It's impossible and I have to die." And suddenly there was a new bill in her hand...

Priest John Omelyanchuk,

Rector of the Church of the Hieromartyr Hermogenes, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', Wonderworker in Zyuzin, Moscow

I know two priests, brothers. Saint Nicholas helped them many times. Once, an older brother-priest with his wife and a younger brother (at that time not yet a priest) were on a missionary trip in the Kenozero National Park. They crossed by boat to the other side in order to erect a memorial memorial cross on the site of the former monastery. Suddenly we got into a thunderstorm and a storm, and we still have to swim for about 12 km! In the middle of the lake, they realized that a solid wall was moving towards them. They began to sing and suddenly saw that this wall was no longer in front of them, but behind them. The local residents, who were waiting on the shore, were sure that they would not return and went home. In a village on the shore of the lake, the storm knocked down poles and tore off the roofs. And they returned, safe and sound, after the installation of the cross.

Svetlana Gadzhinskaya,

For me, St. Nicholas is now the patron of our family. And once, almost twenty years ago, I knew very little about St. Nicholas. I just really wanted to make friends with other Orthodox students from the university where I studied (at that time I was just starting to go to church, I was eager to hold not only the Great, but also other posts, I dreamed of marriage, but so that everything would be arranged according to the commandments). And finally, on December 19, on the day of the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, I was invited to a meeting of believing students. That Sunday evening we got together, read an akathist to the saint (it was my first time and I made a lot of mistakes, I was embarrassed), and then a conversation began on a spiritual topic, which went on peacefully and sincerely, until it switched to politics. Because that year December 19 was election day. All the boys were actively involved in the discussion, which was started by Alexei, the future husband. Of course, I remember him from that first meeting - how he enthusiastically proved something, while eating all the sandwiches.

A couple of years later, shortly before the wedding, I suddenly had the idea to escape to the temple on May 22 - after all, the memory of Nicholas the Wonderworker. Before that, she barely had time to get on big holidays and there was not even a thought about praying to the saint on “his” day. But at the last moment she changed her mind: she was in a hurry to help Alexei, and decided not to risk it so as not to be late. And at the gas station I had an accident - the truck began to turn around and did not see my small car. At first there was a question: how so? On the feast of the patron saint of travelers? Then horror seized me: if I got out of the car a few seconds earlier, I myself could have ended up in the place of the crumpled mirror. And now I am sitting in anticipation of the traffic police, there is nowhere to hurry, I read the prayer book and thank St. Nicholas for teaching and enlightening me.

When we were discussing the plan for our honeymoon trip, the main idea was the same: if we are going to Europe, then we definitely need to get to St. Nicholas. On the spot, this turned out to be a difficult task, without knowing the language and a small amount of money, we almost stayed overnight on the street, and when we got to the temple, we found it locked. Of course, I burst into tears, went to the sea, and there we heard our native speech - a group of pilgrims from Ukraine quickly consoled us, saying that they were going to a Russian church. The priest wrote a special note for a “friendly-minded” assistant in a Catholic church (then not everyone was sympathetic to Orthodox pilgrims), which he will reveal to us. For many years I kept this note as a memory of the miracles that accompany those who love St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

A few years later, my friends gave me a restored icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. So the first ancient icon appeared in the home iconostasis. And I wasn't surprised that it was.

Our native church is the Alexander Nevsky Church at MGIMO. Its construction, the very idea of ​​which seemed to us fantastic, unattainable, lasted for many years. To begin with, they built a “temporary” wooden church, and when it was finally erected, it was consecrated in honor of St. Nicholas. We live nearby and go there often.

Recently, the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker were brought to Moscow, and from the first day I began to look for an opportunity to gather all the children (I didn’t want to deprive anyone of this joy) and get into the queue. But the end of the school year, illness, bustle and life in the capital did not let us in, but in the end, a miracle happened: on the penultimate day, we managed to get in and all together. At that moment I didn't even know what to pray for - I just thanked!

All the years of marriage - especially in the days of the memory of Nicholas the Wonderworker - I try to pray to him, but less often with a request, but more with gratitude for everything: for a happy marriage, for keeping us on numerous trips around Russia and keeping me awake at the wheel, and in many other situations. Of course, I will soon ask for the marriage of my daughters and the good wives of my sons - time flies. But his run is not so terrible when there is such a devoted, reliable friend among the saints - Nicholas the Wonderworker.