St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: Life, miracles, shrines. Nicholas the Wonderworker, God's Saint

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I am Nicholas, Archbishop of Lycia!”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There lived in the city of Patara a certain man, noble and rich. Having fallen into extreme poverty, it lost its former meaning, for the life of this age is impermanent. This man had three daughters who were very beautiful. When he was deprived of everything necessary, so that there was nothing to eat and nothing to wear, he, for the sake of his great poverty, planned to give his daughters to fornication and turn his home into a house of fornication, in order to thus obtain a means of living for himself and to acquire for himself and daughters clothes and food. Oh woe, what unworthy thoughts extreme poverty leads to! Having this unclean thought, this husband wanted to fulfill his evil intention. But the All-Good Lord, who does not want to see a person in destruction and who humanely helps in our troubles, put a good thought into the soul of His saint, the holy priest Nicholas, and with secret inspiration sent him to his husband, who was perishing in soul, for consolation in poverty and warning from sin.

Saint Nicholas, having heard about the extreme poverty of that husband and having learned by God's revelation about his evil intentions, felt deep regret for him and decided with his beneficent hand to extract him together with his daughters, as if from fire, from poverty and sin. However, he did not want to show his kindness to that husband openly, but decided to give him generous alms secretly. Saint Nicholas did this for two reasons. On the one hand, he himself wanted to avoid vain human glory, following the words of the Gospel: “Be careful not to do your alms before people”(), on the other hand, he did not want to offend his husband, who had once been a rich man, but had now fallen into extreme poverty. For he knew how difficult and offensive alms are for one who has come from wealth and glory to poverty, because it reminds him of his former prosperity. Therefore, Saint Nicholas considered it best to act according to the teachings of Christ: “Do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.”(). He avoided human glory so much that he tried to hide himself even from the one to whom he benefited. He took a large bag of gold, came to that husband’s house at midnight and, throwing this bag out the window, he hurried to return home. In the morning the husband got up and, finding the bag, untied it. When he saw the gold, he was horrified and could not believe his eyes, because he could not expect such a good deed from anywhere. However, as he fingered the coins, he became convinced that it was indeed gold. Rejoicing in spirit and marveling at this, he wept with joy, thinking for a long time about who could show him such a benefit, and could not think of anything. Attributing this to the action of Divine Providence, he constantly thanked his benefactor in his soul, giving praise to the Lord who cares for everyone. After this, he gave his eldest daughter in marriage, giving her as a dowry the gold miraculously given to him. Saint Nicholas, having learned that this husband acted according to his wishes, fell in love with him and decided to show the same mercy to his second daughter, intending to protect her from sin by legal marriage. Having prepared another bag of gold, the same as the first, at night, secretly from everyone, he threw it through the same window into his husband’s house. Getting up in the morning, the poor man again found gold. Again he was surprised and, falling to the ground and shedding tears, said:

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

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

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

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

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

Having commanded them to take courage, place their hope in God and without any doubt expect speedy deliverance, the saint began to earnestly pray to the Lord. Immediately the sea calmed down, silence fell, and general sorrow turned into joy. The joyful travelers gave thanks to God and His saint, Holy Father Nicholas, and were doubly surprised at both his prediction of the storm and the cessation of grief. After that, one of the shipmen had to climb to the top of the mast. Descending from there, he broke off and fell from the very height into the middle of the ship, was killed to death and lay lifeless. Saint Nicholas, ready to help before it was needed, immediately resurrected him with his prayer, and he stood up as if awakening from sleep.

After this, having raised all the sails, the travelers continued their voyage safely with a fair wind and calmly landed on the shore of Alexandria. Having healed many sick and demoniacs here and comforted the mourning, the saint of God, Saint Nicholas, again set off along the intended path to Palestine.

Having reached the holy city of Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas came to Golgotha, where our Christ, stretching out His most pure hands on the cross, brought salvation to the human race. Here the saint of God poured out warm prayers from a heart burning with love, sending thanks to our Savior. He toured all the holy places, performing zealous worship everywhere. And when at night he wanted to enter the holy church to pray, the closed church doors opened by themselves, opening an unrestricted entrance to those for whom the heavenly gates were also open. Having stayed in Jerusalem for quite a long time, Saint Nicholas intended to retire into the desert, but was stopped by a Divine voice from above, exhorting him to return to his homeland.

The Lord God, who arranges everything for our benefit, did not deign that that lamp, which, by the will of God, was to shine on the Lycian metropolis, remained hidden under a bushel, in the desert. Arriving on the ship, the saint of God persuaded the shipmen to take him to his native country. But they planned to deceive him and sent their ship not to Lycian, but to another country.

When they sailed from the pier, Saint Nicholas, noticing that the ship was sailing along a different route, fell at the feet of the shipbuilders, begging them to direct the ship to Lycia. But they did not pay any attention to his pleas and continued to sail along the intended path: they did not know that they would not leave their saint. And suddenly a storm came, turned the ship in the other direction and quickly carried it towards Lycia, threatening the evil shipmen with complete destruction. Thus, carried by Divine power across the sea, Saint Nicholas finally arrived in his fatherland. Due to his kindness, he did not do any harm to his enemies. He not only did not get angry and did not reproach them with a single word, but with a blessing he let them go to his country. He himself came to the monastery founded by his uncle, the Bishop of Patara, and called Holy Zion, and here he turned out to be a welcome guest for all the brethren. Receiving him with love as an angel of God, they enjoyed his inspired speech and, imitating the good morals with which God adorned His faithful servant, were edified by his equal-angelic life. Having found a silent life and a quiet haven for contemplation of God in this monastery, Saint Nicholas hoped to spend the rest of his life here undisturbed. But God showed him a different path, for he did not want such a rich treasure of virtues, with which the world should be enriched, to remain locked up in the monastery, like a treasure buried in the ground, but so that it would be open to everyone and a spiritual purchase would be made with it, winning many souls . And then one day the saint, standing in prayer, heard a voice from above:

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

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

Nikolai, this is not the field in which you must bear the fruit I expect; but turn and go into the world, and may My name be glorified in you. Then Saint Nicholas realized that the Lord required him to leave the feat of silence and go to serve people for their salvation.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

At the very beginning of his shepherding, the saint of God said to himself: “Nicholas! The rank you have taken requires of you different customs, so that you live not for yourself, but for others.”

Wanting to teach his verbal sheep virtues, he no longer hid, as before, his virtuous life. For before he spent his life secretly serving God, Who alone knew his exploits. Now, after he accepted the rank of bishop, his life became open to everyone, so that the word of the Gospel would be fulfilled: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”(). Saint Nicholas, through his good deeds, was like a mirror for his flock and, according to the word of the apostle, “a model for the faithful in word, in life, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity”(). He was meek and kind in character, humble in spirit and avoided all vanity. His clothes were simple, his food was fasting, which he always ate only once a day, and then in the evening. He spent the whole day doing work befitting his rank, listening to the requests and needs of those who came to him. The doors of his house were open to everyone. He was kind and accessible to everyone, he was a father to orphans, a merciful giver to the poor, a comforter to those who mourn, a helper to the offended, a great benefactor to everyone. To help him in church government, he chose two virtuous and prudent advisers, endowed with presbyteral rank. These were men known throughout Greece: Paul of Rhodes and Theodore of Ascalon.

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

In the meantime, freedom was again granted to Christians, and piety shone like the sun after dark clouds, and a kind of quiet coolness came after a storm. For the Lover of Mankind, Christ, having looked upon His property, destroyed the wicked, casting down Diocletian and Maximian from the royal throne and destroying the power of the zealots of Hellenic wickedness. By the appearance of His Cross to Tsar Constantine the Great, to whom He deigned to entrust the Roman Empire, the Lord God erected "horn of salvation"().

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

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

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

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

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

Hearing about this, the bishop of God was grieved and, accompanied by the governor, immediately set off on the road. Having reached the place nicknamed “Lion,” the saint met some travelers and asked them if they knew anything about the men condemned to death. They answered: “We left them in the field of Castor and Pollux, dragged to execution.”

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

Seeing everything that happened, the governors who arrived with the saint were amazed at the zeal and goodness of God’s great bishop. Having received his holy prayers and received his blessing on their journey, they went to Phrygia to fulfill the royal command given to them. Arriving at the scene of the rebellion, they quickly suppressed it and, having fulfilled the royal order, returned joyfully to Byzantium. The king and all the nobles gave them great praise and honor, and they were honored with participation in the royal council. But evil people, envious of such glory of the commanders, became hostile to them. Having planned evil against them, they came to the governor of the city, Eulavius, and slandered those men, saying: “The governors do not advise well, for, as we have heard, they introduce innovations and are plotting evil against the king.”

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

“Oh, king, not one of those imprisoned wants to repent. They all persist in their evil intent, never ceasing to plot against you. Therefore, they commanded that they be immediately given over to torment so that they would not complete their evil deed that they had planned against you.”

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

“It would be better for me if I did not know you and did not enjoy a pleasant conversation and meal with you. Then I would easily bear the separation from you and would not grieve my soul so much about the misfortune that came to you. The morning will come, and the final and terrible separation will befall us. Bequeath to me what to do with your estate while there is time and while it has not yet prevented you from expressing your will.”

He interrupted his speech with sobs. Having learned about their terrible fate, the commanders tore their clothes and tore out their hair, saying: “What enemy envied our life? Why are we, as villains, condemned to death? What have we done that deserves to be put to death?”

And they called on their relatives and friends by name, putting God Himself as a witness that they had not done any evil, and they wept bitterly. One of them, named Nepotian, remembered Saint Nicholas, how he, having appeared in Myra as a glorious helper and good intercessor, delivered three husbands from death. And the governors began to pray: “God of St. Nicholas, who delivered three men from unrighteous death, now look upon us, for help will not come to us from people. A great misfortune has come upon us, and there is no one who could save us from the misfortune. “Let Your mercies soon precede us, O Lord. Take us out of the hands of those who seek our souls."(). Tomorrow they want to kill us, so hurry to our aid and save us, the innocent, from death.”

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

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

The saint explained the whole matter to the king 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 that happened in Phrygia, and you will die evil.”

Surprised by such audacity, the king began to reflect on how this man dared to enter the inner chambers at night, and asked him: “Who are you that you dare to threaten us and our power?” He replied: “My name is Nikolai, I am the bishop of the Mir Metropolis.”

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

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

The governors turned to each other in bewilderment and, not knowing anything, looked at each other in surprise. Noticing this, the king softened and said: “Do not be afraid of any evil, tell the truth. They answered with tears and sobs: King, we do not know any magic and did not plot any evil against your power, may the All-Seeing Lord Himself be a witness of this. If we deceive you and you find out something bad about us, then let there be no mercy or mercy either for us or for our family. From our fathers we learned to honor the king and, above all, to be faithful to him. So now we faithfully guard your life and, as is characteristic of our rank, we unswervingly carried out your instructions. Serving you with zeal, we pacified the rebellion in Phrygia, stopped internecine hostility and sufficiently proved our courage by our deeds, as those who know this well testify. Your power previously showered us with honors, but now you have armed yourself with rage against us and mercilessly condemned us to a painful death. So, king, we think that we suffer only for our zeal for you, for which we are condemned and, instead of the glory and honors that we hoped to receive, we were overcome by the fear of death.”

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

“Who is this Nicholas, and what men did he save? Tell me about it." Nepotian told him everything in order. Then the tsar, having learned that Saint Nicholas was a great saint of God, was surprised at his great zeal in protecting the offended, and freed those governors, telling them:

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

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

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

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

One day, travelers, sailing by ship from Egypt to the Lycian country, were subjected to strong sea waves and a storm. The sails were already torn by the whirlwind, the ship was shaking from the blows of the waves, and everyone despaired of their salvation. At this time, they remembered the great Bishop Nicholas, whom they had never seen and only heard about him, that he was a quick helper to everyone who called on him in trouble. They turned to him in prayer and began to call on him for help. The saint immediately appeared before them, entered the ship and said: “You called on me, and I came to your aid; do not be afraid!"

Everyone saw that he took the helm and began to steer the ship. Just as our Lord once forbade the winds and the sea, the saint immediately commanded the storm to stop, remembering the words of the Lord: “He who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also” ().

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 Myra. Coming ashore, they went to the city, wanting to see the one who saved them from trouble. They met the saint on the way to church and, recognizing him as their benefactor, fell at his feet, bringing him thanks. Wonderful Nicholas not only saved them from misfortune and death, but also showed concern for their spiritual salvation. According to his insight, he saw in them with his spiritual eyes fornication, which removes a person from God and deviates from keeping the commandments of God, and said to them:

“Children, I beg you, reflect within yourselves and correct your hearts and thoughts to please the Lord. For, even if we hid ourselves from many people and considered ourselves righteous, nothing can be hidden from God. Therefore, try to maintain the holiness of your soul and the purity of your body. For this is what the Divine Apostle Paul says: If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will punish him: for the temple of God is holy, and this temple you ()."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayers to Saint Nicholas

O all-praised, great wonderworker, saint of Christ, Father Nicholas! We pray to you, be the protector of the faithful, the feeder of the hungry, the weeping joy, the sick doctor, the steward of those floating on the sea, the poor and orphan feeder and the quick helper and patron of everyone, may we live a peaceful life here and may we be worthy to see the glory of God’s elect in heaven and with them continually sing praises of the One God worshiped in the Trinity forever and ever.

ABOUT All-holy Nicholas, exceedingly saintly servant of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper! Help me, a sinner and a sad person, in this present life, beg the Lord God to grant me forgiveness of all my sins, which I have sinned greatly from my youth, in all my life, in deed, word, thought and all my feelings; and at the end of my soul, help me, the accursed one, beg the Lord God, the Creator of all creation, to deliver me from airy ordeals and eternal torment, so that I may always glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and your merciful intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

ABOUT, all-merciful Father Nicholas, shepherd and teacher of all who flow with faith to your intercession and call upon you with warm prayer! Strive quickly and deliver Christ’s flock from the wolves that are destroying it; and protect and preserve every Christian country with your holy prayers, from worldly rebellion, cowardice, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from famine, flood, fire and vain death; and just as you had mercy on three men sitting in prison and delivered them from the king of wrath and the beating of the sword, have mercy on me too, in mind, word and deed, existing in the darkness of sins, deliver me from the wrath of God and eternal punishment, as through your intercession and help. With His mercy and grace, Christ will give me a quiet and sinless life to live in this world and grant me a good fate with all the saints. Amen.

Troparion, tone 4

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

Kontakion, tone 3

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

Troparion for the Transfer of Relics, Tone 4

The day of the bright triumph has arrived, the city of Barsky rejoices, and with it the entire universe rejoices with songs and spiritual stumps: today is a sacred triumph, in the presentation of the honest and multi-healing relics of the Holy Hierarch and Wonderworker Nicholas, like the unsetting sun, rising with radiant rays, dispelling the darkness of temptations and troubles from those crying out truly: save us, as our intercessor, great Nicholas.

Greatness

We magnify you, Father Nicholas, and honor your holy memory: you pray for us to Christ our God.

Miracles of St. Nicholas

Seventeen centuries of world history, like seventeen moments of eternity, in all times and countries he works great miracles, without delay answering the call for help to thousands of people at the same time. The precious pearls of his miracles are scattered in abundance by the generous Wonderworker across the face of the earth. On the eve of the first feast of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, in the third millennium, modern eyewitnesses of his immortal glory told about what incredibly became clear and obvious thanks to the participation of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

“St. Nicholas stands in your place.”

These were the difficult years of the civil war. V.P. - then a young girl - stood in the garden near her house, and a man was aiming a gun at her (at that time, throughout Russia, peasants were dealing with landowners). The girl tremblingly pressed her hands to her chest and fervently repeated with great faith and hope:

- Father, Saint Nicholas of Christ, help, protect.

And what? The peasant throws his gun aside and says:

- Now go wherever you want and don’t get caught.

The girl ran home, took something, ran to the station and left for Moscow. There, her relatives got her a job.

Several years have passed.

One day the doorbell rings. The neighbors open the door and there is a thin, ragged village man standing there, shaking all over. He asks if V.P. lives here. They answer him that they are here. They invite you in. Let's go get her.

When she came out, this man fell at her feet and began to cry and ask for forgiveness. She was confused, didn’t know what to do, and began to pick him up, saying that she didn’t know him.

– Mother V.P., don’t you recognize me? I'm the one who wanted to kill you. I raised my gun, took aim and just wanted to shoot - I saw that Saint Nicholas was standing in your place. I couldn't shoot him.

And again he fell at her feet.

“That’s how long I was sick and decided to find you.” Came on foot from the village.

She took him into her room, calmed him down, and said that she had forgiven him everything. I fed him and changed him into everything clean.

He said that he would now die in peace.

He immediately weakened and fell ill. She called the priest. The peasant confessed and took communion. A few days later he peacefully departed to the Lord.

How she cried over him...

"Ambulance to the rescue"

Our family had a housekeeper for a long time - a pious woman. Her work was formalized by a contract, and we paid insurance premiums for her.

When the woman grew old, she went to live with her relatives. When the new law on pensions came out, the old woman came to us to take from us the documents necessary to receive a pension.

I carefully took care of these documents, but when I started looking for them, I could not find them. I searched for three days, rummaged through all the drawers, all the closets - and could not find it anywhere.

When the old lady came again, I bitterly told her about my failure. The old woman was very upset, but said with humility: “Let’s pray to St. Nicholas to help us, and if even then you don’t find it, then apparently I need to reconcile and forget about pensions.”

In the evening I fervently prayed to St. Nicholas, and that same evening I noticed some kind of paper parcel under the table near the wall. These were the very documents I was looking for.

It turns out that the documents fell behind the desk drawer and fell out of there only after we fervently prayed to St. Nicholas.

Everything turned out well, and the old woman began to receive a pension.

So Saint Nicholas, who was quick to help, heard our prayer and helped us in trouble.

“Where are you going, girl?”

My friend, Elena, is now an old woman, a pensioner. This is what happened to her in the days of her youth, when she explored the Solovetsky Islands as part of a geological expedition. It was late autumn, and the sea began to be covered with ice floes. Hoping that she would still be able to return to her base, E. went alone to one of the islands to complete her work, expecting to return in the evening.

Returning in the evening, I saw that there was so much ice in the sea that it was impossible to cross by boat. At night, the wind and ice floes carried away her boat and the next day washed it up on some unfamiliar shore. E. was a believer from childhood and all the time she prayed to St. Nicholas for salvation. She decided to walk along the shore, hoping to find at least some housing.

An old man met her and asked:

-Where are you going, girl?

– I’m walking along the shore to find a home.

“Don’t walk along the shore, dear, you won’t find anyone here for hundreds of miles.” And you see that hill over there, go climb it and then you will see where you should go next.

E. looked at the hill, and then turned to the old man, but he was no longer in front of her. E. realized that Saint Nicholas himself showed her the way, and went to the hill. From there she noticed smoke in the distance and went towards it. There I found a fisherman's hut.

The fisherman was surprised at her appearance in this completely deserted place and confirmed that indeed she would not have found a home for hundreds of kilometers along the coast and would most likely have died from cold and hunger. This is how Saint Nicholas saved a careless but pious girl.

"An ambulance to those in need"

I knew a godly working-class family consisting of a husband, wife and seven children. They lived near Moscow. This was at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, when bread was issued on ration cards and in very limited quantities. At the same time, monthly cards were not renewed if lost.

In this family, the eldest of the children, Kolya, thirteen years old, went to the store to buy bread. In winter, on the day of St. Nicholas, he got up early and went for bread, which was enough only for the first buyers.

He arrived first and began to wait at the door of the store. He sees four guys coming. Having noticed Kolya, they headed straight towards him. The thought flashed through my head like lightning: “Now they will take away the bread cards.” And this doomed the whole family to starvation. In horror, he mentally cried out: “Saint Nicholas, save me.”

Suddenly an old man appeared nearby, approached him and said: “Come with me.” He takes Kolya by the hand and, in front of the guys who are stunned and numb with surprise, leads him to the house. He disappeared near the house.

Saint Nicholas remains the same “first aid in need.”

“Why are you sleeping?”

This is what a participant in the Great Patriotic War named Nikolai told one priest.

“I managed to escape from German captivity. I made my way through occupied Ukraine at night and hid somewhere during the day. Once, after wandering around the night, I fell asleep in the rye in the morning. Suddenly someone wakes me up. I see in front of me an old man in priestly attire. The old man says:

- Why are you sleeping? Now the Germans will come here.

I got scared and asked:

-Where should I run?

The priest says:

- You see the bush there, run there quickly.

I turned to run, but immediately realized that I had not thanked my savior, I turned around... and he was already gone. I realized that St. Nicholas himself - my saint - was my savior.

With all my might I ran towards the bush. In front of the bush, I see a river flowing, but not wide. I threw myself into the water, got out to the other side and hid in the bushes. I look from the bushes - Germans with a dog are walking along the rye. The dog leads them straight to the place where I was sleeping. She circled there and led the Germans to the river. Then I slowly began to walk further and further through the bushes.

The river hid my trail from the dog, and I safely escaped pursuit.

“And are you looking at this?”

My grandmother told me how Saint Nicholas saved our family in wartime Moscow in 1943.

Left alone with three children swollen from hunger, unable to purchase food even with ration cards, she saw in the kitchen an image of St. Nicholas, darkened with time. In desperation, she turned to him: “And are you looking at this?”

After that, she ran out onto the stairs, deciding not to return home again. Before she could reach the front door, she saw two ten-ruble bills on the floor. They lay crosswise. This money then saved the lives of her three little ones, one of whom was my mother.

“Saint Nicholas, help, dear!”

Maria Petrovna believed in God, and especially in the help of St. Nicholas, after one incident.

She was going to visit her cousin in the village. She had never visited her before, but in July her daughter and son-in-law left for Crimea, both grandchildren went on a hiking trip, and, left alone in the apartment, Maria Petrovna immediately got bored and decided: “I’ll go to my family in the village.” She bought gifts and sent a telegram to be met at Luzhki station tomorrow.

I arrived in Luzhki, looked around, but no one came out to meet me. What to do here?

“Hand over your bundles, my dear, to our storage room,” the station guard advised Maria Petrovna, “and go straight along this road for eight, or even ten, kilometers, until you come across a birch grove, and next to it, on a hillock, separately from everyone, two pine trees. Turn straight onto them and you will see a path, and behind it - a road. You cross the road and come out onto the path again; it will lead you to the woods. You will walk a little between the birches and straight to the village that you need, and you will come out.

- Do you have wolves? – Maria Petrovna asked cautiously.

- Yes, dear, I won’t hide it, there is. Yes, while it’s light, they won’t touch you, but in the evening, of course, they can play pranks. Well, maybe you'll get through!

Maria Petrovna went. She was a country girl, but after twenty years of living in the city she had lost the habit of walking a lot and quickly got tired.

She walked and walked, not just ten, but all fifteen kilometers, but not two pine trees or a birch grove were visible.

The sun set behind the forest, and a chill came in. “If only I could meet a living person,” thinks Maria Petrovna. Nobody! It became creepy: how will the wolf jump out? Maybe she has already passed two pine trees a long time ago, or maybe they are still far away...

It's completely dark... What to do? Come back? So you will only reach the station by dawn. What a problem!

“Saint Nicholas, look what happened to me, help me, dear, because the wolves on the road will kill me,” Maria Petrovna prayed and began to cry out of fear. And there was silence all around, not a soul, only the stars looking at her from the darkening sky... Suddenly, somewhere to the side, wheels rattled loudly.

“Fathers, there’s someone coming across the road,” Maria Petrovna realized and rushed towards the knock. He runs and sees that there are two pine trees on the right - and there is a path from them. I missed it! And here we go. which!

And the wheels of a small cart harnessed to one horse are clattering along the road. The old man is sitting in the tavern, only his back is visible and his head is like a white dandelion, and there is a glow around it...

- Saint Nicholas, it’s you yourself! - Maria Petrovna shouted and, without making out the road, rushed to catch up with the cockroach, but it had already entered the forest.

Maria Petrovna runs as fast as she can and shouts only one thing:

- Wait!.

And the tarataika is no longer visible. Maria Petrovna jumped out of the forest - in front of her there were huts, near the last one there were old people sitting on logs, smoking. She to them:

“Did a gray-haired grandfather pass by you just now on a cart?”

- No, honey, no one was coming, and we’ve been sitting here for an hour already.

Maria Petrovna's legs gave way - she sat down on the ground and was silent, only her heart was pounding in her chest and tears were welling up. She sat, asked where her sister’s hut was, and quietly went to her.

Rescue of mother and baby

The Veletma River flows along the entire village where my grandmother lived. Now the river has become shallow and narrow, the deepest places are knee-deep for children, but before Veletma was deep and full of water. And the banks of the river were marshy and swampy. And this had to happen - her three-year-old son Vanechka slipped from a log into this swamp in front of his mother’s eyes and immediately sank to the bottom. Elizabeth rushed to him, jumped into the swamp, and grabbed her son. And she doesn’t know how to swim. I came to my senses, but it was too late. And they both began to drown.

She prayed to Nicholas the Wonderworker, asking for the salvation of the souls of sinners. And a miracle happened.

Like a wave, a large strong stream lifted the mother and baby above the swamp and lowered them onto a dry fallen tree that blocked the swampy place like a bridge. My uncle Vanya is still alive, he is now over seventy.

“Now I need help!”

When the St. Nicholas Church in Zelenograd was being restored, an old woman of about seventy came to the restoration work and said that she had come to help. They were surprised: “Where can I help you?” She says: “No, put me in some physical work.”

They laughed, and then they looked: she really began to carry something, trying to stand on the most difficult places. They asked what prompted her to do this.

She said that the other day an old man suddenly came into her room and said: “Listen, you’ve been asking me for help for so long, and now I need help, I need help...” She was surprised. Then she remembered that the door to her room was closed. She recognized Saint Nicholas by the image and realized that it was he who came to her and called her to help. She knew that the St. Nicholas Church was being restored, and so she came...

“I walked off the icon as if I were walking down a flight of stairs.”

Our friend Alla’s great-grandmother was a very religious person. She had many large old books and icons. However, her daughter grew up after the revolution as an unbeliever.

When she was over fifty years old, she suffered from a perforated stomach ulcer. The condition was serious, she could have died.

They performed surgery and were soon discharged from the hospital. The doctors warned her that if she didn’t eat, she would die. Nevertheless, she did not eat anything: she could not and did not want to. And little by little she grew weaker and weaker.

In the corner where her bed was, there was a holy corner. And there is an icon of St. Nicholas.

One day she suddenly sees Saint Nicholas himself descending from the icon, as if on a ladder, but of the same small stature as he is depicted in the icon. Approaching her, he began to console her and persuade her: “My dear, you need to eat, otherwise you might die.” Then he went up to the goddess and took his place in the icon.

That same day she asked to eat and after that she began to recover.

She lived until she was eighty-seven years old and passed away a true Christian.

“Aren’t you an angel of God?”

A parishioner of our church, Ekaterina, told an incident that happened to her in 1991. She is from the city of Solnechnogorsk. One winter she was walking along the shore of Lake Senezh and decided to relax. I sat down on a bench to admire the lake. The grandmother was sitting on the same bench, and they struck up a conversation. We talked about life. The grandmother said that her son doesn’t love her, her daughter-in-law really offends her, and they don’t give her “passage.”

Catherine is a pious, Orthodox woman, and, naturally, the conversation turned to God’s help, about faith, about Orthodoxy, about life according to the Law of God. Catherine said that we need to turn to God and seek help and support from Him. Grandmother replied that she had never gone to church and did not know the prayers. And in the morning, Catherine, without knowing why, put the Prayer Book in her bag. She remembered this, took the Prayer Book out of her bag and gave it to her grandmother. The old woman looked at her in surprise: “Oh, and you, my dear, won’t disappear now?” "What's wrong with you?" – asked Catherine. “Aren’t you an Angel of God?” - The old woman got scared and told what happened to her a week ago.

The situation in the house was such that she felt completely unnecessary and decided to commit suicide. She came to the lake and sat down on a bench before throwing herself into the hole. A very handsome-looking old man, gray-haired, with curly hair, and a very kind face, sat down next to her and asked: “Where are you going? Drown yourself? You don’t know how scary it is where you’re going! It’s a thousand times scarier than your life now.” He was silent for a while and asked again: “Why don’t you go to church, why don’t you pray to God?” She replied that she had never gone to church and no one taught her to pray. The old man asks: “Do you have any sins?” She replies: “What are my sins? I don’t have any particular sins.” And the old man began to remind her of her sins, bad deeds, and even named those that she had forgotten about, which no one could know about except her. All she could do was be surprised and horrified. Finally she asked: “Well, how can I pray if I don’t know any prayers?” The old man replied: “Come here in a week, and there will be prayers for you. Go to church and pray." The old lady asked: “What’s your name?” and he replied: “Your name is Nikolai.” At that moment she turned away for some reason, and when she turned around, there was no one nearby.

Petrified Girl

This story happened in a simple Soviet family in the city of Kuibyshev, now Samara, in the late 50s. Mother and daughter were going to celebrate the New Year. Daughter Zoya invited seven of her friends and young people to a dance party. It was the Nativity Fast, and the believing mother asked Zoya not to throw a party, but her daughter insisted on her own. In the evening the mother went to church to pray.

The guests have gathered, but Zoya's groom named Nikolai has not yet arrived. They didn’t wait for him, the dancing began. The girls and young people paired up, and Zoya was left alone. Out of frustration, she took the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and said: “I’ll take this Nicholas and go dance with him,” without listening to her friends, who advised her not to do such blasphemy. “If there is, He will punish me,” she said.

The dancing began, two circles passed, and suddenly an unimaginable noise arose in the room, a whirlwind, and a dazzling light flashed.

The fun turned to horror. Everyone ran out of the room in fear. Only Zoya remained standing with the icon of the saint, pressing it to her chest, petrified, cold, like marble. No efforts of the arriving doctors could bring her to her senses. When injected, the needles broke and bent, as if encountering a stone obstacle. They wanted to take the girl to the hospital for observation, but they could not move her: her legs seemed to be chained to the floor. But the heart beat - Zoya lived. From that time on, she could neither drink nor eat.

When the mother returned and saw what had happened, she lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital, from where she returned a few days later: faith in God’s mercy, fervent prayers for the mercy of her daughter restored her strength. She came to her senses and tearfully prayed for forgiveness and help.

In the first days, the house was surrounded by many people: believers, doctors, clergy, and simply curious people came and came from far away. But soon, by order of the authorities, the premises were closed to visitors. Two policemen were on duty there in 8-hour shifts. Some of the people on duty, still very young (28–32 years old), turned gray with horror when Zoya screamed terribly at midnight. At night, her mother prayed next to her.

Before the Feast of the Annunciation (that year it was on the Saturday of the third week of Lent), a handsome old man came and asked to be allowed to see Zoya. But the police officers on duty refused him. He came the next day, but again, from other duty officers, he was refused.

The third time, on the very day of the Annunciation, the duty officers let him through. The security heard him gently say to Zoya: “Well, are you tired of standing?”

Some time passed, and when the police officers on duty wanted to release the old man, he was not there. Everyone is convinced that it was St. Nicholas himself.

So Zoya stood for 4 months (128 days), until Easter, which that year was April 23 (May 6, new style). After Easter, Zoya came to life, softness and vitality appeared in her muscles. They put her to bed, but she continued to cry out and ask everyone to pray.

Everything that happened so amazed those living in the city of Kuibyshev and its environs that many people, seeing miracles, turned to faith. They hurried to church with repentance. Those who were not baptized were baptized. Those who did not wear the cross began to wear it. The conversion was so great that there were not enough crosses in the churches for those asking.

On the third day of Easter, Zoya went to the Lord, having gone through a difficult journey - 128 days of standing before the face of the Lord to atone for her sin. The Holy Spirit preserved the life of the soul, resurrecting it from mortal sins, so that on the future eternal day of the Resurrection of all the living and the dead it would be resurrected in the body for eternal life. After all, the name Zoya itself means “life.”

Save your souls with patience

“I am an unworthy, sinful person,” but I had to serve for seventeen years in the Church of St. Nicholas,” Archpriest Anatoly Filin, rector of the Church of All Saints in Kursk, paused and continued: “When I was 12 years old, I unexpectedly told my mother: “Mom.” “If you don’t buy me a cross, then your goat won’t give milk.” Mom was scared that we might actually be left without milk, and that same day she took me to church, it was in the city of Orel. We bought a pectoral cross, I put it on, my mother and I sat down to relax in the park and suddenly we saw an old man in gray clothes sit down with us and say:

– You are doing the right thing, Zinaida Afanasyevna, that you are starting to take your son to church...

It happened in real life.

Later, after serving as a priest for many years, I saw in a dream my church and the voice of the second priest in the altar: “The bishop is coming!” “I quickly put on my cassock, went out, and saw: venerable archimandrites were sitting on a bench, about six of them, in hoods, wearing crosses with decorations. I approached them, greeted them priestly, turned around and saw an old man in the same clothes as then, in childhood. It was Nikolai Ugodnik. He came up to me, hugged me and said:

“We are surprised here at how you serve with the rector, Father Alexander.”

“Oh,” I answer, “he has a tough character.”

- We know that.

“But we love each other a little.”

- And we know this...

For me, that dream became a great consolation. Although it was difficult to serve with Father Alexander Ragozinsky, we fell in love with each other even more, with the prayers of St. Nicholas, the entire clergy protected the old age of Father Superior. And now I often remember with gratitude everything that Father Alexander wisely advised me.

I often asked St. Nicholas for help and guidance in spiritual matters. There was a time when it was very difficult. My wife, now deceased, did not go to the temple with me and did not take the children. Through the intercession of Nikolai Ugodnik, I later realized that this was how it was necessary... I stood it. She waited for seventeen years, and then she went to church constantly, constantly... But again, it was the help of St. Nicholas, his intercession before the Throne of our Lord Jesus Christ.

“Thy will be done!”

The monastery changes the life of a person who at least once crosses the threshold of the holy monastery, even just a visitor, a guest.

Until recently, a successful entrepreneur, Nikolai Nikolaevich Manko, left his business and for two years now has been serving as head of the Church of the Transfiguration of Christ under construction in Kursk. And then, in the St. Nicholas Monastery in Rylsk, in front of the image of St. Nicholas, the businessman prayed for commercial success.

“I think I’ll ask Nikolai Ugodnik to help me with my financial problem.” But when I approached his icon literally 5 steps away, the only thought remained - and from the third person, as if I began to ask myself: “Do you not have enough money, do you have nothing to eat, drink, put on shoes, or put on?” And I suddenly felt so ashamed that I burst into tears in front of the icon. I just cried... and couldn’t even answer my wife’s question about what was happening to me.

By the time I calmed down, 5-7 minutes passed. That day I realized that I needed to work in the temple. Since they call me to the temple, it means I am needed there.

The blind receive their sight, the lame walk and the dead are raised...

The St. Nicholas Rylsky Monastery in the west of the Kursk diocese is called the “box of miracles” of St. Nicholas the Ugodnik. Here, like nowhere else, one can feel the presence of the Saint, his gracious protection of everyone: both people and... birds. No wonder a pair of swallows built a nest right above the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, above the entrance to the temple.

“And the schema-monks used to go into seclusion in this cave,” the monastery’s resident, Monk Joachim, pointed towards a clay cave darkening on a hill. “Now it is being excavated again with the blessing of the abbot of the monastery, elder Archimandrite Hippolytus. After the monastery was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church, the clay in the cave became healing, and pilgrims strive to take it with them. It is reliably known that here, at the cave, next to the holy spring, St. Nicholas himself appeared to people. He brought me to the monastery too, to redeem my youth...

Once a car got stuck in the mud here. Torrential rain, not a soul around. The pilgrims, hurrying on the road, hoping for nothing more, prayed: “Saint Nicholas, help us!” At this time, two of our monks in the cell felt an irresistible desire to go to the cave, to the source, despite the bad weather. When they arrived, they saw a car stuck in the mud and two almost desperate men who looked at them as if it were a miracle.

All the brethren in the monastery know that it is easiest to pray to St. Nicholas and that St. Nicholas hears prayers faster than anyone else.

One day a woman who had been paralyzed for a long time was brought to our monastery. After fervent prayer, she was dipped into the holy spring several times, the third time the strength returned to her arms and legs, and the woman herself, without outside help, came out of the water.

At the request of relatives, an ambulance arrived at the monastery with a man who was in a coma after a car accident. He was brought into the temple. Elder Father Hippolytus served a prayer service to St. Nicholas. But this did not bring relief to the patient. Then Archimandrite Hippolytus said: “Go to the hospital, and on the way read the akathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.”

And again a miracle was revealed. Halfway there, the man regained consciousness and very soon recovered from the severe wounds that threatened him with imminent death.

Helper of the Suffering, Source of Healings

Yes, no one else answers prayers for help faster than he does! Hope for the hopeless and help for the helpless; truly the conqueror of nations, Saint Nicholas leads everyone to Christ with great miracles and great love.

“I see a new sun rising over the earth to comfort those who mourn,” the Orthodox bishop of one of the countries of the Roman Empire prophetically announced about St. Nicholas in the 3rd century after the birth of Christ, “he will be a zealous helper to all those in need.”

The Kazakh woman suddenly went to bed. The hemoglobin content in her blood had dropped so low that she could smell her smoldering body, and only prayed to God to prolong her life for the sake of her three children. She prayed in the Muslim way, but did not know Christianity at all.

Subsequently, the Providence of God led this woman to Archpriest Mikhail Shurpo, who did not forget, of course, about the miracle that he himself witnessed:

“Right at the foot of the hospital bed, an old man appeared to her in an unusual, even strange for her, attire, in a golden hat and asked:

– Do you want someone to prolong your life? If you wish to be baptized, you will feel better, and when you are baptized, then you will recover.

And he became invisible.

When her husband came home from work, the woman told him about the vision and asked him what baptism was? The husband did not object to her being baptized. And when she came to the Russian church, she saw a large, full-length icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker at the funeral table. “This old man appeared to me! “- she screamed and bowed to the ground in front of the icon, “now I won’t leave the church until you baptize!”

She really recovered. And then both her husband and children were baptized.

Alms for salvation

I want to write about a miracle that happened to my parents when they were still young. This was in the 30s. My father, Ivan Mikhailovich Kursakov, was a foreman of a tractor brigade on a state farm (now called Chistopolsky, Krasnopartizansky district, Saratov region).

Tractors were the very first ones back then - iron wheels with large spikes, there were no cabins. If it rained or snowed, the spark plugs in the engine became damp and the tractor stalled.

Four tractors went to the town of Pugachev to buy goods for a rural store. My father is a foreman, all responsibility rests with him. Each tractor had a large sled attached to carry the load. We loaded four sleighs in Pugachev with food, cloth and other goods and went back. In those years there were no asphalt roads, or even graders or poles with wires. And we had to travel 50 kilometers.

A snowstorm has arisen, nothing is visible, and they are in the steppe. The candles became wet from the snow, and the tractors stopped. Three tractor drivers went to look for a village to spend the night, and the father, as the person in charge, stayed behind. I was sitting on the seat of a tractor, in the open air, because there was no roof.

My mother, Alexandra, was on the state farm. Then there were no separate apartments, our parents lived in a state farm apartment in the back room, and the mechanic’s family lived in the front room. And then, on the second day of the storm, an old man in a singlet and belted with a sash comes to see us. He prayed to God and said: “Give alms for Christ’s sake.” The mother went to the table and with tears asked Saint Nicholas to give this piece to his father. She gave the old man a piece of bread.

The mechanic's family was also at home. The owner asked the elder: “How far are you going in such a storm?” The elder replied: “To the Judgment.” My mother went out after the old man to see where he would go. And he walked out the threshold, into the street - and disappeared.

When four days had passed, the storm stopped and good weather settled in. Three tractor drivers from the village came, started the tractors and drove on. They brought the goods to the state farm, handed everything over to the store and came to us for lunch.

During lunch, my father says: “Thank God that grandfather woke me up, gave me a piece of bread and said: “Don’t sleep, otherwise you’ll freeze. Take it and refresh yourself." Then everyone at home looked at each other: they realized what kind of old man was coming to us.

Nina Pashchenko, Saratov region

God is marvelous in His saints

A very young priest of the Kursk diocese, Father Sergius Derius, died in a car accident. But shortly before the tragedy, Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, saved him and his wife from an equally terrible death. Perhaps this miracle was the last warning before an irreparable disaster? It is not given to us to know the secrets of God's Providence. We can only state a fact.

“The Kursk residents met the icon of the Wonderworker, which was being transported through Kursk to Moscow, to the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, from Bari,” Mother Natalya, the widow of Father Sergius, lightly adjusted the scarf on her head, “this happened in the village of Maloye Soldatskoye, Kursk region, where my father served , we lived there for almost a month. We are city people, we didn’t know how to light a stove, we didn’t know that we couldn’t close the damper.

One day we went to bed and woke up in the middle of the night from stuffiness. I felt bad, I associated it with my pregnancy, but after some time I began to convulse, and I told the priest that I was dying. He began to bring me to my senses, I lost consciousness and seemed to fall through the bed. There was already a different space around me, and I didn’t understand why he hit me on the cheeks, I felt so good... “Why doesn’t he come?” – I thought. Suddenly a thought flashed through my head: if I now appear before the Lord, what will I tell Him... What good have I done in life? With all the strength of my soul, I prayed to St. Nicholas: “St. Father Nicholas, help!” At that very moment everything changed. As if from above, I saw people with the icon of St. Nicholas of Bari, who were being carried by a fast wave towards our house. That's what the Lord showed me.

They broke the door, entered, and found us in an unconscious state. I already had black spots all over my face; they thought they wouldn’t pump me out at all. When they carried us out, I saw myself from above and from the side, I saw everything around.

The Lord, through the prayers of St. Nicholas, has mercy and saves people.

The stove damper in their house was closed that night. Bishop Yuvenaly of Kursk and Rylsk wanted to take the icon of the miracle worker to another village, but suddenly - without knowing why! – changed the route. Thus Saint Nicholas saved the lives of the young priest, his wife and child in the womb.

"There are legions ahead of you..."

“St. Nicholas is distinguished by his ardent faith in the Lord, which he obviously defended by striking the heretic Arius on the cheek, and by his unlimited love for his neighbors,” the rector of the St. Nicholas Church in Kursk, Archpriest Nikolai Davydov, is convinced. “It’s a rare family these days that does not follow the Lord.” and the Mother of God to St. Nicholas.

If we talk about my own destiny, then my parents named me, not me... Of course, I chose St. Nicholas as my Patron. In my youth, he told me my future path in life. Here are his words:

“There are legions ahead of you, darkness behind you.”

I thought about them for a long time and finally decided, and this is still correct: constant sorrows lie ahead of me, including in the pastorate, but what would we do without them? And behind me, it’s not for me to talk about myself, but, probably, God’s help and grace have always accompanied me. Angels - darkness.

His myrrh-streaming relics are in the West, in the Italian city of Bari, his spirit is in the East, among the Russian expanses. Saint Nicholas of Myra conquers the whole world to Christ.

Great Bishop. The rule of faith and the image of meekness. The world exudes valuable myrrh and an inexhaustible sea of ​​miracles, the mere enumeration of which will consume earthly time. Who can know the secrets of this ocean of unearthly love? Patron of travelers, prisoners and orphans, protector of the humiliated and slandered, formidable accuser of the wicked, nourisher of the poor and wealth of the poor, zealot of Truth, Denis of the Never-Setting Sun - he, St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia.

Over time, when the legions of hell stand before us, the influence of the Wonderworker of the entire Universe on our earthly affairs seems to be increasing. There is undoubtedly a Higher meaning in this.

St. Nicholas corrects a thief

A sister of mercy who worked in the hospital named after Empress Alexandra Feodorovna in Petrograd during the Great War of 1914–1918. published in one magazine, the name of which I have forgotten, the following story from real life.

In the hospital where the nurse worked, one soldier was being treated.

One day, a sister of mercy, interested in what this recovering soldier was like, asked him: “What did you do before the war?” The soldier answered quite frankly, with complete sincerity: “I didn’t do anything. I was lazy. He was involved in theft. I was lazy to work, but I had to eat. Sometimes I would enter a store, then very deftly grab a bun, then a sausage, so skillfully that the owner, busy working, in front of a crowd of people, does not notice me. At the bakery I’ll quietly grab a bun, a sausage roll. Well, it happened, and often, that I was caught in the act of a crime and they beat me thoroughly, and sometimes they sent me to jail. I sat behind bars for several days. Lived here - in St. Petersburg. Before getting food for myself, I went to the church of St. Nicholas and prayed to the miracle worker with these words: “St. Father Nicholas, help me this time - I won’t steal again.” I often managed to steal my food with impunity.”

“I once spotted,” the soldier further tells the nurse, “near Petrograd the suburban dacha of a rich man. I figured out how to get into it. He took a good look at the fact that the rich man slept in one room, and the room adjacent to the bedroom was left with an open window at night. And in this last room I noticed various valuable things in the closet. I decided late at night to sneak through the open window and take away all the jewelry. But before carrying out my planned theft, I, as always, went to the Church of St. Nicholas, put a ruble candle in front of the icon and said: “Saint Nicholas, help me, I will never steal again.” This is the last time I’m stealing!”

A moonlit, bright night came. I made my way to the dacha. Luckily for me, the guards didn’t notice me. As it turned out later, they were carelessly guarding and sleeping soundly while I was standing in front of the open window. I arranged a ladder for myself in advance and climbed up it into the room. In the moonlight I saw a wardrobe. Luckily for me, there was a bunch of keys hanging in the door. I took them, opened the closet, took out various gold things, silver spoons, knives, put them in a bag and began to go down the rope ladder from the room. When I was going down, suddenly things started clanking in my bag! This ringing woke up the sleeping owner. He rushed to the closet, saw it open, grabbed his precious things, and they were still in my bag! Well, of course, the owner raised the alarm. “Oh,” inserts Fr. Kirik’s conclusion is that the watchmen slept through negligence! The owner woke them all up. They came running only to their own shame.” The owner ordered the watchmen to saddle their horses and chase the thief. The watchmen drove through the forest and came out into an open field. They look - and in the distance something turns black. It was a moonlit night - all distances were clearly visible. The watchmen headed towards this darkening object.

And the soldier further said that he quickly climbed out of the window, quickly ran through the estate, crossed the forest along a path, and a field opened up in front of him. He saw some blackening object in the distance. He rushed towards him. He came closer and there was a dead horse lying in front of him. The thief stopped in front of this carrion. And suddenly the Great Wonderworker himself, St. Nicholas, appears in front of him in radiance, in full bishop’s vestments, and says to the robber: “Get into the belly of this horse, otherwise the horsemen are approaching, they will grab you and kill you!” The thief instantly climbed into the stinking carrion. I sat there and suffocated from the stench. And the guard’s riders are already right there! The horses spin around and don’t find anyone and are only surprised - after all, only now they clearly saw the silhouette of a running man and suddenly this silhouette instantly disappears! They look around - there is no one! And they turned back! And when they left, Saint Nicholas again appears to the thief in full bishop’s vestments, so that this robber can be convinced that in front of him is really not an ordinary person, but the Great Wonderworker.

“Get off that horse!” - said Saint Nicholas.

The thief, of course, happily fulfilled the saint’s order, because... I almost suffocated from the stench! “Is it good for you to sit there?” – the Great Wonderworker asked the thief.

“How good! I barely made it out alive! I thought I would suffocate from the unimaginable, terrible stench!” Saint Nicholas answered him: “That’s how your ruble candle emitted a stench! You thought that she was pleasing to me - she stank your candle!”

The story of Archbishop Joasaph (Argentine)

Bishop Joasaph, when he was in America at a later time, told one clergyman the following two miracles of St. Nicholas.

When Vladyka Joasaph was a boy, he lived in Novgorod. Children played on the Volkhov River. We frolicked merrily on the ice. The ice fell through and one of the children plunged into the wormwood, and it seemed there was no salvation. When the boy sank, he shouted: “Saint Nicholas, save me!” By some miracle, the child got caught on the ice and his comrades pulled him out. A Jewish girl witnessed this miracle. It made a great impression on her. A few years later, her father sent this girl with some very valuable bill of exchange, and she lost it. The father began to torture his daughter to such an extent that the girl decided to commit suicide. One day she rushed to drown herself in the Volkhov River. When she ran out of the gate of her house, when she saw Volkhov, she remembered the miracle with the boy and prayed to St. Nicholas: “You see my hopeless situation - help me!” And suddenly, when she took hold of the gate, she saw in her hand the bill she had lost! The girl received Holy Baptism, and the whole of Novgorod was talking about it.

Many years later. The future Vladyka grew up, became a monk, and during the revolution he ended up in the Kherson monastery (at the site of the baptism of St. Vladimir). Easter was approaching. There was not a single egg in the monastery, not a single flour - nothing! The young hieromonk Joasaph once walked along the shore of the Black Sea, mournful and hungry. He remembered his childhood, the Volkhov River and the miracle of St. Nicholas and he exclaimed: “Saint Nicholas, you once helped a Jewish girl, won’t you help us, the Orthodox monastery, on the Holy Day?” He exclaimed and saw a dolphin washed up on the shore! He called the monks, they sold the dolphin and bought everything they needed to break the fast.

Make up....

In Saratov in 1924, the hairdresser Ershov lived in the family of Mrs. Modestova. One evening before his barber shop closed, some people came up on sleds, entered the barber shop, and indicated that they were members of the Communist Party and active members of the atheists. They ordered him to make up one of them as Saint Nicholas. At first Ershov refused, saying that he was closing the workshop, but then, partly tempted by the amount they offered, partly fearing that he might suffer if he refused to fulfill their demand, he, counting on the fact that the apprentices had left and that no one sees, agreed to this blasphemous deed, took off the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, made up the atheist, locked the workshop, received the money and went home. But, after walking a few steps, he fell and suffered a blow. He was given help from a nearby pharmacy, where he managed to tell his wife everything that had happened to him, begging her to call a priest as soon as possible. Ershov confessed, took communion, and died by dawn.

The Story of Mother Tabitha

During the first time I was a refugee, I lived in Paris. At that time there was no women’s monastery in France and I earned my daily bread by sewing. For some time she worked in a rich Russian family. I felt very sorry for the unfortunate, unemployed Russian emigrants who, having no shelter, lived under the bridge crossing the Seine River. They lived in special stone cradles. The rich Russian family where I worked generously gave me food and clothing for these poor people. The hungry and naked Russian people rejoiced unspeakably at these alms! A cook named Philip worked in this family. He hated me, as I assumed, because I prevented him from enjoying the property of his masters. Once he spoke to me very impudently and rudely. I told him: “Don’t be selfish! Fear Saint Nicholas, who was so merciful to the poor. He can punish you!” At this phrase, Philip rudely shouted: “It’s you who should be afraid of your Saint Nicholas! He is terrible for you - your Saint Nicholas, but not for me!

I decided to move away from evil, found another income for myself - I began to repair vestments in the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky on Rue Daru.

Two weeks later I find out that on the third day after our conversation with Philip, this unfortunate cook fainted in the kitchen and hit the stone floor. Blood flowed from his mouth. He was taken to the hospital, where he died.

Already in the monastery in Yugoslavia, I dreamed of Philip, scary, blue, swollen, and said to me: “Forgive me, sister, forgive me, I didn’t say goodbye to you before. Sorry, I’m feeling bad!”

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the miracle worker, became famous as a great saint of God. He was born in the city of Patara, Lycian region (on the southern coast of the Asia Minor Peninsula), was the only son of pious parents Theophanes and Nonna, who vowed to dedicate him to God. The fruit of long prayers to the Lord of childless parents, baby Nicholas, from the day of his birth showed people the light of his future glory as a great wonderworker. His mother, Nonna, was immediately healed of her illness after giving birth. The newborn baby, still in the baptismal font, stood on his feet for three hours, unsupported by anyone, thus giving honor to the Most Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas in infancy began a life of fasting, taking his mother's milk on Wednesdays and Fridays only once a day, after the evening prayers of his parents.

From childhood, Nikolai excelled in the study of Divine Scripture; During the day he did not leave the temple, and at night he prayed and read books, creating within himself a worthy dwelling of the Holy Spirit. His uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patara, rejoicing at the spiritual success and high piety of his nephew, made him a reader, and then elevated Nicholas to the rank of priest, making him his assistant and instructing him to speak instructions to the flock. While serving the Lord, the young man was burning in spirit, and in his experience in matters of faith he was like an old man, which aroused the surprise and deep respect of the believers.

Image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Constantly working and vigilant, being in unceasing prayer, Presbyter Nicholas showed great mercy to his flock, coming to the aid of the suffering, and distributed all his property to the poor. Having learned about the bitter need and poverty of one previously rich resident of his city, Saint Nicholas saved him from great sin. Having three adult daughters, the desperate father planned to give them over to fornication to save them from hunger. The saint, grieving for the dying sinner, secretly threw three bags of gold out his window at night and thereby saved the family from fall and spiritual death. When giving alms, Saint Nicholas always tried to do it secretly and hide his benefits.

Going to worship the holy places in Jerusalem, the Bishop of Patara entrusted the management of the flock to Saint Nicholas, who performed obedience with care and love. When the bishop returned, he, in turn, asked for blessings to travel to the Holy Land. On the way, the saint predicted an approaching storm that would threaten the ship with sinking, for he saw the Devil himself entering the ship. At the request of desperate travelers, he pacified the sea waves with his prayer. Through his prayer, one ship's sailor, who fell from the mast and fell to his death, was restored to health.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In the heat of denunciation, Saint Nicholas, burning with zeal for the Lord, even struck the false teacher on the cheek, for which he was deprived of his holy omophorion and put into custody. However, it was revealed to several holy fathers in a vision that the Lord Himself and the Mother of God ordained the saint as a bishop, giving him the Gospel and an omophorion. The Fathers of the Council, realizing that the boldness of the saint was pleasing to God, glorified the Lord, and restored His holy saint to the rank of hierarch. Returning to his diocese, the saint brought peace and blessing to it, sowing the word of Truth, cutting off wrong-thinking and vain wisdom at the very root, denouncing inveterate heretics and healing those who had fallen and deviated through ignorance.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In 792, Caliph Aaron Al-Rashid sent the commander of the fleet, Humaid, to plunder the island of Rhodes. Having devastated this island, Humaid went to Myra Lycia with the intention of breaking into the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead of it, he broke into another one, standing next to the tomb of the Saint. The sacrilege had barely managed to do this when a terrible storm arose at sea and almost all the ships were broken.

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

Novospassky Monastery in Moscow.

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

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

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

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

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

In this matter, the young man Matthew was particularly zealous, wanting to discover the relics of the Saint as quickly as possible. In impatience, he broke the lid and the nobles saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The barians' compatriots, presbyters Luppus and Drogo, performed a litany, after which the same Matthew began to extract the relics of the Saint from the sarcophagus overflowing with the world. This happened on April 20, 1087.

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

Due to the absence of the ark, Presbyter Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the nobles, carried them to the ship. The liberated monks told the city the sad news about the theft of the relics of the Wonderworker by foreigners. Crowds of people gathered on the shore, but it was too late...

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

Carved wooden icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the village of Zabelino, Ryazan region, miraculously escaped destruction in Soviet times and was subsequently transferred to
Image from the “Renaissance” page of the book “Temple of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna.”

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

Temple icon “Nikola Radovitsky”, Church of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna. The icon was found in the attic of one of the houses near Yegoryevsk. A piece of the relics of St. Nicholas was brought from Holy Mount Athos. Those who pray in front of this icon receive the gift of childbirth.
Image from the “Renaissance” page of the book “Temple of St. Nicholas Gostiny in Kolomna.”

The Russian Orthodox Church established the commemoration of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bar on May 9 shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, who crossed over from Greece simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. Countless miracles marked the faith of the Russian people in the unfailing help of the Pleasant of God.

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

Numerous churches and monasteries were and are being erected in honor of St. Nicholas; children are named after him at Baptism. Numerous miraculous icons of the great Saint have been preserved in Russia.

Sainted Father Nicholas, pray to God for us.

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

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

Prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

O great intercessor, the bishop of God, the Most Blessed Nicholas, who shone miracles under the sun, appearing as a quick hearer to those who call upon you, who always precede them and save them, and deliver them, and take them away from all sorts of troubles, from these God-given miracles and gifts of grace! Hear me, unworthy, calling you with faith and bringing you prayer songs; I offer you an intercessor to plead with Christ. About the rumors of miracles, the height of the saint! as if you have the boldness, soon stand before the Lady, and reverently stretch out your hands in prayer to Him for me, a sinner, and grant me the bounty of goodness from Him, and accept me into your intercession, and deliver me from all troubles and evils, from the invasion of enemies visible and invisible freeing, and destroying all those slander and malice, and reflecting those who fight me throughout my life; by my transgression, ask for a petition, and present me saved to Christ and be worthy to receive the Kingdom of Heaven for the abundance of that love for mankind, to which belongs all glory, honor and worship, with his beginningless Father, and with the Most Holy and Good and Life-Giving Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages centuries.

From the compiler

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

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

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

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

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

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

Word of the Patriarch: Living Memory

From the sermon of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia:

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

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

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

About the life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

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

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

Mysterious benefactor

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

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

Nikolai's youth

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

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

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

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

Mysterious benefactor

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

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

And, although Saint Nicholas, avoiding worldly glory, tried to do works of mercy in secret, rumors of his generosity spread throughout the city. The bishop appreciated the young man and ordained Nicholas as a presbyter. At the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the bishop prophetically predicted to the people in the church: “Brothers! I see a new sun rising over the earth. Blessed is the flock that is worthy of having him as their shepherd, for he will shepherd the souls of the lost, satisfy them in the pastures of piety, and appear as a merciful helper in troubles and sorrows.”

A beggar becomes a bishop

Avoiding human glory, Presbyter Nicholas decided to leave his hometown, where he was well known and honored. The Lord brought him to Myra, the capital of Lycia.

Here he began to live like a beggar, without his own corner, and spent all his time in the temple of God. Saint Nicholas humbled himself so much that the Lord, “who humiliates the proud and exalts the humble,” did not fail to exalt him.

A beggar becomes a bishop

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

The bishop, who had a vision, went to the temple in the evening and quietly stood in the vestibule. The first to come to the temple, as usual, was Saint Nicholas. "What is your name?" - the bishop asked him. Having learned that the early pilgrim’s name was Nikolai, he led him to the audience. The bishops’ doubts about who to put at the head of the Church disappeared by themselves.

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

The responsibilities of a bishop at that time were significant and broad: he not only had to teach his spiritual children the true faith, but also take care of their everyday needs, arrange their affairs, sort out disputes, litigation and complaints, make peace... Now Nicholas’s life no longer belonged to him , and to his flock: the doors of his house were not closed, he equally helped both the mighty of this world and the poor, he was a father to orphans, a breadwinner for the poor, a comforter to the crying, an intercessor to the offended...

Test time

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

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

With the accession of Emperor Constantine the Great in 323, the persecution of Christians ceased, and Saint Nicholas again became the head of his flock, zealously affirming the Orthodox faith, eradicating heresies and paganism. On his instructions, the Temple of Artemis, the main urban center of paganism, was destroyed in Myra.

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

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

There is a legend that during one of the council meetings, unable to tolerate the blasphemy of Arius, Saint Nicholas rewarded the heretic with a slap in the face. The Fathers of the Council considered such an act excessive; they deprived the saint of his bishop's rank and imprisoned him in a prison tower.

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

Test time

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

The Council of Nicaea condemned the heresy of Arius and compiled the “Creed,” which we hear in churches every service and say during morning prayer.

Upon his return from the Council, Saint Nicholas continued his beneficial pastoral work in building the Church of Christ: he confirmed Christians in the faith, converted pagans to the true faith and admonished heretics, thereby saving them from destruction. He performed many miracles, laboring for many years in his ministry at the See of Myra.

Selected miracles of St. Nicholas that he performed during his lifetime

Savior of the hungry

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

Saving the hungry

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

The saint learned that ships with grain had left Alexandria for Constantinople. When the ships moored at Myra in Lycia, the saint climbed onto the deck of one of the ships and asked the captain to pour out a little grain from each ship to the hungry inhabitants. The captain categorically refused, explaining that the grain had been received from Egypt, and he was obliged to deliver the cargo intact (the weight of the grain during unloading was carefully controlled by the receivers). And in case of violation of the order, the most serious troubles await him. Nikolai continued to gently appeal to the captain's mercy and eventually managed to convince him. The population joyfully received bread, quenched their hunger and sowed empty fields with grain, which gave a bountiful harvest in subsequent years.

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

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

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

Defender of the Innocently Convicted

Saint Nicholas was famous as a pacifier of warring parties, a protector of the innocently condemned, and a deliverer from needless death.

In the last years of the reign of Constantine the Great, a rebellion broke out in Phrygia. To pacify him, an army was sent there under the command of three stratilates (voivodes): Nepotian, Ursus and Herpilion. Their ships were washed up by a storm on the shores of Lycia, where they had to stand for a long time. Supplies were depleted, the soldiers began to plunder the population that resisted, and even a fierce battle took place near the city of Plakomat. Having learned about this, Saint Nicholas personally arrived there, stopped the hostility, and then, together with three governors, went to Phrygia, where with a kind word and exhortation, without the use of military force, he pacified the rebellion. Here he was told the bad news: during his absence in Myra, the city governor of the capital, Eustathius, innocently sentenced to death three citizens slandered by their enemies. Saint Nicholas hurried home and with him three royal commanders, who were imbued with strong respect for the good bishop who had rendered them such a great service.

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

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

Savior of the Innocently Convicted

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

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

“I am Nicholas, Archbishop of Lycia!”

Waking up, the king began to reflect on what he had seen in his dream. That same night, Saint Nicholas appeared in a dream to the governor of the city, Evlavius, and demanded the release of the innocently convicted.

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

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

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

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

A. Voznesensky

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

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

about the miracle of St. Mykola,

about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker"

Preface

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

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

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

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

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

O. Gusev

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

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

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

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

A. Voznesensky

The Life and Miracles of St. Nicholas

THE LIFE OF CHRIST NICHOLAS, ARCHBISHOP OF MYRA, WONDERWORKER

Persecution of Christians by Valerian. Birth of Saint Nicholas before entering public service

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

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