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The Nativity of Nicholas the Wonderworker: the true story and miracles of the saint
On August 11, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Nativity of Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered saints in Russia. The righteous man is known for his miracles: rescuing sailors, secretly helping poor families, resurrecting the dead, and protecting the innocently convicted. On the day of the Miracle Worker's Nativity, believers thank the saint for his help, and solemn divine services are held in churches. Why Nikolai the Saint is considered the main intercessor of all those in need and what legends are associated with his life — in the material of Izvestia.
The Life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Saint Nicholas was born around 270 in the city of Patara, the capital of the Roman province of Lycia (modern—day Turkey). His parents, Theophan and Nonna, were pious Christians who prayed for a long time for the child's gift and promised to dedicate him to the service of God.
Since childhood, Nicholas strictly observed fasts and spent a lot of time in prayer and studying the Holy Scriptures. His uncle, the bishop of Patara, noticed his nephew's spiritual efforts and elevated him to the priesthood, instructing him to preach. After the death of his parents, Nicholas distributed his inheritance to the poor and devoted his life to serving the church and helping those in need.
At the end of the third century, Nicholas made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and Egypt, where he strengthened his faith and gained spiritual experience. During the same period, the righteous man was elected Archbishop of Myra in Lycia by God's revelation — in a dream, one of the hierarchs was ordered to choose the first person to enter the temple in the morning, and it was Nicholas.
His ministry fell during the era of the persecution of Christians, which was legalized by the Roman emperors Diocletian, Maximian and Galerius in the late III — early IV centuries. Despite the persecution, Nicholas remained a staunch defender of his flock. According to legend, he personally destroyed pagan temples and actively developed Christian communities. St. Nicholas participated in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea in 325, where he defended Orthodox teaching and promoted the condemnation of Arianism, a teaching that denies the equality and eternity of Jesus Christ with God the Father.
The righteous man led an ascetic lifestyle: he observed strict fasts and steadfastly endured illnesses associated with harsh conditions of imprisonment during the persecution. In the popular consciousness, the saint became the patron saint of the most diverse strata of society — from sailors and travelers to orphans, prisoners and brides. Saint Nicholas died between 345 and 351, being a very old man.
The cult of St. Nicholas came to Russia in the pre-Mongol period and quickly became one of the most revered. Believers believed in the miraculous power of his images and prayers. There are cases when icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker saved cities and healed the sick.
The main and little-known miracles of St. Nicholas
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker got his name due to the multitude of miracles performed during his lifetime and after his death. He is revered as the patron saint of sailors, merchants, children and all those in need, and prayers to him are considered especially powerful and effective.
One of the famous miracles is connected with the difficult situation of Lycia in the IV century. Unfair tax policy brought the region to ruin, and local residents suffered from excessive taxes, which were constantly increasing. Nicholas went to Constantinople to Emperor Constantine and achieved a hundred-fold reduction in taxes. However, the ruler was afraid of the anger of the close nobility and tried to reverse his decision. Then the saint prayed, and miraculously the letter with the decree was delivered to the World on the same day, preserving the tax reform and saving Lycia from destruction.
A special place in the life of Nicholas is occupied by his patronage of sailors. According to legend, during one of the sea voyages, the ship was caught in a terrible storm. The sailors, overcome with fear, appealed to the saint for help. Nicholas heard their prayers and protected them from the destructive elements.: The ship arrived safely in Constantinople, where a temple was built in honor of the saint. It is also known that Nicholas, with the help of prayer, managed to resurrect a sailor who died in a fall from the mast.
No less significant was the miracle of the release of the innocently convicted. According to the hagiography, three men were falsely accused and sentenced to death. The saint appeared in a dream to the emperor and the prefect, demanding a fair hearing of the case. Thanks to his prayers and intervention, the condemned were saved from death.
Another famous miracle was the help of three poor maidens to whom their father could not give a dowry. Nicholas secretly threw them bags of gold so that they could get married and avoid disgrace.
Icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are considered powerful prayer helpers. According to legend, the holy face of the Saint, kept in Constantinople, healed 40 patients who asked for his help.
Where are the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker kept
St. Nicholas died in the middle of the fourth century and was buried in the city of Myra in Lycia (now Demre, Turkey). His grave quickly became a place of pilgrimage, as believers testified to the numerous miracles that took place at the shrine.
In the 11th century, due to the threat of the capture of Asia Minor by Muslim troops, a group of Italian sailors and merchants secretly exported most of the relics of the saint to the city of Bari in southern Italy. The Basilica of St. Nicholas was built there, the most important center of Christian pilgrimage in Europe.
Today, the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are kept in many Orthodox churches around the world. A silver ark with a fragment of the saint's relics is kept in St. Daniel's Monastery in Moscow, and an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with his relics is regularly brought to St. John the Theologian Cathedral in Saransk. Also, fragments of the saint's relics are kept in the St. Nicholas and Epiphany Naval Cathedral in St. Petersburg and the Lazarevsky Church in Vologda.
Why is St. Nicholas the Wonderworker so revered in Russia?
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker occupies a special place in the spiritual life of the Russian people, despite the fact that the saint has never visited Russia. His image is considered a symbol of mercy, intercession and ambulance. One of the main reasons for this special veneration is the personal spiritual experience of millions of believers who turned to the saint in prayer and received help and comfort from him. Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia noted in one of his speeches that Nicholas the Wonderworker is a saint to whom people turn with deep faith and hope, and he never leaves his children without help.
The saint was nicknamed the Saint for his unremitting help and mercy. The word "saint" in Church Slavonic means "a man pleasing to God," that is, one who lives according to the commandments and brings joy to the Lord and people through his deeds. In popular culture, the Miracle Worker is perceived as the "eldest" among the saints, the patron saint of children, orphans, travelers, the innocently convicted and all those in need.
Russian Russians have historically regarded Nicholas not only as a saint, but also as the heavenly patron saint of the Russian land. In the XII–XIII centuries, miraculous icons of the saint appeared in Russia, which became famous for their numerous healings and protection from enemies. There are many legends linking Nicholas with the protection of Russian cities and principalities. For example, the chronicles mention that the saint appeared in heaven before the Mongol-Tatars who were besieging Mozhaysk, and with his menacing appearance scared off his enemies, becoming the patron saint of the city.
The Spiritual Meaning of the Nativity of Nicholas the Wonderworker on August 11
The Nativity of St. Nicholas is celebrated in the Russian Orthodox Church on August 11 (July 29, Old style). This holiday reminds believers of the vocation of everyone to live in the light of Christ's love and mercy.
The Nativity of Nicholas is one of the few church celebrations dedicated to the saint's birthday. In the Orthodox calendar, it stands next to the Nativity of Jesus Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary and John the Baptist. The tradition of celebrating this day in Russia dates back to the 12th–13th centuries, although the exact date is unknown. In the 18th century, the holiday was abolished under Catherine the Great, as it was not officially fixed in the church calendar. The revival took place in 2004 with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. From that moment on, the celebration was officially fixed in the Orthodox calendar as one of the most important religious events.
Divine service in the churches of the Russian Orthodox Church on the Nativity of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
On the Nativity of St. Nicholas, a festive Divine Liturgy is celebrated in churches, at which special troparia and kontakions are read, praising the life, exploits and miracles of the saint. In large Orthodox churches, such as the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow and the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra in St. Petersburg, services are led by metropolitans and archbishops. There are solemn processions with icons of St. Nicholas, as well as prayer services and akathists, uniting believers from all over the country.
Also on this day, the sacraments of confession and communion are often performed. The Feast of the Nativity of Nicholas the Wonderworker is considered a favorable time to start important business and conclude marriages, because the saint is considered the patron saint of family well-being and the guardian of the hearth.
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on icons
Icons of St. the Wonderworker can be found in almost every Orthodox church and home iconostasis. Traditionally, St. Nicholas is depicted as an elderly man with kind and wise eyes, a high forehead, gray hair and a short beard. He is dressed in episcopal robes — mitre or omophorion, which denotes his rank of archbishop. In his left hand, the saint holds the Gospel, a symbol of his preaching mission and spiritual authority, and blesses with his right hand. Sometimes Nicholas is depicted on icons with a sword, which is associated with his role as a defender of Christian cities, for example, in the image of "Nicholas Mozhaisky".
The most common type of icons are belt images, where the saint is represented from the waist up with a blessing hand and the Gospel. Such icons appeared in the XI–XIII centuries and became widespread in Russia. There are also full-length icons depicting the saint, often with additional symbols or scenes from his life.
The hagiographic icons include a central image of the saint and stamps telling about the key events of his life and miracles. A special place is occupied by icons depicting the saint with a sword and a city, symbols of his miraculous patronage and protection of cities from enemies. A rare but very symbolic image is the image of Nicholas with the Christ child in his arms, emphasizing his special closeness to God.
Among the most famous miraculous icons of St. Nicholas is the icon of Myra of Lycia, kept in the Italian city of Bari. In Russia, the Yaroslavl icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker deserves special veneration, associated with numerous miracles, as well as the Velikoretsk icon, which is the center of the annual procession in the Vyatka land.
The most famous temples in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Temples dedicated to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker have a rich history and architectural value. In Moscow, one of the most significant monuments is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Troekurovo, built in the late 17th — early 18th century in the Moscow Baroque style.
St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral is famous in St. Petersburg, which is the main temple of the Russian Navy and an important center of veneration for St. Nicholas the Wonderworker as the patron saint of sailors. Velikaya Ladoga is home to the St. Nicholas Cathedral of the Staroladozhsky Monastery, one of the oldest churches in Russia, associated with the history of the spread of Christianity in Russia and the veneration of St. Nicholas as a protector and patron saint.
St. Nicholas Naval Cathedral (Naval Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and Theophany) in St. Petersburg
There are many other churches dedicated to St. Nicholas in Russia, located in different regions: Vologda, Kemerovo, Saratov, Stavropol Territory and other places. Many of them have the status of architectural monuments and are pilgrimage centers. For example, several St. Nicholas churches have been preserved in the Pskov region, some of which date back to the XVI–XVII centuries.
Outside of Russia, the church of St. Nicholas in Demre (formerly Myra of Lycia, Turkey) stands out — the place where the saint served as archbishop. It is also worth noting the Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Nice (France), a picturesque Orthodox church that serves as a spiritual center for worshippers of the saint in Western Europe.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
