STAINED AND OUR FATHER NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER, PRAY TO GOD FOR US. The rule of faith and the image of meekness, / teacher abstinence / show you to your flock / Even the things of Truth. / For this reason, you have acquired high humility, / rich in poverty, / Father Hierarch Nicholas, / pray to Christ God, / to save our souls. The great Saint Nicholas the Pleasant performed many great and glorious miracles on earth and at 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 and his holy name let him be praised with his lips forever. Amen. Over many dozens of centuries, on two peninsulas - Anatolian and Thracian - where Europe connects with Asia, peoples replaced each other, Greeks, Thracians, Arabs, Byzantines, Lycians, Seljuk Turks came and disappeared. And finally, the Republic of Türkiye was finally established on the site of the former Ottoman Empire. Eighty thousand mosques in this country. Thousands of them were erected on the site of once Christian Byzantine churches. But neither the thousand-year time, nor wars and destruction, nor earthquakes touched the Church of St. Nicholas, the Wonderworker, which stands in the modern city of Demre - the ancient World. The ancient city of Myra, founded before our era, was part of the Lycian Union of Cities, minted its own coins and was of great strategic importance. In 61 AD, one of Jesus' apostles, Saint Paul last time met here with the rest of the apostles before leaving for Rome. But the eye no longer notices the ancient beauties, and the heart yearns to go to where behind the trees one can see a small Byzantine church, in which Archbishop Nicholas of Myra of Lycia served all his life and where he was buried after death. The lines of his biography, already familiar from the holy scriptures, acquire here, in his homeland, at the entrance to his temple, a completely different sound - not abstract and distant, but close and alive - here he walked on this earth, along these steps, touched these walls , served behind this ancient altar... Saint Nicholas was born in 234 AD in the city of Patara, 60 kilometers west of Demre. Growing up in a wealthy family, received good education and dedicated his life to people. While still a young man, he set off on a journey to venerate the holy places of distant Jerusalem. The sea voyage almost ended in tragedy - a storm threatened to smash the ship against the rocks. And then the Saint began to pray. People were saved, and from then on he became the patron and saint of sailors and all travelers. Returning from Jerusalem to Demre, Saint Nicholas - this educated man, an expert in history, foreign languages and theology, preacher - became the Bishop of Myra, where he preached until his death, giving all his knowledge and strength for the good of people. The miracles with which he helped people during his lifetime were passed down in stories from person to person, passed from century to century and have survived to this day. Just as the Church of the Saint has miraculously survived to this day. The church was discovered in the current Demre shopping center during excavations in 1956. PRAYER TO NICHOLAS THE PLEASER: Oh, all-holy Nicholas, most saintly saint of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper, help me, a sinner and sad person, in this 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 in the outcome of my soul, help the accursed one, beg the Lord God of all creation, Creator, to deliver me air ordeals and eternal torment: may I always glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen. ANOTHER PRAYER TO NICHOLAS: Oh, all-good Father Nicholas, shepherd and teacher of all who flow by faith to your intercession, and those who call upon you with warm prayer, quickly strive and deliver the flock of Christ from the wolves that destroy 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, sword and sudden death. And just as you had mercy on three men imprisoned, and you delivered them from the king of wrath and the beating of the sword, so have mercy on me, in mind, word and deed, in the darkness of sins, and deliver me from the wrath of God and eternal punishment. For through your intercession and help, and through His mercy and grace, Christ God will give me a quiet and sinless life to live in this world, and will deliver me from my standing, and will make me worthy to join all the saints forever and ever, Amen.
The rule of faith and the image of meekness,/ the teacher’s self-control/ will show you to your flock/ even the truth of things;/ for this reason you have acquired high humility,/ rich in poverty./ Father of the priest Filnich Nikolai,/ pray to Christ God // to save our souls.
On December 19, the 29th Sunday after Pentecost, a celebration was held at the Iveron parish in honor of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, miracle worker (c. 335). At the end of the Divine Liturgy, a Holy Moleben was served. Also on the eve of the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas on Monday, December 18, in the Church of the Holy Blessed Prince. Alexander Nevsky served the All-Night Vigil.
We congratulate our parishioners and all Orthodox Christians on this bright and beloved holiday by all of us, St. Nicholas Day! Saint Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!
We invite you to listen to the sermon of St. Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), delivered by him on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas of Myra, December 19, 1953.
WORD ON THE DAY OF MEMORY OF ST. NICHOLAS OF MYRA
Listen to the words with which the Holy Bible begins: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the abyss, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters. And God said: Let there be light. And there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light day and the darkness night.” People who consider themselves educated mock the biblical history of the creation of the world and especially mock the fact that light was created on the first day, and the sun, moon and stars only on the fifth day. They mock our faith that light could exist when there were no heavenly bodies. Well, with such mockery they only reveal their scientific ignorance: they do not know that the universe is full of luminous matter. The smallest particles of matter have the ability to glow; light is inherent in them.
And the light of the heavenly bodies: the sun, moon, stars - this is only the result of the accumulation, condensation of this luminous matter, this is the condensation of matter. The sun, moon and stars were formed through such condensation, through the condensation of matter, which is characterized by luminescence. This means that if God created heaven and earth on the first day, if He created all the countless matter with which the universe is filled, then there is nothing strange in the fact that on this first day He endowed matter with the property of being luminous, of being a bearer of light. And we know that in the vast universe there is countless amounts of luminous matter that has not yet condensed into stars and suns. This is the first. And the second thing that those who mock the days of creation do not know is that there is various types light, not just sunlight.
There is also a form of light called phosphoric light. This ability of matter to glow with the special phosphoric light inherent in it is manifested, among other things, in the fact that the vast depths and bottom of the oceans and seas, into which solar light does not reach, are not dark at all: there is light there, everything there is illuminated by this phosphoric light. This form of light is also inherent in the substance itself, matter itself. But let's leave science and talk about something else. Don’t you know that when the great prophet of God Moses came down from Mount Sinai, carrying two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written by the finger of God, his face shone with a light unbearable for human eyes, and the Israelites asked him to cover his face, for they cannot look at him.
Do you know that on the great day of the Transfiguration, the face, the whole figure, the whole robe of the Lord Jesus Christ shone with a similar light. Many of you have probably read in the book of the Acts of the Apostles that when the high priests and scribes and Pharisees, indignant at the preaching of the apostles, ordered them to be imprisoned, an angel of God appeared in the prison at night and illuminated the entire prison with his unearthly light. What kind of light is this, with what light did the face of the prophet Moses shine, with what light did the Lord Jesus Christ shine on Mount Tabor, what light shone on the prison when the angel entered it? Of course, this is not material light, not the light of the sun, moon and stars - this is Divine light, light unknown to this world, light emanating from God. But there is another form of light, perhaps the most important for us - invisible light, light that the human eye does not see, light that also has its origin from God. With this invisible light, the bodies and faces and eyes of people who completely loved God, who dedicated their whole lives to God, people who set the goal of their lives to fulfill the commandments of Christ, shone and still shine. Their eyes, their bodies, all their movements - all of this is permeated with invisible light: how do we know about this invisible light, how do we perceive it? We know about it and can perceive it, because we ourselves are spiritual beings, not only physical. We consist, in addition to the body, of soul and spirit - of a spirit close to the Spirit of God, a spirit that has its origin from Him. And we can perceive everything spiritual with our human spirit, for all forms of spirit - the human spirit, the angelic spirit, the Spirit of God - are related to each other and have the ability of mutual penetration of one into the other.
The spirit of holy people can invisibly reveal to us what their souls conceal, for it has the ability to penetrate into our souls, into our spirit. The invisible light of angels, the invisible light of the Holy Spirit can also enter into communication with our human spirit. And the deeper the life in God of righteous people, the more their entire being will be imbued with the invisible light, the light that is perceived by the human spirit, reverently perceived. People like such great saints as Anthony the Great, Macarius the Great and our great saints Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk, Sergius of Radonezh and Seraphim of Sarov, were bearers of this invisible spiritual light. Their whole life was the life of the spirit. They despised the flesh, did not care about it, cared only about the spirit. Their whole life passed in continuous prayer, contemplation of everything sublime, everything Divine, in constant reading of Holy Scripture. The great Saint Nicholas, whose memory we celebrate, was full of invisible light. He was full of this invisible light that emanated from him and was perceived by human hearts and souls.
What is the source of this light? He appears in the human heart as a person fulfills the law of Christ more and more deeply, as he does more and more good deeds, as he becomes more and more merciful, approaching the Saint we now remember. Nicholas, who saved the unfortunate starving man from the shameful sale of the bodies of his three daughters for fornication. Do you not know about his many other good deeds? Don’t you know that he was the rule of faith and the image of meekness, and an invisible light, like the rays of the sun, emanated from the heart, from his whole being. He was meek, for he fulfilled the commandments of Christ. In humility and meekness, he approached close to the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, whom he faithfully served throughout his life. And precisely because the invisible light has been emanating from the soul of the deceased Saint for fifteen hundred years now, because this light did not perish with his death, it is precisely because we love him so much that we ourselves strive for this spiritual light, the invisible light.
Strive, strive, all of you, for the invisible light, for the great light, of which Saint Nicholas was full.
God bless you!
ABOUT PRAYER TO ST. NICHOLAS
Sincere prayer to Nicholas the Wonderworker has been helping believers for hundreds of years. During his lifetime, Saint Nicholas of Myra became famous for his numerous miracles and helping people. The saint of God is one of the most revered saints in Orthodox world. Believers offer prayers to the miracle worker in a variety of life situations, problems, trials in front of an icon at home or in a temple. He is an intercessor and prayer book for our souls, a quick helper in sorrows and illnesses. Numerous people say that St. Nicholas very quickly responds to prayer requests uttered sincerely and with faith.
It must be said that there are various prayers to Nicholas the Wonderworker for help, including for marriage, for healing, for children, for travelers. Although there is no mandatory list in which specific life situations the saint helps, nevertheless, believers remember what Nicholas accomplished during his lifetime. They pray to him for marriage and for prosperity in money, remembering how the saint donated money for a dowry to a bankrupt father of unmarried daughters. They pray for those traveling, remembering how the saint, by the grace of God, calmed the storm and saved the ship. They pray for protection and intercession, remembering how Nicholas saved innocent people from destruction and death.
You can turn to a saint in many difficult life circumstances. You can read the text of the most famous prayers on our website.
1. Prayer to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
O all-praised, great wonderworker, saint of Christ, Father Nicholas! We pray to you, be the hope of all Christians, the faithful protector, the hungry feeder, 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 unceasingly sing the praises of the one worshiped God in the Trinity forever and ever. Amen.
2. Prayer to Saint Nicholas
O all-holy Nicholas, exceedingly saintly servant of the Lord, our warm intercessor, and everywhere in sorrow a quick helper! Help me, sinful and sad, in this 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, Creator of all creation, to deliver me from airy ordeals and eternal torment; May I always glorify the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your merciful intercession, now and ever and unto ages of ages, amen.
3. Prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
O all-good Father Nicholas, shepherd and teacher of all who flow with faith to your intercession and call upon you with warm prayer, quickly strive and deliver the flock of Christ from the wolves that are destroying it, and protect every Christian country and save with your holy prayers from worldly rebellion, cowardice, invasion foreigners and internecine warfare, from famine, flood, fire, sword and vain death. And just as you had mercy on three men imprisoned, and you delivered them from the king’s wrath and the beating of the sword, so have mercy on me, in mind, word and deed, in the darkness of sins, and deliver me from the wrath of God and eternal punishment, as through your intercession and With the help of His mercy and grace, Christ God will give me a quiet and sinless life to live in this world and will deliver me from this place, and will make me worthy to be with all the saints. Amen.
About Saint Nicholas of Myra
The Holy Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, became famous as the Great Pleasant of God. From early childhood he devoted his life to serving the Lord. The name of Nicholas, the intercessor for all those who flocked to him, became famous in all corners of the earth. Believers in any troubles and sorrows turn to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a sincere prayer for help. He is asked about imminent marriage, about healing in a serious illness, about wealth in money, about children, about travelers, etc.
However, it is important to remember that reading prayers should not be treated as spells that imply automatic “fulfillment of a wish.” The Holy Fathers teach us patience, humility and meekness, trusting in everything the will of God. The trials that befall us are necessary to achieve the main goal - to lead a person to repentance and salvation. After all, as the Lord said: “According to your faith, be it done to you” (Matthew 9:29).
God bless you with the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker!
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, Wonderworker (†342) , became famous during his lifetime as a great saint of God. Being a Greek by nationality, he became one of the most revered saints in Rus'. St. was born. Nicholas in the second half of the 3rd century in the city of Patara, Lycian region (on the southern coast of the Asia Minor Peninsula). He was the only son of noble and pious parents Theophan and Nonna, who were childless until a very old age and vowed to dedicate their begged child to God. And the baby Nicholas given to him (which means in Greek - “victorious people”) from the day of his birth showed that he was destined for a special service to the Lord.
A legend has been preserved that during baptism, when the ceremony was very long, the baby, unsupported by anyone, stood in the font for three hours. All the unusual behavior of the child showed his parents that he would become a great pleaser of God, so they turned special attention for his upbringing and tried, first of all, to instill in his son the truths of Christianity and direct him to a righteous life. While excelling in his studies, the youth Nikolai also excelled in his pious life. He spent almost all his time reading Holy Scripture, in 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.
Then the uncle went to Palestine, and entrusted the management of his diocese to his nephew. 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. And to what extent can the need of a person insufficiently imbued with Christian consciousness bring him! The unfortunate father's need led him to the terrible idea of sacrificing the honor of his daughters, giving them to harlots and extracting from their beauty the funds necessary for their dowry.
But fortunately, Saint Nicholas vigilantly monitored the needs of his flock. Having received a revelation from the Lord about his father’s criminal intentions, he decided to secretly deliver him from material poverty in order to thereby save his family from spiritual death. Taking a bag of gold, at midnight, when everyone was asleep and could not see it, he went to the hut of the unfortunate father and threw the gold out the window. In the morning, the father found gold and decided that it was God’s Providence that had sent him 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, on one of the following nights he also secretly threw another bag of gold through the window into the poor man’s house. 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. And when he heard the sound of the falling third bag, the father caught up with Saint Nicholas, recognizing him, 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 foresight 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 sailor who had fallen from the mast onto the deck and died. On the way, the ship often came ashore. 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 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, of which one, 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.)
Inflamed with love for Christ, Saint Nicholas had the desire to remain forever in Palestine, withdraw from people and secretly strive before the Heavenly Father. But the Lord was pleased that such a lamp of faith should return to its homeland to serve the people. Wanting to get away from the bustle of the world, Saint Nicholas did not go 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 one day, while standing in prayer, he heard the voice of the Lord: “Nikolai! You must enter into the service of the people if you want to receive a crown from Me!.. Go into the world, to 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 no one knew him. He lived like a beggar, had no place to lay his head, but inevitably attended all church services. When Archbishop John of Lycia died, all the 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 bishops fervently prayed to God, asking him to indicate the most worthy person. And a man appeared in a vision to one of the oldest bishops, illuminated by an unearthly light, and commanded that night to stand in the vestibule of the temple and notice who would be the first to come to the temple 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.
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 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 that you 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, as always, he was meek and humble in spirit, observed strict moderation: 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.
But the days of testing were approaching. The Church of Christ was persecuted by Emperor Diocletian (284-305). Temples were destroyed, 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. When Diocletian's successor Galerius stopped the persecution, Saint Nicholas returned to the See of Myra and devoted himself to the fulfillment of his duties with even greater zeal. He became famous especially for his zeal for the eradication of paganism and heresies.
Thus, at the beginning of the 4th century, the heresy of Arius spread greatly. (He rejected the deity of the Son of God and did not recognize Him as Consubstantial with the Father.) To repel the heretic, Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine convened the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea, where 318 bishops gathered under the chairmanship of the Emperor and condemned the teachings of Arius and his followers. Saint Athanasius of Alexandria and Saint Nicholas especially distinguished themselves.
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 benefits of his episcopal rank - omophorion - and imprisoned him in a prison tower. But soon many of them had a vision when, before their eyes, the Lord Jesus Christ gave St. Nicholas the Gospel, and Holy Mother of God placed an omophorion on him. Then the bishops freed him from prison, returned him to his former rank and glorified him.
Upon returning from the Council, Saint Nicholas continued his pastoral activities. During his lifetime, he became famous for his miracles as a helper to those in need, a pacifier of warring parties, a protector of the innocently condemned, and a deliverer from needless death.
When a great famine occurred in Lycia, the good shepherd, in order to save the starving, created a new miracle: one merchant loaded big ship 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 buys the entire cargo from him 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.
During the reign of Constantine the Great, a rebellion broke out in Phrygia. To pacify him, the Emperor 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. Supplies were depleted - the soldiers began to rob the population that 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 kind words and exhortation, without application military force, pacified the rebellion. Here he was informed that during his absence from the city of Myra, the local city governor Eustathius innocently condemned death penalty three citizens slandered by 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 unfortunates, 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 Emperor, which aroused envy and enmity on the part of other courtiers, who slandered these three commanders as if they were trying to seize power. The governors 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. At night, the Pleasant of God appeared in a dream to the Emperor and imperiously demanded the release of the three commanders. That same night, Saint Nicholas also appeared to the governor of the city, Evlavius, and demanded the release of the innocently convicted. The emperor called Eulavius to him, and having learned that he had the same vision, he ordered the governor to be brought in and released, having become convinced of their innocence.
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 strong storm. The sails were torn off, the masts were broken, the waves were ready to swallow the ship. There was only one hope left - 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 Saint Nicholas appeared at the stern at the helm, began to steer the ship and brought it safely to the harbor.
Even the pagans turned to him, and the saint responded with his constant wonderful help to everyone who sought it. (Even the Muslim Turks had deep respect for the saint: in the tower they still carefully preserve the prison where this great man was imprisoned.) In those he saved from bodily troubles, he aroused repentance for sins and a desire to correct their lives. 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.
Seven centuries after the death of the saint, 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 a 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 to show them the location of the tomb. The opened tomb of white marble turned out to be filled to the brim with a fragrant ointment, in which were the relics of the saint. 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. Great Shrine a solemn meeting was arranged 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. Soon, a new temple in the name of St. Nicholas was built especially for the relics, where they were solemnly transferred on October 1, 1089. Upper part The temple (basilica) was completed much later - in 1197.
Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari
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.
Tales of the miracles of the Saint performed on Russian soil began to be written down in ancient times. Numerous churches and monasteries were erected in honor of St. Nicholas, his numerous miraculous icons. The most famous among them are the images of Mozhaisk, Zaraisk, Volokolamsk, Ugreshsky, and Ratny. There is not a single house and not a single temple in the Russian Church in which there would not be an image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. His name became one of the most beloved in Rus'.
From ancient times, militant Rus' considered the saint its special heavenly intercessor, along with other holy champions of the Russian land. This is best evidenced by the cross-vests worn by our warrior-ancestors under their armor. Many of them depict St. Nicholas with St. Nikita, and some of them were found precisely on the fields of the former great battles of the Russians with their enemies - with Batu and Mamai.
The hope of the Russian army in the saint is also perfectly characterized for us by the following custom observed in Muscovite Rus'. At 9 or 10 o'clock in the evening, when the Kremlin gates were locked, the Streltsy guards began calling out to each other like this:
Tomb with the relics of St. Nicholas in his basilica in Bari
The meaning of the gracious intercession of the great saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of his life, according to whom St. Nicholas “worked many great and glorious miracles on earth and on the sea, helping those in trouble and saving them from drowning, and carrying them dry from the depths of the sea, delighting them from corruption and bringing them into the house, delivering them from bonds and prisons, interceding from the beating of swords and from freeing death, giving much healing to many: sight for the blind, walking for the lame, hearing for the deaf, speech for the dumb. He enriched many in the squalor and poverty of those who suffered, gave food to the hungry, and showed himself to be a ready helper for every need, a warm intercessor and a quick intercessor and defender, and he helped those who called upon him and delivered him from troubles. The message of this great Wonderworker is that the East and West and all the ends of the earth know his miracles.”.
« The rule of faith and the image of meekness“The Church calls him, the people call him a Wonderworker and a Pleasant.
Troparion to Nicholas, Archbishop. Peace of Lycia, miracle worker
The rule of faith and the image of meekness, /
abstinence teacher /
show you to your flock, /
even things are true: /
For this reason you have acquired high humility, /
rich in poverty, /
Father Hierarch Nicholas /
pray to Christ God /
save our souls
Orthodox chapel in the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari next to the tomb of the saint
There is no exact time when Nikolai was born. Researchers believe that the saint was born in 260 in Lycia in the city of Patara (now the provinces of Antalya and Mugla in modern Turkey).
Immediately after birth, unusual things for babies began to happen to the saint - on Wednesdays and Fridays he took mother’s milk only once a day. And then, throughout his life, the saint spent Wednesday and Friday, Christian customs, V strict fasting.
When Nikolai grew up and began to study, he showed an aptitude for science, but he showed a special love for the knowledge of the Divine Scripture. Presumably, we can conclude that Nicholas the Wonderworker studied the Laws of God privately, with one of the priests. At that time the empire was still pagan, and it is unlikely that Christian schools could exist then. They began to open during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337), when St. Nicholas was already about 40 years old.
Saint Nicholas always listened to his God-fearing parents; all the habits inherent in young people of his age were alien to Nicholas the Wonderworker. He avoided idle conversations with his peers and did not take part in various fun and entertainment that were incompatible with virtue. Nikolai excluded theatrical performances from his life forever. After all, at that time many theatrical performances were of an obscene nature, and actresses, according to Roman law, were equated with harlots.
The bishop of the city of Patara knew and respected the pious young man Nicholas and contributed to his ordination to the priesthood. After being ordained, he began to treat his life even more strictly.
After the saint's parents died, he inherited a large fortune from them. But wealth did not bring him the same joy as communication with God, so the Wonderworker asked Him to show him how best to manage his money.
It is known that with the help of Archbishop Nicholas, his neighbor saved himself and his three daughters from shame. Until recently, this family was wealthy, but circumstances led to the fact that this neighbor became a beggar and he even began to think about his children starting to engage in fornication and earn a living. By chance the saint managed to find out about this, and he decided to help this family.
But he decided to do his good deed secretly, as it is written in the Gospel: “See that you do not do your alms in front of people so that they can see you” (Matthew 6:1).
At night Nicholas the Wonderworker secretly put a bag of money in the neighbor's window, and when the poor man found the gold, he immediately thought of God's help. This money went towards the dowry of the eldest daughter, who soon got married.
Soon Saint Nicholas decided to help his neighbor’s middle daughter and again threw him a bundle of money. When the unfortunate father again found money, he began to pray to the Lord to reveal a savior to him. When the poor man celebrated his second wedding, he realized that the Lord would give him help for the marriage of his third daughter. And then one day the saint of God decided to help his neighbor for the third time and again gave him money. But this time the owner caught up with the night guest, learned that it was Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, and fell at his feet, thanking the saint for a long time, who asked not to tell anyone that it was his help, so that no one would know about it good deed.
This act gave rise to a tradition in the Christian world in which children on Christmas morning find gifts secretly brought at night by Nicholas, who in the West is called Santa Claus.
Time passed, the parishioners fell in love with Nicholas. The ruling bishop, in public, ordained him a presbyter, saying the following words:
“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.” 
Soon the head of the Church in Lycia died. The deceased bishop led a righteous life, was very loved by his flock, he was revered as a saint, so in his place they were looking for someone like him, who was not inferior to him in piety. One of the bishops at the Council suggested asking God for help and said that through their prayers the Lord would help them find a new primate.
After this decision, one of the participants in the Council had a night vision in which the Lord suggested that the person who would be first in the church in the morning should be appointed archbishop. This person will have a name - Nikolai. By God's providence, the first person in the morning to see in the vestibule of the church was a man who, when asked by the bishop about his name, answered: “My name is Nikolai, I am a slave of your holiness, lord.”
The bishop was very pleased with such humility and meekness, and he joyfully introduced the future archbishop to the clergy and people.
At first, Saint Nicholas tried to refuse such an honor, but having learned about the revelation from above, he saw in this God's will and agreed. At the same time, he, realizing the responsibility he had taken on before people and the Lord, told himself that now he needed to live to save others, and not just himself.
Nicholas the Wonderworker was elected archbishop of the city of Myra around 300. Despite his high position, he still remained for his flock a model of humility, meekness and love for people.
The saint's clothing was simple and modest, Saint Nicholas did not have any decorations, Lenten food took once a day, often interrupting or canceling his simple meal in order to help someone who needed his advice or help.
During the beginning of the ministry of Nicholas the Wonderworker as a bishop, in 302, the Roman Empire organized the extermination of Christians. By orders of the rulers Diocletian and Maximian, Christians were supposed to renounce their faith and become idolaters. Of course, Saint Nicholas did not do this and therefore, after living on earth for about 50 years, he ended up in prison, where he was subjected to torture on the rack and other tortures.
Cruelty towards Christians did not lead to the desired results and little by little, starting in 308, persecution began to weaken. In 311, shortly before the death of Emperor Maximian, a decree was promulgated banning the persecution of Christians.
As a result of radiological studies of the relics of St. Nicholas, bone abnormalities were discovered, characteristic of people who were under the influence of dampness and cold for a long time. This confirms that Saint Nicholas was kept in custody for a long time, most likely more than one year. But the Lord kept His chosen one because he was destined to become a luminary and a great pillar of the Church for his deeds and miracles.
When Nicholas the Wonderworker was released from prison (about 311), the saint again returned to his service to the Lord in the city of Myra, where, as a martyr, he again continued to heal human passions and illnesses.
But more than once in Lycia, persecution of Christians was renewed, which continued until 324, when the Great Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine finally defeated the ruler of Licinius and united the previously divided state into a powerful empire.
In Myra, as well as throughout the Roman Empire, there remained many pagan sanctuaries, which, out of habit, were worshiped by some of the townspeople. Saint Nicholas, taking advantage of the favor of Tsar Constantine to Church of Christ, began to wage an irreconcilable struggle with paganism. In those days, this required considerable strength and courage, because at that time there were still many fans of paganism, which even Emperor Constantine could not ban due to the risk of a state rebellion.
In addition, the enemy of the human race tried to test Christian Church another misfortune - the Arian heresy. Presbyter Arius created his theory, according to which Christ was a lesser God than God the Father and had a different essence, and the Holy Spirit was subordinate to Him. In addition, several more sects and movements arose that were fraught with danger for Christians, and therefore Emperor Constantine decided to convene the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea in 325, at which the main provisions were adopted Orthodox faith and the Creed was born. The Arian heresy was also condemned.
Saint Nicholas also took an active part in the participation of this cathedral. Things got to the point that one day, during the next meeting, Nicholas, inspired by zeal for the Lord, had to hit the heretic with his hand, having heard him blaspheme against God.
According to Roman laws, such a “showdown” under the emperor was considered “ insult to His Majesty"and for this the punishment was to cut off a hand.
For this act he was deprived of his dignity and imprisoned, but St. Nicholas the Lycian Archbishop and the Wonderworker came to the aid of those whom he so defended and loved so much. Jesus Christ himself and the Most Holy Theotokos visited the prison and presented St. Nicholas with the Gospel and the holy omophorion. At the same time, several fathers of the Council had visions in which they saw the Savior giving the Gospel to the prisoner and Mother of God, who placed the holy omophorion on him. When the bishops came to the prison and saw the imprisoned saint, dressed in an omophorion and holding the Gospel, they realized that the saint’s audacity was pleasing to the Lord. The Wonderworker was immediately released, restored to the rank of bishop and glorified as God's Pleasant.
Having lived to a ripe old age, Nicholas the Wonderworker, at the age of about 80, departed to the Lord. It is not known in what year the saint died, we only know that it happened on December 6 (December 19, new style). His relics were placed in the church he built and exuded myrrh, with which they were healed huge amount people. In 1087, the holy relics were transported to Italy, the city of Bari, where they are still located, and the Church set the date of their arrival as a holiday. Also, some of the relics of St. Nicholas have been in Venice since 1097.
This temple in Myra still exists, but the Turkish authorities allow services in it once a year - December 6/19.
Many people in the world know about Archbishop Nicholas as a saint and a saint of God. different parts of our Earth, after all Miracle Worker still helps people. His holy relics exude healing myrrh, from which even hopelessly ill people recover.
The life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker showed that holiness is born of work and actions, it is a huge work - to break yourself, your pride and begin to live according to the laws of conscience, according to the laws of God.