“Then the city of Myra again received its shepherd, the great Archbishop Nicholas, a martyr by the will of God, and crowned with a bloodless wreath.”
St Dimitry of Rostov
For the Orthodox heart, all who have pleased God are great and worthy of honour, but Saint Nicholas holds a special place among them. Our holy figures — Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov — revered him, and so have the common people. Chapels and churches dedicated to St Nicholas the Wonderworker rise all over Russia. Even now, his deep and steadfast faith draws countless people from every land. Through him, the Lord works wonder after wonder, aiding those in distress not merely with words but with tangible assistance.
St Nicholas saves three innocent men from wrongful death. Chapel of St Nicholas, Sopocani Monastery, Serbia, Balkans, 13th century.
God sends us His great servants to strengthen our faith and lead us forward by their example. Through His saints, He calls us to leave behind all that holds us back and to reach, heart and soul, towards God’s light and the Most Holy Trinity, and find the fullness of life.
St Nicholas delivers three daughters from dire straits. Pec, Serbia, Balkans, 14th century.
“The rule of faith and image of humility,” we sing to St Nicholas of Myra in the Akathist hymn. He lifts sailors from storms, slips coins to the poor in secret, steers wanderers, shields the blameless from death, and even stills the restless sea — indeed, all this marks Nicholas, beloved Wonderworker. He embodies the Good Shepherd, dedicating the whole of himself to the salvation of his sheep, becoming all things to all, ready to lay down his life for his flock. Tales of his mercy and swift kindness in life’s varied troubles fill many pages, yet his own trials can sometimes fade from view.
Fresco from St Nicholas Orphanos Church, Thessaloniki, Greece, 1310–1315.
His life fell in one of the hardest times for followers of Christ. Under Emperor Diocletian, cruel persecution swept through the Church. Nicholas, the Archbishop of the Lycian Church, did not shrink from danger. He boldly lifted his voice, preached openly and glorified God’s name without fear. The authorities seized him and locked him away, but even behind bars, Nicholas cared for fellow Christians. He strengthened their trust in Christ and fortified those suffering to stand firm in their witness before their tormentors. Under his guidance, as St Andrew of Crete noted, “many wove for themselves a martyr’s crown, inspired by St Nicholas’s example of devotion and steadfastness.”
The saint himself, a “martyr by his resolve”, bore long agony for Christ: his tormentors stretched him on a rack, thrashing him mercilessly until his joints, spine and ribs were broken, and his nose shattered. For twenty long years, he dwelt in captivity. Yet God, in His mercy, spared him from death, knowing that the Church still needed its fearless shepherd to glorify God’s name and defend it from attackers.
Only in 311, when the new Emperor, Galeus, eased the persecutions, did Christians begin to regain their freedom. Once released, Saint Nicholas returned to his role as Bishop of Myra with even greater energy. Years of terror had left deep wounds on the Church. On top of his usual tasks and cares, Nicholas took on new responsibilities. He repaired old churches and built new ones, mended the broken order of worship, welcomed back those whose faith and trust in God had faltered during the hard times, and instructed pagans who turned to Jesus in the joyful triumph of the Orthodox Church.
Fathers of the Council of Nicaea. Fresco from the Church of Saint Nicholas in Myra, Lycia, 11th century.
The persecution subsided, but fresh hardships arose. False teachings swept through, harming the Church and its flock nearly as much as the Roman sword. Perhaps the most disruptive of these was Arius’s heresy. To restore the truth, a great council of 318 bishops gathered at Nicaea in 325. Tradition tells how, during a session, Saint Nicholas, aflame with zeal for God’s glory, struck the blasphemer Arius, who spoke ill of the Divine Truth. For this act, he was defrocked and imprisoned. Yet, several council fathers saw a vision: the Lord Jesus Christ handed Nicholas the Gospel, and the Most Holy Mother of God placed the omophorion on his shoulders. Before long, the whole council recognised the saint’s righteousness, restored him to his rank, and set him free.
Mosaic in the Cathedral of the Novo-Tikhvin Convent of Saint Alexander Nevsky, Yekaterinburg, 20th century.
Over centuries of devotion, the people have composed countless hymns and spiritual poems for Saint Nicholas. They express trust in the might of his prayers, thank him as their protector and intercessor, and praise this faithful servant of God:
I glorify you,
Wondrous Nicholas true, ,
Patriarchs’ great glory ,
And kings’ strength and story,,
Nicholas most wondrous.
Intercessor in prayers, ,
Sweep sins away like dust,,
Comfort those who grieve, ,
Our prayers receive, ,
Nicholas most wondrous.
Free us from all woe ,
Where troubles grow, ,
For widows and orphans ,
Make abundance flow, ,
Nicholas most wondrous.
Enlighten us who sleep, ,
In sloth and idleness deep, ,
Hear those who pray ,
And your name display, ,
Nicholas most wondrous.
O Holy Nicholas, our wonderworking saint, reach out your hand to us, unworthy sinners. - “Go on your way and do not grieve — here is my right hand for you. Pure and holy faith leads you straight there.*”
Let these words of prayer rise from our hearts to heaven: “Holy Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!”
_____________
*Spiritual song sung by pilgrims during the procession to the wonderworking icon of Saint Nicholas.
Prepared by the team of obitel-minsk.ru
Photographs from the internet
Sources:
1. Saint Nicholas the Miracle-Worker. Modern Miracles. — St Petersburg: Neva Publishing House; Moscow: OLMA-PRESS Grand, 2003.
2. he Life and Miracles of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, compiled by F. Gusev and A. Voznesensky; from the 1899 Synodal Edition, St Petersburg. — Moscow: Trifon Pechenga Monastery; Kovcheg, 2001.
3. Rule of faith and portrait of meekness. — Moscow: Orthodox St Tikhon’s Theological Institute, 2004.
