Why is St. Nicholas the Saint especially revered in Rus'? "Russian God"
Veneration of saints and prayers to them is an essential part Orthodox faith. Relationships with saints for a Christian always have the character of not only a personal meeting, but also contact with holiness in general: zeal, sacrifice, mercy, humility, abstinence in one’s perfect, “standard” models. It is precisely this important step in the development of church ideas about holiness that is represented by the ministry of St. Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, the Wonderworker.
At first glance, it may seem unexpected why St. Nicholas Orthodox tradition does that mean that much? From the time of his life, the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th century, no examples of his preaching, no theological creations, or evidence of his merits in church administration - that which made up the glory of the teachers and ascetics of early Byzantium, a time otherwise called the era - have survived to this day. great fathers. And, despite this, the veneration of St. Nicholas, century after century, finds a special response in hearts. His image turns out to be known far beyond the borders of Orthodoxy: he is revered by Muslims and pagan Buddhists, who see in the gray-haired old man with a stern and at the same time sympathetic face the embodiment of good patronage. The veneration of St. became especially widespread. Nicholas among the Russian people, so that many in Russia and beyond ascribe to the saint Russian origin and are sincerely surprised to learn that by blood he is Greek or Asian Minor.
Perhaps it would be easiest to stop here and explain the widest veneration of St. Nicholas "choice of the heart" folk custom“, by the fact that “historically it has happened and developed.” But the liturgical and theological traditions of the Church testify to exactly the same thing: about the extremely importance, given to the memory of the Mireya archpastor. On Thursdays, according to the Charter, along with the remembrance of the holy apostles, churches are also required to perform a weekly service in honor of St. Nicholas. Moreover, this rule, as studies have shown, has the most ancient origin and came to us from the Greek Church.
On many ancient icons the saint is depicted together with the Savior and the Most Holy Theotokos, according to left hand from Spas. In prayer exclamations and dismissals, his name is mentioned among the first, along with St. John the Baptist. This emphasizes the “seniority” of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Cathedral of Saints. The popular idea of him as the second intercessor after Mother of God, thus receives completely official confirmation in evidence of a canonical nature.
So what could be the reason for this? The life of the saint does not provide clear answers here. Some of his images and episodes are quite traditional and are often repeated in Orthodox hagiography: from childhood he was chosen by the Lord and surprised everyone with his purity and righteousness, showed an exemplary and zealous shepherd, helped people, interceded with the authorities for the people. “Three bundles of gold” donated to a father distraught with poverty, ready to send his daughters to fornication, or the deliverance from execution of three innocently convicted people, or the rescue of several sailors during a storm off the coast of Lycia... It seems that this is compared with an exceptional preaching gift St. John Chrysostom, the universal merits of St. Basil the Great, inspired theology and standing for the true dogmas of St. Gregory of Nazianzus? Will the discreet, “homely”, paternal virtue of one of the bishops be appreciated in comparison with such bright phenomena of his time as the enlightenment of entire nations and countries with the light of the Gospel, the Christ-imitating sacrifice of thousands of martyrs, the ascetic deeds and angelic interviews of the desert fathers? Against the background of all the above, even the most famous example from life, in which St. Nicholas, in a fit of indignation, hits the false teacher Arius on the cheek, looks like nothing more than a private episode, for the victory of the Orthodox, Trinitarian confession at the First Ecumenical Council will not be ensured by this, but by the brilliant theological argumentation and polemical gift of St. Athanasius, authority in the Church of Pope Sylvester and St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, the endurance and organizational talent of St. equal to Konstantin.
And, nevertheless, the Church commemorated and continues to commemorate “first” St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, not at all rhetorically calling him the “rule of faith,” “the image of meekness,” and “things of truth.” The situation is mysterious and makes us assume the influence of some truly extraordinary circumstances and factors. In part, this is reminiscent of the wide national glory of another saint, one with St. Nicholas of the time, - the Great Martyr George the Victorious: a very general external outline of the lives and, like an avalanche, the spread of nationwide veneration, the wealth of ideal contents and meanings invested by church tradition in the memory of both saints of God.
This parallel is not accidental, for with all the difference in the images of one and the other saint (St. George is the personification of the victorious, “militant” principle; St. Nicholas is the beginning of the fatherly, “small good deeds”), both were born of the era in which the Church of Christ is moving to its new image and revelation, the embodiment of the principles of a positive, spiritually ordered life, the formation of a comprehensive “universe of models” that could guide a believer in the most diverse circumstances of his life. Until now, under conditions of persecution, the existence of Christians resembled life in a besieged fortress: defending the faith was an almost exclusive task. External institutions and forms for this reason remained undeveloped, but now the Church was required neither more nor less, to produce from its midst renewed and illuminated by the Gospel principles the idea of the existence of the world. Confrontation with the state, society, culture was becoming a thing of the past, and how was Christianity supposed to show itself? A strict moral judge and spy? A new ruler, changing the order in his favor and demanding unquestioning admiration for himself? A collection of people who have little interest in what is happening around them, with interests and views that are not of this world? A movement of religious anarchist fanatics demanding the abolition and reconstruction of all old norms?
The onslaught of persecution subsided, but to find oneself in new and apparently more favorable conditions It turned out to be difficult in its own way. Virtue and holiness, in fact, had to be revealed and shine anew before Constantine’s contemporaries, so that in a changing environment the history of Christianity could continue victoriously. There had to be those who would step forward and, by their own daring example, show others the clear paths to salvation and perfection. It is for this reason that the turn of the 3rd and 4th centuries. turns out to be so rich in great names and accomplishments: every activity, be it the comprehension of dogmas, the mastery of desert living, the creation Everyday life churches and dioceses or the public duties of a Christian, had to be reopened; examples in which piety and purity of life were witnessed from God by supernatural gifts and miracles turned out to be truly valuable and saving for the Church.
The names of some saints who distinguished themselves in one or another virtue, for this reason, become household names among Christians, like the name of the Great Martyr George, who for all subsequent times became the personification of courage, military valor and intercession of the weak from the adversary, or St. John Chrysostom as having reached the pinnacle of preaching and moral pastoral instruction. Saint Nicholas, in this series of pillars and founders of the Orthodox tradition, holds the place of the people's comforter, patron and helper in a wide variety of everyday needs and difficulties. This is how he entered into church memory: always soulful and close, hastening to do good and quench sorrow, sympathizing with misfortune and adamant towards sin (in Rus', as in the image of St. Nicholas of Mozhaisk, the idea of his strong standing with a sword in his hands for the faith is also conveyed and the Church). Numerous cases of help provided through his prayers confirm that Christian zeal for the memory of the saint is not in vain, but the second name given by the Church, “Miracle Worker,” truly reflects his main distinctive talent in the triumphant council of the saints of God and “professional duty” - the creation of God's miracles to glorify the name of the Most High in people.
Orthodox Chetyi-Minea on the day of the celebration of St. Nicholas say: “work many great and glorious miracles on earth and on the sea, helping those in trouble, 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, and from the sword.” interceding the stripes, and freeing them from death, giving much healing to many: sight for the blind, walking for the lame, hearing for the deaf, speech for the dumb. "He has appeared as an intercessor and protector, and he helps those who call upon him and delivers them from troubles. The message of this great wonderworker is that the east and the west and all the ends of the earth know his miracles." After this, the doubts expressed by historians regarding the personality of St. Nicholas, the reliability of his presence at the Ecumenical Council, or the possibility of combining in one life the details of the lives of two or even three Nicholas, bishops who lived at different times, seem secondary and insignificant.
Rising in Lately especially in Western Christianity, the wave of “demythologization,” and essentially sweeping criticism and subjective assessments of church history and the calendar, cannot achieve greater truth than that on which the grateful people’s memory relies, and in extreme cases, only undermine trust in the ideal of absolute love and care and mercy. After all, the statement, presented by many today as a fact, that there was no transfer of the relics, miraculously arranged by the saint himself, from Myra in Lycia to Italian Bari, but there was a banal abduction of them from the Greeks in 1087 by the Venetian army - and so , even this cannot cancel or challenge another immutable historical evidence: the ship with the shrine reached the shores of Italy exactly on December 9, on the day of memory of the Wonderworker.
So, all the intrigues and conjectures of the world are overcome by holiness. The celebration, which the Russian Church annually celebrates with solemnity on May 8/22, remains for us evidence of God’s special care for the memory of His great saint. As before, so now St. Nicholas continues in history to carry out his vigilant watch as a “senior” in the heavenly regiment of patron saints and miracle workers.
Hegumen Flavian (Matveev), the vicar of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, answers questions from viewers monastery city of Yekaterinburg.
Since ancient times, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker has been the patron saint of sailors and those wanderers (drivers) who are on the road and traveling. Saint Nicholas helps the poor and the blessed, the unfortunate, the orphaned and the wretched - he is their official intercessor and representative in heaven. The life of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is proof that “blessed are the poor, for they will be in heaven.”
The Wonderworker himself led a simple and very ascetic life, distributed all his wealth (on which he could live comfortably) to the poor and needy, healed people from illnesses and even resurrected them, fought for the truth and demanded restoration of justice from those in power (it was he who caused the abolition executions of several innocently slandered people), taught with his life love and compassion. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker himself also became a beggar in the middle of his life, he didn’t even have his own home, but even after his appointment at the behest of the Lord God himself as Bishop of Lycia, he ate only once a day - in the evening.
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra of Lycia, wonderworker, 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) in 258, 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, the 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, giving honor to Holy Trinity. Saint Nicholas in infancy began a life of fasting, took his mother’s milk on Wednesdays and Fridays, only once, after evening prayers 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. 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 good deeds.
There lived a man in Patara who was formerly very rich, but then became poor. He went to such an extreme that for the sake of money he decided to push his beautiful daughters onto the path of sin.
Hearing about how poor he was, and by God's revelation learning about his plan, Saint Nicholas tied gold coins in a knot and at night, so that no one would see, threw the money into his window. In the morning, the poor man found them - and could not believe his luck; he rubbed the coins with his fingers, and, making sure that it was real gold, wondered where it came from. Having thanked the Lord, he married his eldest daughter and gave her a rich dowry.
The saint was delighted and that same night he threw a bundle of money through the window for his middle daughter. Having found gold, the poor man with tears prayed to God to reveal who their benefactor was. Having played a second wedding and firmly believing that God would arrange the fate of his youngest daughter, he did not go to bed at night, but kept watch near the window.
When Saint Nicholas, walking quietly, approached the house and threw a bundle out the window, the poor man rushed after him, caught up with him and began to kiss his feet, and the priest asked him to keep everything a secret.
Going to worship the holy places in Jerusalem, the Bishop of Patara entrusted the management of the flock to Saint Nicholas, who carried out obedience with care and love. When the bishop returned, he, in turn, asked for a blessing to travel to the Holy Land. On the way, the saint predicted an approaching storm that threatened to sink the ship, for he saw the devil himself entering the ship. At the request of desperate travelers, he pacified with his prayer sea waves. Through his prayer, one ship's sailor, who fell from the mast and fell to his death, was restored to health.
Having reached ancient city Jerusalem, Saint Nicholas, having ascended to 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 in front of 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 should bear the fruit I expect; but turn and go into the world, and may My Name be glorified in you.” In a vision, the Lord gave him the Gospel in an expensive package, and Holy Mother of God- 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. 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 the Pope of Rome, Alexander of Alexandria, Spyridon of Trimythous and others from the 318 holy fathers of the Council against the heretic Arius.
In the heat of denunciation, Saint Nicholas, burning with zeal for the Lord, even strangled the false teacher, 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 her peace and blessing, sowing the word of Truth, cutting off at the very root wrong-thinking and vain wisdom, denouncing inveterate heretics and healing those who had fallen and deviated through ignorance.
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 Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Constantine, Saint Nicholas called on 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, long years striving in his ministry. 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 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.
Having reached a very old age, Saint Nicholas peacefully departed to the Lord around the year 351. His honest relics were kept incorrupt in the local cathedral church and exuded healing myrrh, from which many received healings.
In 1087, his relics were transferred to the Italian city of Bar, where they rest to this day.
The name of the great saint of God, Saint and Wonderworker Nicholas, a quick helper and man of prayer for all who flock to him, has become glorified in all corners of the earth, in many countries and peoples. In Rus', many cathedrals, monasteries and churches are dedicated to his holy name. There is, perhaps, not a single city without St. Nicholas Church. In the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Photius, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Rus', was baptized by the holy Patriarch Photius. Prayers. in 866 Prince of Kyiv Askold, the first Russian Christian prince (+ 882).
Above the grave of Askold is a saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga Holy Equal to the Apostles Grand Duchess Russian Olga erected the first church of St. Nicholas in the Russian Church in Kyiv. The main cathedrals were dedicated to St. Nicholas in Izborsk, Ostrov, Mozhaisk, Zaraysk. In Novgorod the Great, one of the main churches of the city is the St. Nicholas Church (XII), which later became a cathedral. There are famous and revered St. Nicholas churches and monasteries in Kyiv, Smolensk, Pskov, Toropets, Galich, Arkhangelsk, Veliky Ustyug, and Tobolsk. Moscow was famous for several dozen churches dedicated to the saint; three Nikolsky monasteries were located in the Moscow diocese: Nikolo-Grechesky (Old) - in Kitai-Gorod, Nikolo-Perervinsky and Nikolo-Ugreshsky. One of the main towers of the Moscow Kremlin is called Nikolskaya.
Most often, churches were erected to the saint on retail areas Russian merchants, sailors and explorers, who revered the wonderworker Nicholas as the patron saint of all travelers on land and sea. Sometimes they were popularly called “Nikola the Wet”. Many rural churches in Rus' are dedicated to the wonderworker Nicholas, the merciful representative before the Lord of all people in their labors, sacredly revered by the peasants. And Saint Nicholas does not abandon the Russian land with his intercession. Ancient Kyiv preserves the memory of the miracle of the saint’s rescue of a drowned baby. Great miracle worker, having heard the mournful prayers of the parents who had lost their only heir, at night he took the baby out of the water, revived him and placed him in the choir of the Church of St. Sophia Icon of Sophia, the Wisdom of God Sophia the Wisdom God's Icon. in front of his miraculous image. Here the rescued baby was found in the morning by happy parents, who glorified St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with the multitude of people.
Many miraculous icons of St. Nicholas appeared in Russia and came from other countries. This is an ancient Byzantine half-length image of the saint (XII), brought to Moscow from Novgorod, and a huge icon painted in the 13th century by a Novgorod master. Two images of the miracle worker are especially common in the Russian Church: St. Nicholas of Zaraisk - full-length, with a blessing right hand and the Gospel (this image was brought to Ryazan in 1225 by the Byzantine princess Eupraxia, who became the wife of the Ryazan prince Theodore and died in 1237 with her husband and baby - son during the invasion of Batu), and St. Nicholas of Mozhaisk - also full-length, with a sword in right hand and the city on the left - in memory of the miraculous salvation, through the prayers of the saint, of the city of Mozhaisk from an enemy attack. It is impossible to list all the blessed icons of St. Nicholas. Every Russian city, every temple is blessed with such an icon through the prayers of the saint.
On December 19, Orthodox believers celebrate the day of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the old days in Rus' this day was considered a great holiday, like many others. Slavic peoples. He had many names: Nikola's day, Nikola frosty, Nikola cold, Nikola winter. It was believed that on this day Nicholas the Wonderworker himself descends from heaven and personally goes around our entire land, giving gifts to children on the eve of Christmas. Culturologists believe that such folk image Nikolai Ugodnik later transformed into the fabulous Santa Claus.
The holiday was celebrated widely: tables were set for the entire village, pooled together. Beer was brewed in advance. The day before, mummers walked around the courtyards, led by a tall and stately man who portrayed Nicholas the Wonderworker himself. The mummers gave the children sweets and small gifts, they themselves received gifts in return, and carried them to next house, where everyone was also congratulated and given gifts. Through “Nikolai”, guys gave gifts to their loved ones, and girls gave gifts to their betrothed.
There was also a custom to celebrate “Nikolshchina” - a holiday for which older men, heads of families and representatives of village clans gathered. A lot of beer and mash were brewed for him, and a generous meal was shared. The holiday lasted 2-3 days and the affairs of the entire village were often decided and conclusions were made. important agreements.
Who was Saint Nicholas
As for the image of St. Nicholas, this is not just one of the many revered Orthodox saints. Historically, it so happened that Nicholas the Wonderworker became the most revered saint in Rus', the third in importance and significance, after Jesus Christ himself and Holy Mother of God. We can say with confidence that there is not a single temple where his icon does not occupy a prominent and honorable place. And half of the grandmothers in the church will tell you with complete conviction: “He is ours, Russian, dear, he lived in Rus', and now he especially protects us!”
In fact, Saint Nicholas was born in 270 in Lycia, which was the name of the area in the south of Asia Minor. Now the Turkish provinces of Antalya and Mugla are located there. And at that time Lycia was a Greek colony.
The family into which Saint Nicholas was born was very noble and wealthy. His Christian parents raised their son in such a way that from childhood he intended to devote himself entirely to serving God. When Nicholas grew up, he became a reader, and then a priest in the church where his uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patarsky, was the rector. He strove for an ascetic and secluded life. After the death of his parents, the future saint distributed his inheritance to the poor and went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Along the way, he performed many miracles; through his fervent prayers to God, the sick were healed and storms stopped. In his youth, Nikolai was going to devote himself to serving God in the Zion monastery, but the Lord called him to a different service: to go into the world, to people. Some time after returning from the pilgrimage, the future Saint Nicholas became archbishop in the city of Myra, the capital of Lycia. But even when he found himself in such a high position, he remained unusually sensitive to the aspirations of ordinary people.
A dowry for the girls and help for the man
“The life of St. Nicholas, which gradually took shape from many parts, portrays him as a man amazing in his simplicity,” says a specialist in church art, professor at St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute (SFI) Alexander Kopirovsky. “He can look for a dowry for poor girls, whom their father, in complete desperation, already wanted to release to the panel, because there is nothing to live on, and no one will marry them. And so he, having heard this, threw some money out the window for them. And when three nobles were sentenced to execution, he appears to the emperor in a dream, asking for their release. And when the emperor does not heed this word, Saint Nicholas himself finds himself at the place of execution and stops the executioner with the power of his spiritual and moral authority. Many similar stories are captured in the hagiographies of the icons of St. Nicholas. There is absolutely folklore, but very good story about how they, together with another saint, John Cassian, after their earthly death, walked the earth and saw how some man’s horse and cart got stuck in the mud. They wanted to help him, but Cassian was afraid that his snow-white vestments and clothes would be soiled, and Saint Nicholas boldly climbed into the mud and helped the man pull out the cart. And people are happy to say: that’s why Nicholas has at least two holidays a year, and Cassian – once every four years, on February 29.”
All these comforting, touching stories indicate that this, albeit largely collective, image of a Christian, which took shape in the life of St. Nicholas, is an image of a living person, in the thick of life, for whom the gospel ideal is not something speculative, but something what he embodies specific situations that life brings. It’s wonderful, the SFI professor believes, that they want to see in this not just the image of a Christian, but also, of course, the image of a bishop. The bishop is not the prince of the church, not a church ruler in the secular image. This is a person who, by the strength of his spirit, and some special gifts from God, and simply by zeal, openness and purity of faith, finds himself in the center of events and can be a helper.
This, of course, led to great excesses in the veneration of St. Nicholas, when the people, not being enlightened, began to perceive him at the level of the Mother of God and even Christ.
“In the north, although rarely, you can even find a special row of icons in the iconostasis, where St. Nicholas takes the place of Christ in the center, and all the other saints turn to him. But one should not look at this too strictly, this is a manifestation of the people’s unenlightened faith, no one enlightened these people, and this is understandable. On the other hand, they wanted to see such a bright, deep and at the same time common man such a center to follow: apparently, this was what in surrounding life it wasn’t really enough,” says Alexander Kopirovsky.
Why do we reverence the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker so much?
The veneration of St. Nicholas did not develop immediately, but after the transfer of his relics in the 11th century from the Malaysian city of Myra in Lycia to the Italian city of Bari. “It’s no secret that these relics were not transferred solemnly, like, say, the relics of Alexander Nevsky from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, which the tsar himself carried on his shoulders, accompanied by a huge religious procession. The relics of St. Nicholas were taken away secretly, saving them from infidels, from Muslims. But even such a historically far from triumphal event contributed to the development of veneration of this saint in the Christian world. This veneration updated many of the gospel meanings, which had to be preached not in the form of lectures or texts, but through the image of a person,” says the expert.
The image of St. Nicholas became, just as it is sung in his troparion, the “rule of faith,” that is, the example of faith, the “image of meekness.” And it is important not to forget about the third part, which is usually omitted - “the teacher of abstinence.” These three qualities allow us to understand a lot about Christian life, a lot to learn.
“Saint Nicholas is the defender of truth from error. His faith is simple, but not primitive, says Alexander Kopirovsky. – When people think about faith, they often think of it as either a set of correct wording, or, on the contrary, as about that area of life where you don’t need to know or understand anything at all, like blind faith. But the image of St. Nicholas allows us to talk about a faith that has no tilt in one direction or the other - it is holistic, clear and at the same time rooted in theology, its clear, not vague formulations.”
Photo: Wikipedia
At the same time, he is also considered an “image of meekness.” As the SFI professor reminds, sometimes they think that meekness is something very sweet and weak. But there is no need for excessive sentimentality. A meek person is a person of a pure, clear, open spirit. In this, Saint Nicholas is similar to Christ, who said: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Let us not forget that the meekness of Christ did not prevent him in some cases from showing sufficient firmness and even anger.
Alexander Kopirovsky: “When we turn to St. Nicholas, reflect on his image, I think we need to look more at his icons than at the various texts of his life. It is noteworthy that in icons it is immediately recognizable, easily, although these icons themselves are incredibly diverse. In the Tretyakov Gallery there is a stunning image of the late 12th - early 13th centuries from the Desyatinny Monastery in Novgorod: this is such a sage with a huge forehead. There are surprisingly simple, meek, even slightly smiling faces, and there are more stern ones; There are places where he has more gray hair, and there are places where he has less. I think that this silent communication with the face will make it possible to recognize the prototype even more than numerous texts.”
What does “temperance teacher” mean? This does not mean that St. Nicholas is such an ascetic, mortifying the flesh, not sleeping, not eating, and so on. According to Alexander Kopirovsky, his example shows that abstinence does not come down to food and sleep, but teaches us to abstain in general from unnecessary things - from what is not bad in itself, but what should not be done, which means how to choose the main thing.
“In spiritual life, it is very important to be in the right place on time, and for this you need to move forward holistically and not get wasted,” he says. – In this regard, the story about his election as a bishop is interesting. As often happened then, bishops were elected, and a discord arose among the people: who to choose. In the end, since there was no agreement on who was better and who was worse, they decided to elect the one who would come to the temple first. It turned out to be the nephew of the previous bishop, the future Saint Nicholas. He always came before everyone else. After all, this is also abstinence: not to be late for church, not to come later, but to come much earlier, and not for some disciplinary purpose, but because your heart draws you there.”
And this turned out to be enough for all the people to agree: indeed, the elder in the church may be the most zealous person who cares so much about worship. Not about organizing services, but simply about being with God.
“In the Christian world, opinions are divided regarding the historicity of the image of St. Nicholas,” says Alexander Kopirovsky. - The Western world has come to the conclusion that there is too little historical evidence about him to accept everything that has developed over the centuries in popular veneration. Many see in him a collective Christian image, and not a specific person. They believe that even if this image was based on special person, then a lot of things seemed to be attributed to it, attached to it. But for our life, the question of its historicity is not the most significant. Of course, it is important to learn some realities about this life. But the main thing is that we need to open the Gospel more in order to see that the origins of the veneration of St. Nicholas are in the image and life of Christ.”
In fact, Saint Nicholas was born in 270 in Lycia, which was the name of the area in the south of Asia Minor. Now the Turkish provinces of Antalya and Mugla are located there. And at that time Lycia was a Greek colony.
The family into which Saint Nicholas was born was very noble and wealthy. His Christian parents raised their son in such a way that from childhood he intended to devote himself entirely to serving God. When Nicholas grew up, he became a reader, and then a priest in the church where his uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patarsky, was the rector. He strove for an ascetic and secluded life. After the death of his parents, the future saint distributed his inheritance to the poor and went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Along the way, he performed many miracles; through his fervent prayers to God, the sick were healed and storms stopped. In his youth, Nikolai was going to devote himself to serving God in the Zion monastery, but the Lord called him to a different service: to go into the world, to people. Some time after returning from the pilgrimage, the future Saint Nicholas became archbishop in the city of Myra, the capital of Lycia. But even when he found himself in such a high position, he remained unusually sensitive to the aspirations of ordinary people.
A dowry for the girls and help for the man
“The life of St. Nicholas, which gradually took shape from many parts, portrays him as a man amazing in his simplicity,” says a specialist in church art, professor at the St. Philaret Orthodox Christian Institute (SFI) Alexander Kopirovsky. “He can look for a dowry for poor girls, whom their father, in complete desperation, already wanted to release to the panel, because there is nothing to live on, and no one will marry them. And so he, having heard this, threw some money out the window for them. And when three nobles were sentenced to execution, he appears to the emperor in a dream, asking for their release. And when the emperor does not heed this word, Saint Nicholas himself finds himself at the place of execution and stops the executioner with the power of his spiritual and moral authority. Many similar stories are captured in the hagiographies of the icons of St. Nicholas. There is a completely folklore, but very good story about how he, together with another saint, John Cassian, after his earthly death, walked the earth and saw how some man’s horse and cart got stuck in the mud. They wanted to help him, but Cassian was afraid that his snow-white vestments and clothes would be soiled, and Saint Nicholas boldly climbed into the mud and helped the man pull out the cart. And people are happy to say: that’s why Nicholas has at least two holidays a year, and Cassian – once every four years, on February 29.”
All these comforting, touching stories indicate that this, albeit largely collective, image of a Christian, which took shape in the life of St. Nicholas, is an image of a living person, in the thick of life, for whom the gospel ideal is not something speculative, but something what he embodies in specific situations that life brings. It’s wonderful, the SFI professor believes, that they want to see in this not just the image of a Christian, but also, of course, the image of a bishop. The bishop is not the prince of the church, not a church ruler in the secular image. This is a person who, by the strength of his spirit, and some special gifts from God, and simply by zeal, openness and purity of faith, finds himself in the center of events and can be a helper.
This, of course, led to great excesses in the veneration of St. Nicholas, when the people, not being enlightened, began to perceive him at the level of the Mother of God and even Christ.
“In the north, although rarely, you can even find a special row of icons in the iconostasis, where St. Nicholas takes the place of Christ in the center, and all the other saints turn to him. But one should not look at this too strictly, this is a manifestation of the people’s unenlightened faith, no one enlightened these people, and this is understandable. On the other hand, they wanted to see such a bright, deep and at the same time simple person as such a role model: apparently, this was something that was not really enough in the surrounding life,” says Alexander Kopirovsky.
Why do we reverence the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker so much?
The veneration of St. Nicholas did not develop immediately, but after the transfer of his relics in the 11th century from the Malaysian city of Myra in Lycia to the Italian city of Bari. “It’s no secret that these relics were not transferred solemnly, like, say, the relics of Alexander Nevsky from Vladimir to St. Petersburg, which the tsar himself carried on his shoulders, accompanied by a huge religious procession. The relics of St. Nicholas were taken away secretly, saving them from infidels, from Muslims. But even such a historically far from triumphal event contributed to the development of veneration of this saint in the Christian world. This veneration updated many of the gospel meanings, which had to be preached not in the form of lectures or texts, but through the image of a person,” says the expert.
The image of St. Nicholas became, just as it is sung in his troparion, the “rule of faith,” that is, the example of faith, the “image of meekness.” And it is important not to forget about the third part, which is usually omitted - “the teacher of abstinence.” These three qualities allow us to understand and learn a lot about the Christian life.
“Saint Nicholas is the defender of truth from error. His faith is simple, but not primitive, says Alexander Kopirovsky. – When people think about faith, they often think of it either as a set of correct formulations, or, on the contrary, as that area of life where you don’t need to know or understand anything at all, like blind faith. But the image of St. Nicholas allows us to talk about a faith that has no tilt in one direction or the other - it is holistic, clear and at the same time rooted in theology, its clear, not vague formulations.”
At the same time, he is also considered an “image of meekness.” As the SFI professor reminds, sometimes they think that meekness is something very sweet and weak. But there is no need for excessive sentimentality. A meek person is a person of a pure, clear, open spirit. In this, Saint Nicholas is similar to Christ, who said: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.” Let us not forget that the meekness of Christ did not prevent him in some cases from showing sufficient firmness and even anger.
Alexander Kopirovsky: “When we turn to St. Nicholas, reflect on his image, I think we need to look more at his icons than at the various texts of his life. It is noteworthy that in icons it is immediately recognizable, easily, although these icons themselves are incredibly diverse. In the Tretyakov Gallery there is a stunning image of the late 12th - early 13th centuries from the Desyatinny Monastery in Novgorod: this is such a sage with a huge forehead. There are surprisingly simple, meek, even slightly smiling faces, and there are more stern ones; There are places where he has more gray hair, and there are places where he has less. I think that this silent communication with the face will make it possible to recognize the prototype even more than numerous texts.”
What does “temperance teacher” mean? This does not mean that St. Nicholas is such an ascetic, mortifying the flesh, not sleeping, not eating, and so on. According to Alexander Kopirovsky, his example shows that abstinence does not come down to food and sleep, but teaches us to abstain in general from unnecessary things - from what is not bad in itself, but what should not be done, which means how to choose the main thing.
“In spiritual life, it is very important to be in the right place on time, and for this you need to move forward holistically and not get wasted,” he says. – In this regard, the story about his election as a bishop is interesting. As often happened then, bishops were elected, and a discord arose among the people: who to choose. In the end, since there was no agreement on who was better and who was worse, they decided to elect the one who would come to the temple first. It turned out to be the nephew of the previous bishop, the future Saint Nicholas. He always came before everyone else. After all, this is also abstinence: not to be late for church, not to come later, but to come much earlier, and not for some disciplinary purpose, but because your heart draws you there.”
And this turned out to be enough for all the people to agree: indeed, the elder in the church may be the most zealous person who cares so much about worship. Not about organizing services, but simply about being with God.
“In the Christian world, opinions are divided regarding the historicity of the image of St. Nicholas,” says Alexander Kopirovsky. - The Western world has come to the conclusion that there is too little historical evidence about him to accept everything that has developed over the centuries in popular veneration. Many see in him a collective Christian image, and not a specific person. They believe that even if this image was based on a specific person, a lot of things seemed to be attributed to him, attached. But for our life, the question of its historicity is not the most significant. Of course, it is important to learn some realities about this life. But the main thing is that we need to open the Gospel more in order to see that the origins of the veneration of St. Nicholas are in the image and life of Christ.”
On December 19, the entire Christian world celebrates the feast of St. Nicholas. Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered saints in Rus'. In each Orthodox family Along with the icon of the Lord Jesus Christ and the Mother of God, there is also an icon of St. Nicholas. Moreover, the fact that in every region of Russia there is the village of Nikolaevka or the village of Nikolskoye speaks about the special attitude towards the saint. Well, and, probably, in every Russian family there is Nikolai. All this speaks of the special veneration of the saint in our country. But where does this reverence come from? Why is a saint who lived at the turn of the 3rd-4th centuries in Byzantium revered in Rus'? We will try to answer this question in our article.
First, let's see what we know about the saint?
He was born in the city of Patara in the Lycian region (on the southern coast
Asia Minor Peninsula). Years of life: 260−343 years. He was the only son of pious parents Theophan and Nonna, who were childless for a long time, and vowed to dedicate him to God. From the day he was born, Nikolai worked miracles. For example, his mother, Nonna, was immediately healed of her illness after giving birth.
From childhood, Nikolai excelled in studying Sacred Tradition And Holy Scripture, was an obedient and kind boy. After the death of Archbishop John, he was elected Bishop of Myra in Lycia (Asia Minor, which at that time belonged to Byzantium). It is because of the place of ministry that St. Nicholas is called Myra or Myra of Lycia. Now Myra is part of Turkey, located in the south of Antalya.
The Wonderworker himself led a simple and very ascetic life, distributed all his wealth to the poor and needy, healed people from illnesses and even resurrected them, fought for the truth and demanded the restoration of justice from those in power (it was he who caused the abolition of the executions of several innocently slandered people), taught your life of love and compassion.
Despite the great meekness of spirit and purity of heart, Saint Nicholas was a zealous and daring warrior of the Church of Christ - in 325 he fought for the purity of the Orthodox doctrine on the I Ecumenical Council, convened by Saint Constantine, Equal to the Apostles, at which the heresy of Arius was condemned.
In Rus', the name of Nicholas the Wonderworker or Nicholas the Ugodnik becomes famous quite early. Thus, in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral, built in the middle of the 11th century by Yaroslav the Wise, among the most revered saints there is also a mosaic image of St. Nicholas. However, special veneration of this saint within Rus' begins in the second half of the 11th century. This was due to several reasons.
First of all, in 1087, from the city of Myra, captured by the Turks, the relics of the saint were taken to Italy. In the 11th century, Byzantium was going through difficult times. The Turks devastated her possessions in Asia Minor, ravaged cities and villages, killing their inhabitants, and accompanied their cruelties by desecrating holy temples, relics, icons and books. Muslims attempted to destroy the relics of St. Nicholas, deeply revered by everyone Christian world, that's why they were taken to Italy. They were brought to the city of Bari on May 9 (22), and immediately many miracles happened near the relics. Since then, this day has come to be considered the second holiday in honor of the famous saint. It is interesting to note that it was on May 9, 1945 that the Great Patriotic War ended. Patriotic War. And this is not an accident, since our people prayed earnestly for the gift of peace and a miracle happened!
In addition, in those same years (11th century), written sources first recorded a miracle from St. Nicholas, revealed in Kyiv. This is the first miraculous phenomenon Saint Nicholas in Rus' is described in a monument called “The Miracle of a Certain Child Who Drowned, and Saint Nicholas Keep Him Alive.” It tells how, on the day of the celebration of Saints Boris and Gleb, while sailing by boat across the Dnieper from Vyshgorod to Kiev, the wife of a rich Kiev resident dropped a child into the river, who immediately drowned. The grief-stricken parents appealed to the mercy of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. That same night, servants of the St. Sophia Cathedral discovered a living, wet child in front of the icon of St. Nicholas. The Metropolitan was informed about this, and he ordered the whole city to be notified. The baby's parents were soon found and, to their and everyone's amazement, recognized him as their drowned son.
“The miracle of a certain drowned child” showed that now Nicholas the Wonderworker showed himself to be the protector and savior of the Russian people, which means he took Rus' itself under his miraculous protection. In any case, this is exactly how these events were interpreted in ancient Russian literary and philosophical monuments.
Around 1113, near Novgorod, in one stream on the island of Lipno in Lake Ilmen, an icon of St. Nicholas appeared, miraculously healing the Novgorod prince Mstislav. IN early XIII century Rus' gained another miraculous icon- obeying the repeated command of St. Nicholas, the priest from Korsun Eustathius took the icon from the temple in which Prince Vladimir was baptized and, traveling by a roundabout waterway, through Riga and Novgorod, brought it to the Ryazan lands in the city of Zaraysk, where this icon became famous for many miracles. This is how an icon painting type developed in Rus', which became known as “Nikola Zaraisky”.
In the XIII-XIV centuries. Saint Nicholas performed a miracle of salvation 
I from Mozhaisk near Moscow from the Mongol raid. Residents of Mozhaisk passed on from mouth to mouth the legend of how Saint Nicholas appeared in heaven before the Mongol-Tatars who were besieging the city: with one hand he raised a sparkling sword, ready to fall on the heads of his enemies, in the other he held the city of Mozhaisk as a sign of protecting it. Frightened by the menacing sign, the enemies fled in horror. Since then, many icons have appeared in different Russian cities, on which the saint holds a sword in his right hand and a temple in his left, and it is considered heavenly patron city, and the main city cathedral of Mozhaisk was dedicated to St. Nicholas.
And subsequently there were many miracles in Rus', which the Orthodox people considered miracles performed by St. Nicholas. For example, at the end of the 15th century, Nicholas the Wonderworker, together with the Monk Varlaam of Khutyn, became famous for the healing of the Grand Duke’s youth. This list can be continued for quite a long time.
The main thing was that Saint Nicholas became a truly national saint, simply called Nikola or Mykola. A huge number of literary monuments are dedicated to him (the Russian State Library alone houses more than 500 manuscripts from the 12th to 20th centuries), churches, monasteries, and icons. And the very image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, as a merciful, kind, earthly saint, continues to sanctify the hearts of Russian people for many centuries.
So, why is St. Nicholas the Wonderworker one of the most famous saints in Rus'? We think that those described in the article personal example The holy life of the ascetic, his miracles performed during his life and after death have already given the answer to the question. Well, and one of the miracles that you are witnessing now. Isn’t it a miracle that you and I have met and are now talking about St. Nicholas?
Saint Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!