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Saint Nicholas has many names – Nicholas the Wonderworker, Nicholas the Pleaser, Saint Nicholas of Myra, the Baptizer.
Why the Wonderworker? – Because he worked miracles both during his lifetime and after. Everyone knows that Nicholas possessed the miracle of prayer, that is, the miraculous gift of prayer to stop natural disasters, hunger, and to heal from any ailment.
Why the Pleaser? Because he was agreeable, enjoyable and pleasurable trying to give satisfaction? – Of course, not! Because he knew how and knows how to do what is pleasant, necessary and desirable to others… – what they asked and ask for!
Why of Myra? – Because he was the bishop of the Lycian city of Myra, which in difficult years of famine miraculously saved from imminent extinction.
Why the Baptizer? – Because this is what they call the highest persons in the church hierarchy, possessing the highest perfection and strength, who have spent their lives in the service of God or suffered for the faith and therefore are recognized as the heavenly patrons of believers. This is what they call the righteous, pleasing to God and deeply honored. Saint Nicholas was a Byzantine archbishop, who was revered in Russia on a par with the Mother of God and Jesus Christ. The Christian people loved him for his miracles, good disposition and mercy. Some legends even say that Saint Nicholas was supposed to become God, but he refused…
In Christianity, Saint Nicholas is revered as a miracle worker, in the East he is the patron saint of travelers, prisoners and orphans, in the West – the patron saint of almost all strata of society, but mainly children.
The miracles attributed to Saint Nicholas bring him immediately closer to several significant figures in Christianity. Slavic peoples sometimes compare the saint with the Archangel Michael: both have keys to the heavenly gates and a connection with the afterlife. The South Slavs believe that Nicholas the Pleaser, like Saint George the Victorious, was a serpent fighter, meaning the allegorical interpretation that the serpent was paganism, that is, by killing the serpent (dragon), he saved the Christian church from the pagans, and this miracle was considered as a victory over the devil – “the ancient serpent” …
Yes, Saint Nicholas is revered by people of different confessions, and sometimes by non-believers. He evokes strong sympathy: being sincere, modest, but full of energy and actively, without unnecessary preaching, doing Good. In Orthodoxy, Nicholas the Wonderworker is one of the most beloved saints. The Catholic Church, however, in 1969 at the Second Vatican Council officially decanonized him – excluded from the church calendar due to “lack of clarity of his origin.” Nevertheless, this did not diminish his honor. The church does not recognize almost half of the stories about the life and miracles of Saint Nicholas, but people still pass genuine happenings mixed with apocrypha by word of mouth.
Very little is known about the earthly life of Saint Nicholas…
It is known that he was the only, late and desired child in a rich and pious family…
It is known that his parents, asking God for a son, promised to consecrate him to God…
It is known that their prayer was heard, and presumably in the III century in the Greek colony of Patara, located in the Asia Minor, Roman province of Lycia, at a time when this region was Hellenistic in its culture (now it is Turkey), Theophanous and Nonna gave birth to a boy who received a baptismal name Nicholas, which in Greek means “the one conquering nation”.
From childhood, Nicholas succeeded in studying the Holy Scriptures; during the day, he did not leave the temple, and at night, he prayed and read books, building in himself a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. His uncle, Bishop Nicholas of Patara, appointed Nicholas a reader, and then promoted him to the rank of priest, making him his assistant and instructing him to teach the congregation. According to another version, thanks to a miraculous sign given to the council of the Lycian bishops, the layman Nicholas promptly became the bishop of Myra.
It is also known that from early childhood Nicholas was distinguished not only by extraordinary wisdom, but also by a craving for goodness and by his ardent service to other people…
For example, he distributed all the money inherited from his parents to the poor, and he tried to do it so that no one would know who their benefactor was.
There is also a story how Nicholas, when he was already in the priesthood, at the risk of his life, stood up for the innocently slandered and condemned to death people…
Another story describes how Nicholas the Wonderworker saved three girls from poverty and dishonor… To get married, they needed a dowry, which they did not have. For two evenings in a row, Saint Nicholas threw a sack of gold into their house and hid unnoticed. On the third evening, the girls’ father, who guessed about the secret benefactor, watched him at the door. However, the Wonderworker took his word to be silent…
The legend says that the bag thrown by Nicholas ended up in a stocking, which was drying by the fire – and thus the legendary habit of secret gift-giving gave rise to the traditional model of Santa Claus (“Saint Nick”). It is because of this incident that the Catholic Church considers “Nicholas of the Winter” to be the prototype of Santa Claus. Moreover, in 1425, the Italian painter Gentile da Fabriano painted the picture “The dowry for the three virgins” and thereby immortalized this act of mercy and modesty of Saint Nicholas.
Of course, some of the miracles that took place through the prayer of the Saint could not remain secret. For example, the biography of the saint tells how, during a sea voyage to Jerusalem, in front of many witnesses, Saint Nicholas pacified a storm by the power of his prayer and resurrected a young sailor who had fallen from the mast onto the deck and crashed to death. Many sick and possessed people were healed after they had turned to Saint Nicholas for help.
Of course, during his lifetime, the Saint followed the commandment of God that it was necessary to do good, but hiding it from the human eye and ear, so that even the right hand did not know what the left was doing. Therefore, we know only a small part of the miracles of the Saint that were performed during his lifetime.
However, people love Saint Nicholas not for the good deeds that he performed during his lifetime, but for the fact that appeals addressed to him are always heard and his help comes with lightning speed. For not being ashamed to address him even with the smallest requests, as children do addressing their parents, as we ask our loved ones and our soulmates. And there are so many facts when these requests were instantly heard and fulfilled.
“He is quick, without delay, the protector of all those in trouble, rescues from drowning and from the depths of the sea bringing people to land, relieves the death penalty with the sword and other kinds of death in war, gives healing to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, gift of speaking to the dumb. He enriched many when they were in extreme poverty, saved many from cruel death, gave food to the hungry, and salvation to the innocent slandered. His miracles are known everywhere on Earth.”
The life of the Saint itself is much more modest in volume than the volumes dedicated to the testimonies of countless miracles that were performed according to prayers to the Saint after his death and up to our days.
One of the most amazing stories associated with Nicholas the Wonderworker is known from the words of the famous singer, poet and composer Alexander Vertinsky… It was in Harbin, in the 20s of the last century. There were many Russians in Harbin at that time, and someone hung an icon of Nicholas the Wonderworker, one of the most revered saints in Russia as the patron Saint of travelers and persecuted people, right at the railway station. Well, one fine day the motley public at the station witnessed how an elderly Chinese man ran up to the icon, fell down in front of it, uttering, “Ze olt man at ze station, ze olt man at ze station!” As it turned out later, the elderly Chinese man went fishing in a boat and did not notice how the storm arose. His boat was thrown against the waves with such force that the angler was already saying goodbye to life, there was no opportunity to wait for help. Suddenly, as in a dream, the man saw in front of him the image of a gray-haired old man to whom the Russians were praying at the station. Not knowing how to turn to the Saint, he, in his own way, distorting the language, begged for help, “Ze olt man at ze station, ze olt man at ze station!” What happened next, the man could not explain: he woke up safe and sound, with a good catch of fish. He attributed his miraculous salvation to the help of “ze olt man at ze station” – the Russian Saint, whom he rushed to thank, despite the inappropriateness of his action.
Saint Nicholas is considered to be:
- • patron saint of energetic and independent people;
- • patron saint of travelers;
- • patron saint of seafarers;
- • patron saint of businessmen;
- • patron saint of agriculture;
- • patron saint of beekeeping;
- • patron saint of brides;
- • patron saint of widows and orphans;
- • patron saint of children;
- • the fastest assistant;
- • a source of spiritual support;
- • intercessor and savior from injustice, who reconciles warring parties;
- • intercessor and savior of the innocently convicted and slandered;
- • a savior from a vain death;
- • a savior from sudden death;
- • an assistant in work;
- • a healer…
Anyone can turn to Saint Nicholas… at any time… and with any everyday problem, the Saint will hear and help everyone… – the girls will get married, the blind – will see, the deaf – will hear, the starving – will get enough food, the suffering – will get rid of problems…
The Saint’s relics now rest in the Italian city of Bari, and partly in Venice, where plenty of people come. However, Turkey claims that the “real” relics are in Demre, where archaeologists unearthed the temple of Saint Nicholas from under the layers of sand, which they plan to restore one day, and where the tourist business is blooming – souvenirs, trays, the statue (erected in 2000 by sculptor Pototsky) with the polished foot of the Saint, which everyone strives to kiss…
The Saint himself would certainly have considered all this to be vanity of vanities, “Do not waste your precious time on trifles… I am a savior! If you find yourself in the open sea or ocean in a violent storm – don’t hesitate to contact me!”
Currently, the following events related to Saint Nicholas are celebrated:
- • the holiday of Summer Saint Nicholas on 22 May – a holiday in honor of the transfer of Saint Nicholas’ relics from Myra to Bari;
- • Christmas of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker on 11 August;
- • the holiday of Winter Saint Nicholas on 19 December – the day of Saint Nicholas’ death;
- • every Thursday!
