Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered saints in Russia. The miracles associated with his name have no boundaries. He helped people during his lifetime, and helps after death. A huge number of believers found their salvation and healing thanks to their fervent prayers offered in his honor.
The Life of Saint Nicholas
Nicholas the Wonderworker was born in 234 AD in the city of Patara, which was located on the territory of the former Lycia (modern Turkey). From an early age, he never ceased to amaze his parents. So, during the baptism, still unable to walk, St. Nicholas stood in the font for about three hours on his small legs.
Parents Feofan and Nonna were rich pious people and could not have children for a long time. Prayers did their job, and God sent them a son, whom they named Nicholas. All his life he gravitated towards religion, fasting on Wednesdays and Fridays, avoiding idleness, secular life, temptations and women. His uncle, the bishop of the city of Patara, seeing such piety, advised his parents to give Nicholas to worship, which they did.
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker possessed fabulous knowledge and had a good education. At the end of his studies, he went to Jerusalem to worship the holy things, after which he made a firm decision to devote his life to the Lord.
Having received the priesthood, Nicholas the Wonderworker was in constant prayer and fasting, lived without frills. Soon his uncle, Bishop Nicholas, entrusted him with the management of the church. After the death of his parents, he sent all the inheritance he received to help those in need. After some time, St. Nicholas decides to leave such a life and go to an unfamiliar place where he could serve people. For this, he moves to the city of Peace. Nobody knows him there, and he lives here in poverty, prayers. The hero of our story finds shelter in the house of the Lord. At this time, the bishop of this city, John, dies. To elect a worthy candidate to this throne, the clergy relied on God's will, which fell on Nicholas the Pleasant.
These times were famous for the persecution of Christians, and Blessed Nicholas was their leader, ready to suffer for the faith. For this, he was captured and imprisoned along with other believing brothers. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker spent a long time in prison, until Emperor Constantine, who ascended the throne, freed all Christians. The city of Mira welcomed its former shepherd with joy.
The great saint of God lived for many years. Throughout his life, he helped people in word, deed and thought. The saint gave blessings, healed, protected and accomplished a great many piousdeeds.
Feast of Saint Nicholas
The Russian Orthodox Church on December 19 accepts congratulations on the Day of St. Nicholas, because he is one of the most revered saints. It has long been considered an intercessor and comforter, an assistant in mournful deeds. Saint Nicholas patronizes travelers and sailors. After all, he was making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, the sea raged and the sailors asked him to pray for their salvation. Saint Nicholas, thanks to his soulful prayer, calmed the raging sea.
Other people receive help from him, to whom he gives hope and helps in trouble. The saint did not refuse either a Christian or a pagan, he confessed everyone, helped to embark on the true path.
Nikolai Ugodnik did many pious deeds. And he was always helped by uncontrollable, strong and zealous prayer to God. The saint died at the end of the 4th century after a short illness, already at a very advanced age. And his relics have been kept in the Italian city of Bari since 1087.
The Orthodox Church annually sends congratulations on St. Nicholas Day to thousands of believers on December 19, and also honors the memory of the saint of God with special chants on Thursdays.
About prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
Prayer to St. Nicholas is the most read in Orthodoxy. After all, the Miracle Worker has been helping believers for a thousand years. Prayers to God's saint do not go unheeded. He is asked about children, travelers, marriage of daughters. They call on him when the house is hungry, forprotection of the innocently convicted.
There is no special list of addresses by which you can turn to the saint for help. He helps everyone in any difficult life situations.
Pray when your heart and soul want it. It is correct to pray twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. The most blessed and heartfelt prayer sounds at dawn, when everyone is still sleeping. Before going to bed, holy words soothe the soul and set you up for a good restful sleep. Do not limit yourself to prayers at home. You should at least sometimes visit the church and put a candle there to your beloved saint. There are 7 main prayers to St. Nicholas.
Akathist to Nikolay Ugodnik
Undoubtedly, prayers are strong and effective, but miracles and changes in life really happen when you read an akathist to St. Nicholas. The words contained in it have a positive effect not only on the life situation, but also help to improve the financial situation, get a good position without blasphemy and money, open your own prosperous business, get married, conceive and give birth to a long-awaited child, defeat a serious illness.
Read the akathist for 40 consecutive days and be sure to stand. For this, the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker is placed in front of him, a candle is lit and a prayer begins. You should try not to miss a single day, otherwise you will have to start all over again.
But this is not a mandatory ritual, you can and should always turn to St. Nicholas:
- when attending church;
- at home beforeicon;
- directly facing a difficult situation.
There is one case that goes from mouth to mouth. One very negligent student, having not learned the theory properly, went to take the exam and suffered a complete fiasco. Of the three tickets that were offered to him, he did not know any, as a result he was given a deuce. Frustrated, he left the office and began to pray to Nikolai Ugodnik. The saint helped him. After some time, the teacher came out and said that he mistakenly put a high mark on the statement, and he should learn the subject and come back to it. The student not only went to church and lit a candle to the saint, but also brilliantly re-passed the exam.
Holy places named after Saint Nicholas
The love of the people and deeds that cannot be forgotten led to the fact that a number of holy places were named in honor of St. Nicholas. These include the Church of St. Nicholas, located in Demre, in Turkey. This is a significant building of Byzantine architecture in the East. It was erected at the beginning of the VI century. At this place before the construction of the church was the temple of the goddess Artemis. The venerable age of the building, ancient wall paintings and icons, paintings, stone mosaics - all this makes the temple unique and the place amazing. Saint Nicholas was originally buried here, but fearing the robbery of the Seljuk Turks, Italian merchants stole his relics and transported them to Italy, to the city of Bali, where they are still located.
Another church named after Saint Nicholas is located in Athens. Exact dateits appearance is unknown, but the temple was restored in 1938. Here, in some places, an old fresco has been preserved. All artwork was carried out by renowned artist Fotis Kondoglu. A piece of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker is kept in the temple.
In Russia, the Church of St. Nicholas is located in Klenniki in Moscow. It has been around for several centuries. A temple was erected on the site of an old wooden church in the 15th century. It remained closed for sixty years (from 1932 to 1990). At this time, the temple was ruined and used as a warehouse for household needs. But, thanks to the efforts of believers, the church gained its second birth and shone with domes. Currently, a piece of the relics of the God-pleaser Nicholas is kept here.
Monastery of St. Nicholas
There is also a convent of St. Nicholas. It is located on the island of Cyprus. There is a legend that tells of a terrible drought in the 4th century. At this time, the territory of the island was attacked by snakes. There were so many of them that the holy empress Helena, who was the mother of Constantine the Great, went in search of the Cross of the Lord and having found it, visited the island upon her return home. Returning to her hometown, she immediately ordered thousands of cats to be sent to Cyprus to fight poisonous reptiles, and the nuns were supposed to look after them. A small monastery was built especially for them and named after St. Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen and sailors.
The abode is still active, six nuns live there and many cats they look after. Therefore, the monastery is often called simply a cat monastery.
Icon of the saintNicholas
Nicholas the Wonderworker is one of the most revered saints, and an icon with his face is present in every home of believers. It has long been considered a unique thing, because the icon painter tried to convey the inner world of the saint, his essence through painting, so that a person could establish a connection with God through it.
The appearance of St. Nicholas not only helps to pray, but also protects the house, makes sure that the people living in it do not feel need, hunger, and also brings prosperity.
The saint is depicted in:
- half-length image, where the right hand blesses, and the left holds the Gospel;
- full height, right hand raised for blessing, left hand holding closed Gospel. In this pose, he is depicted together with other saints, depicted in full growth;
- the guise of Nikola Mozhaisky, where he holds a sword in his right hand, and a fortress in his left, as if showing that he is the protector of believers;
- hagiographic icons. Here the image of the saint is supplemented with 12, 14, 20 and 24 hallmarks, which denote events in the life of St. Nicholas;
- iconographic images. This is the Mother of God with specially chosen saints, the Nativity of St. Nicholas, the Transfer of Relics.
The appearance of St. Nicholas makes a different impression on each person. Some see him as a savior, others as an assistant, others as a mentor. The meaning of the icon is precisely to convey a certain image of holiness, which affects people no worse than a talisman. The effectiveness will be several times stronger if you say a prayer.
Placement of icons in the house
The icon of St. Nicholas should not only be in the house, it is important to place it correctly. The iconostasis, as a rule, is located in the east, but if the eastern corner is occupied, then the icons can be placed in any free place.
When placing the iconostasis, the following principles should be taken into account:
- The icon of the Savior (the Savior Not Made by Hands, the Savior Almighty and other images) should be located in the very center, it should also be the largest icon.
- To the left of Jesus Christ should be the image of the Mother of God with the Child.
- No icons should hang above the images of the Savior and the Virgin Mary, with the exception of the icon of the Trinity or the crucifix.
- All other icons are selected based on the personal preferences of the Christian.
- In each iconostasis there should be icons of St. Nicholas, St. Sergius of Radonezh, Seraphim of Sarov, St. George the Victorious, the healer Panteleimon, the Guardian Angel, as well as baptismal icons with the names of saints that a person wears.
- It is recommended to hang icons in the kitchen or in the living room, but if it is not possible, you can place them in the bedroom as well.
- You can't hang icons next to paintings or images of ordinary people.
- The iconostasis should be located in the most secluded place, away from the TV, computer and other entertainment equipment.
It doesn't matter where the icons are and how many there are in the house, the most important thing is to pray to revered saints regularly. After all, an icon is a connection with God, through which special grace is transmitted.
PowerNicholas the Pleasant
The life of St. Nicholas is full of noble deeds, therefore, most likely, God gave him many years of life, because he died at the age of 94. At the moment, his relics, or rather, their main part, are kept by the Cathedral of St. Nicholas, located in the Italian city of Bari. Many temples are named in honor of the Pleasant, and some of them store the rest of his relics. They have a beneficial and healing effect on people who kiss them, heal the body and soothe the soul.
In 2005, British scientists tried to recreate his image using the skull of the saint. They drew attention to the fact that he had a dense build and a height of about 1 m 68 cm. He had a high forehead, his cheekbones and chin stood out sharply on his face. He had brown eyes and dark skin.
Modern Wonders
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker worked miracles before, and he continues to perform them to this day. So, one day a group of schoolchildren went on a hike. They began to go down the water in kayaks. The boat capsized, everyone was saved, but not immediately. The youngest member of the group had an image of St. Nicholas. According to him, it was it that helped him escape.
Another man was out of work for a long time. He shared his problem with the priest at confession, who, in turn, offered to pray to Nikolai Ugodnik at the icon. The next day, an acquaintance offered the man a position in a firm. It would seem nonsense, but there are thousands of similar stories. For some people, after prayer miraculously, it opens before thata succumbing castle, others see the sun sharply during rain, wind and bad weather, others receive healing and continue on their way.
So pray and you will be heard, ask and you will be rewarded.
