In Russia, the icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has long been one of the most revered shrines. Prayers are offered to them regarding a variety of life circumstances and, uttered with sincere faith and hope for the intercession of His honest saint before the Lord, they are certainly heard.
Half-length image of St. Nicholas
In the Orthodox tradition, the iconography of St. Nicholas is subject to strictly established canons, allowing only a few possible spellings. The most common among them is a half-length image, in which the right hand of the saint is raised in a blessing gesture, and the left one presses the Gospel to his chest.
On the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is shown dressed in a bishop's phelonion (chasuble) - an upper liturgical robe without sleeves of purple or red. Note that in the days of early Christianity, it was always white, but in subsequent times this tradition has weakened.
In addition, an indispensable attribute of hisdecoration is an omophorion - a wide and long ribbon with the image of crosses. The left hand of the saint, holding the Gospel, is covered with a robe, which is a sign of his special reverence for the Divine Word. This image is the most common, and it can be seen in all Orthodox churches. It is also an indispensable component of most home iconostases.
Features of the full-length image of the saint
As a different way of writing the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, we can mention his full-length image, on which the Mirlikian miracle worker is presented in full growth, which is clear from his very name. The vestment on it is the same as on the waist icons, but in this case the tradition allows for different positions of the hands. Most often, traditionally, the saint blesses the viewer with his right hand, and holds the Gospel in his left. However, often both of his hands are depicted raised up, which corresponds to the prayer pose of the Most Holy Theotokos in Her iconographic variants such as “Oranta” (Praying).
Icon - protector of cities
There is another very characteristic type of icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. A photo of one of them is given in the article. On it, he, standing to his full height, clutches a sword in his right hand, and holds a reduced image of the fortress in his left. On icons of this kind, the Bishop of Myra is represented as the defender of Orthodox cities and is called “Nikola of Mozhaisk”. The tradition of writing this image is connected with the legend, according to which, in ancient times, hordes of Tatars approached Mozhaisk, and its inhabitants, not otherwise.salvation, prayed to the saint for help.
Their hearts were so filled with faith, and their words were full of ardent feeling, that suddenly Nicholas the Wonderworker himself appeared in the sky above the cathedral with a sword in his hands. His appearance was so awesome that he put his enemies to flight and filled the townspeople with joy. At the same time, he was recognized as the heavenly patron of Mozhaisk, and his image associated with this city began to be widely revered throughout Ancient Russia.
The meaning of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
How does the image help, and what is its role in the life of believers? It is impossible to give a one-word answer to this question. It is known that, according to the opinion of the majority of theologians, in its significance St. Nicholas is comparable only to the Most Holy Theotokos, to whom prayers and petitions are offered concerning all aspects of human existence. That is why it is customary to open one's soul before the image of the Myrlikian saint, pouring out one's innermost aspirations, and asking for his help in all life situations without exception.
The Orthodox Church teaches that, having acquired the Kingdom of Heaven, the saints receive from the Lord grace to work miracles, first of all, in what they themselves succeeded in the days of earthly life. That is why the meaning of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is so great, because being in a perishable world and performing archpastoral service in the Lycian city of Myra (Asia Minor), he was an inexhaustible source of love for his neighbors and, sparing no effort, cared for their needs.
Patron of travelers
Deeply understand what the icon helpsSt. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one can only remember the deeds he accomplished on the path of life. So, once having God's blessing to make long journeys, having acquired the Kingdom of Heaven after his blessed death, the saint invariably intercedes for everyone who is on the way.
He never ceases to pray to the Lord for those who are in the power of the water element, because he himself was miraculously saved from the wrath of raging waves. At all times, prayers for help to sailors and travelers have sounded and continue to sound before his honest image, and he himself is considered the patron saint of sailors.
Defender of the weak and captives
From the pages of the Life of St. Nicholas it is known that even in his youth the Lord granted him the grace to resurrect the dead - just remember the episode with the sailor who fell from the mast, crashed to death and was brought back to life by the power of his prayer. By this, the saint gave reason to ask for his intercession before the throne of God for the sending of he alth to the afflicted and the salvation of all those who believe in the mercy of the Most High from untimely death.
Carefully studying the biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker, it is not difficult to find the basis for the prayers offered for those who ended up behind bars, since the saint himself was honored to endure this hardship. For those who got there innocently, he begs God for a speedy release, and for criminals - sincere repentance and relief of suffering. There are many cases when the saint himself Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared to the captives and saved them from inevitable death. Especially a lotthere were such episodes during the Bolshevik persecution of the Church.
Defender of victims of abuse
As you know, in the days of earthly life, the saint, interceding for the victims of oppression, fearlessly entered into conflicts with the powerful of this world, endangering himself, pacified the wrath of the rulers. The Lord preserved this grace for him even after his blessed death. Therefore, from time immemorial it has been believed that among the numerous host of saints who are found at the Throne of God, there is no better defender than him, and prayers for help offered before the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, extraordinarily blessed. It is not for nothing that in one of them (the text is given in the article) he is called a “warm intercessor” and an “ambulance” in all sorrows.
Icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with the Old Believers
For many centuries, this image has been invariably revered by the Old Believers - representatives of Russian Orthodoxy, who broke away from the official Church in the 17th century due to their rejection of the religious reform of Patriarch Nikon. This conflict, which has been going on for three and a half centuries, has not been resolved to this day.
However, believing that it was not they who departed from true Orthodoxy, but the official Church itself deviated from it, the Old Believers, or, as they are commonly called, schismatics, act as defenders of the canons established in Byzantine and Old Russian icon painting. At the same time, many distinctive features can be traced in the icons created by their masters.
The image that turns away from sin
An example of this is the image known as "Nikola the Disgusting". It is characterized by the fact that on it the face of the holy miracle worker, which occupies almost the entire board, is given especially severe features, and his eyes are averted, as if refusing to look at the iniquities committed by people. Researchers believe that this type of icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker among the Kerzhaks - members of the Old Believer communities who settled, starting from the 18th century, in the Nizhny Novgorod province along the banks of the Kerzhenets River. They were especially ardent adherents of "ancient piety", and the image of Nicholas the Wonderworker, born in their workshops, was supposed, first of all, to turn people away from the sin that filled the world after the ungodly, in their opinion, Nikon's reform.
Cast Old Believer icons
Continuing the conversation about the history of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one cannot help but recall its special form, which in the period of the 18th - 19th centuries became widespread among numerous representatives of the Old Believer communities. These are the so-called mortise or, simply speaking, cast copper icons, which at the same time have a number of characteristic features. A photo of one of them can be seen in the article.
First appearing in the Urals and Western Siberia, they repeatedly fell under the ban of church and secular authorities as not corresponding to the established canons. Despite the fact that during the period indicated above, copper casting, which is the basis of the technological process of their manufacture, developed among the entire Orthodox population of Russia, the production of this kind of icons, which did not receive blessings from the highesthierarchies, was strictly prosecuted by law. The workshops where they were cast were subject to closure and significant fines were imposed on their owners.
Conclusion
St. Nicholas, widely revered by representatives of all directions of Christianity, from time immemorial has been loved in Russia, where many churches have been erected in his honor. In each of them, along with the image of the Savior and His Most Pure Mother - the Virgin Mary, one can also see the divine image of the Miracle Worker of Myra. His memory is celebrated twice a year: on May 9 (22) and December 6 (19). These days, churches are especially crowded, and before the images of the saint, candles do not go out and prayers do not stop for his intercession before the Throne of the Most High and intercession in the troubles that accompany people on their life path.
