Biography
The most revered by the Holy in Orthodoxy, the Wonderworker, the patron of sailors, travelers, orphans and prisoners. From the day the New Year holidays begins in December. Christmas gifts are expected from him, because Saint became the prototype of Santa Claus and Santa Claus. According to the life of the saint, he was born in 270 in the Lycian town of Patars, at the time of the Greek colony. Today it is the territory of the Turkish provinces of Antalya and Mugla, and the locality of the Patary is called the neighborhood of the village of Gelevish.
In the biographies of Life Nikolai, the Wonderworker states that his parents were wealthy Christians who have given the son of the influence of the III century. The family of Nikolai Mirlijsky (another saint's name) was a believer, Uncle - Bishop Patari - noticed the religiosity of the nephew and put it with a reader at public utilities.
Young Nicholas spent in the monastery, and Night devoted to the study of the Holy Scriptures and prayers. The boy was distinguished by amazing responsiveness and early realized that he would dedicate life to the ministry to Jesus Christ. Uncle, seeing the diligence of the nephew, took a teenager to assistants. Soon Nikolai received a priestly san, and the bishop entrusted him to teach the believers of Mijan.
A young priest, having argued by the blessing of the uncle-bishop, went to the Holy Land. On the way to Jerusalem, Nikolai was a vision: the devil, who came to the ship. The priest predicted a storm and crash of the vessel. At the request of the crew of the ship Nikolai, the wonderworker was pacified by the sea. Having risen on Calvary, Likiets raised thanks to the Savior.
In a pilgrimage journey, bypassing holy places, ascended to the Zion mountain. The gravity of the Lord turned out to be swollen doors closed on the night of the temple. Thanks, Nikolai decided to retire in the wilderness, but the voice from Heaven stopped the young priest, Welers to return home.
In Lycia Nikolai entered the Brotherhood of St. Sion to keep silent life. But he was the Most High with the Mother of God and presented the Gospel and Omophore. According to legend, the Lycian bishops were a sign, after which they decided to make a young Mijanin Nicholas Bishop of the world (the city of the Lycian Confederation). Historians and religious scientists argue that for the IV century, the appointment was possible.
After the death of parents, Nikolai entered into the rights of inheritance and distributed the richness to him the poor. The ministry of the bishop of the world of Lycian fell on difficult times of persecution. The Roman emperors Diocletian and Maximian chased Christians, but in May 305, after the imperial renunciation, which took the throne of Constantius stopped persecution in the western part of the empire. In the east, they continued until 311 by the Roman Emperor Galery. After the period of oppression of Christianity in the world of Lycia, where the Bishop of Nikolai was developing rapidly. He is credited with the destruction of the pagan capits and the temple of Artemis in the world.
The Life Researchers Nikolai The Wonderworker talks about the Cathedral Court, on which he was proceeding. The Greek Metropolitan of Navpactsky in the "Treasure" book claims that they were judged by the future of the saint to catch Aria during the Nicene Cathedral. But researchers tend to consider slate slap. They say that Nikolai called the heretic "impairing blasphemy", for which he became the object of the Cathedral Court. Sleepy, slander is resorted to the help of the wonderworker, as it is believed that the saint will relieve them from a sad fate.
Wonders
For help to Saint Nicholas, travelers and sailors who fell into the storm are treated. The saint's life shows the repeated rescue of the navigators. During the trip to Alexandria, the ship of Nikolai covered the storm wave. The sailor fell off the sling and died. The Wonderworker Nikolai, then another young man, resurrected the deceased.
In the life of the saint describes the case of rescue the honor of the three sisters from the poor family, whom the Father to avoid hunger, intertered to pay for the crop. The girls were waiting for an unenviable fate, but Nikolai under the cover of the night rushed into the house bags with gold, providing girls to dowry. According to Catholic legend, the bags with gold fell into stockings that were dried in front of the fireplace. Since then, the tradition has emerged to leave the children "from Santa Claus" gifts in colorful Christmas stockings (socks). The Wonderworker Nikolai Mitrit of the warring and protects innocently convicts. Prayers addressed to him are eliminated from sudden death. The worship of the saint was massive after his death.
Another mention of the miracle, a committed by the Wonderworker, Nikolai is associated with the salvation of Prince Novgorod Mstislav Vladimirovich. The sick venery had a meant that I was saved by the icon of Holy from the Kiev Sophia Cathedral. But the envoes did not get to Kiev because of the storm broken on the river. When the waves smalleled, near the ship, on the water, the envoys saw the round icon on which the Wonderworker Nikolai is depicted. The sick prince, touching the face of the saint, recovered.
Believers Christians call the miracle Akathist Nicholas Wonderworker. They are confident that this prayer is able to change fate for the better if it read 40 days in a row. Believers argue that all prayers for help in work and about the health of the saint hears. Nicholas helps the girls to get married to the girls to get married to the girls, hungry - get rid of the everyday problems. Praying in churches noted that Nikolai Wonderworker without delay responds to the sincere prayer, uttered from his icon with candles.
After death
The exact date of the death of Nicholas is unknown. Call 345 year. After leaving the world, the other body stentered and turned into a pilgrimage facility. In the IV century, Basilica appeared above the grave of Nicholas, and in the 9th century in the Turkish demre, which was previously known as the world, was erected by the church, the doors of which were open and in the XXI century. Until 1087, the remains of the saint rest in the demre. But in May, the merchants from Italy kidnapped 80% of the relics, leaving them in a rush of them in the grave. Transferred the stolen treasure to the city of Bari - the capital of the Italian region of Apulia.
After nine years, Venetian merchants stole the relics of Nicholas who remained in the demre, and transported them to Venice. Nowadays, 65% of the stencils are in Bari. They were placed under the altar of the Catholic Basilica of St. Nicholas. The fifth of the sacred remains rests on the Venetian island of Lido, over the throne of the temple. In the Barium Basilica in the tomb of Nicholas the Wonderworker made a hole. Every year on May 9 (the day, when the ship was moored with relics, the day of the city of Bari) from the coffin, we take out the world, which is attributed to the miraculous properties, healing from deaths.
Two examinations conducted in the middle and in the late 1990s confirmed that the power stored in the two cities of Italy belongs to one person. Anthropologists from Britain in 2005 were reconstructed on the skull's appearance of the saint. If you believe the recreated appearance, Nikolai Wonderworker was an increase in 1.68 meters, had a high forehead, dark skin, brown eyes and sharply outlined cheekbones and chin.
Memory
The news of the transfer of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker in Italy went around the whole of Europe, but at first the feast of the suffering of the saints of the cereal was noted only by barriers. The Greeks, as well as Christians of the East and the West, adopted the news about the transfer of the remains with sadness. In Russia, the reverence of St. Nicholas spread in the XI century. After 1087 (according to other data, 1091), the Orthodox Church established 9 (according to the Julian calendar 22) May Day celebrations of the relevance of the relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker from the world of Lycian in Bari.
Also widely, as in Russia, the holiday is celebrated by Orthodox Bulgaria and Serbia. Catholics (except barriers) are not celebrated on May 9. Russian Orthodox Monthly calls three dates of holidays dedicated to Nikolai Wonderworker. December 19 - his death day, May 22 - the arrival of the saints of the saints in Bari and August 11 - the birth of the saint. In the Orthodox churches, the wonderworker Nicholas commemorate with chants every Thursday.
The second group of holidays associated with the memory of the most revered in Russia's Russia is associated with miraculous icons with his face. On March 1, 2009, the Temple of 1913 and the Patriarchal Patriarch were transferred to Bari to the Russian Orthodox Church. The keys from them received Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.
In Russia, the number of written icons and built churches of Nicholas the Wonderworker the second after the Virgin. Before the beginning of the twentieth century, Nikolai's name was one of the most popular in the country. In the XIX-XX centuries, the wonderworker was honored so that the opinion was found about the entry of St. Nicholas to the Holy Trinity. According to Slavic beliefs (the legend of Belarusian Polesia is preserved), Nikolay will change God on the throne as the "senior" from the saints.
Western and Eastern Slavs attribute to Nicholas the wonderworker possession of the keys from the sky and the "crossing" function of the shower into the world of others. Southern Slavs are called the saint "Head of Paradise", "Wolf Shepherd" and "Snake Fighter". They say, Nikolay Railway is a patron of agriculture and beekeeping.
Orthodox Christians allocate in the iconography of Nicholas of the Winter and Nikola. " The image on the icons is different: "Winter" The Wonderworker is depicted in the Mitre of the Bishop, the "sighted" head uncovered. It is noteworthy that Nikolai Wonderworker is honored by Kalmyki and Buryats, confessing Buddhism. Kalmykov is called "Mikola-Burkhan". He patronizes fishermen and is considered the owner of the Caspian Sea. Buryats identify Nicholas with a white old man - the God of longevity.
Nikolai Wonderworker is a saint claus, on behalf of whom children are handed gifts. Before the Reformation, the saint was revered on December 6, but then they postponed the celebration on December 24, so it is associated with Merry Christmas. In the XVII century Britain, Nikolai was an impersonal "father of Christmas", but in Holland his name is Sinterklaas, which is translated as Saint Nicholas.
In New York, the Dutch, who founded the city, brought the tradition to celebrate Christmas with Sinterklaas, who soon became Santa Claus. From the church prototype at the hero, only a name left, in the rest of the image undergoing thorough commercialization. In France, the Christmas grandfather comes to children, to the Finnish kids - Joulupukka, well, in Russia and the countries of the post-Soviet space, the New Year is impossible without Santa Claus, the prototype of which is a saint-loved one in Russia.
Power in Russia
In February 2016, a meeting of Patriarch Kirill and Pope of the Roman Francis was held, at which an agreement was reached on the transfer of a part of the relics of the Holy of Bari to Russia. On May 21, 2017, the relics of Nicholas Wonderworker (left edge) were placed in the ark and delivered to the Moscow Church of Christ the Savior, where they were met by the Russian Patriarch. Wishing to bow the relics from May 22 to July 12. On May 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the temple. July 13, the ark was transported to St. Petersburg, to Alexander Nevsky Lavra. The relics were open until July 28, 2017.
Kilometer pilgrims ranked in Moscow and St. Petersburg to the relics of Nicholas of the Wonderworker in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which is why they introduced a special access mode in the temples. People wrote the notes to the Holy, asking for help in healing. The organizers of access to holy relics were asked not to do this, recalling that the Orthodox other forms of appeal to the saints are reading akathists, prayers and chants. Particles of the relics of Nicholas The Wonderworker is kept in the churches of dozens of temples of the Russian Diocese, in the monasteries of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg.