Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, miracle worker(transfer of relics from the World of Lycian to Bari). Information about the life is placed.
In the 11th century, the Greek empire was going through a difficult time. The Turks devastated its possessions in Asia Minor, devastated cities and villages, killing their inhabitants, and accompanied their cruelty by insulting holy temples, relics, icons and books. Muslims attempted to destroy the relics of St. Nicholas, deeply revered by the entire Christian world.
In 792, Caliph Aaron al-Rashid sent the chief of the fleet, Humaid, to sack the island of Rhodes. Having devastated this island, Humaid went to the Lycian Worlds with the intention of breaking open the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead of it, he broke open another, which stood next to the tomb of the Saint. As soon as the blasphemers had time to do this, a terrible storm arose on the sea and almost all the ships were wrecked.
The desecration of shrines revolted not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Especially feared for the relics of St. Nicholas were Christians in Italy, among whom were many Greeks. Residents of the city of Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of St. Nicholas.
In 1087, baronial and Venetian merchants went to Antioch to trade. Both of them planned to take the relics of St. Nicholas on the way back and transport them to Italy. In this intention, the inhabitants of Bari were ahead of the Venetians and were the first to land in Myra. Two people were sent ahead, who, returning, reported that everything was quiet in the city, and in the church where the greatest shrine rests, they met only four monks. Immediately, 47 people, armed, went to the church of St. Nicholas, the watchman monks, not suspecting anything, showed them the platform, under which the tomb of the saint was hidden, where, according to custom, strangers were anointed with myrrh from the relics of the saint. At the same time, the monk told about the appearance on the eve of St. Nicholas to one elder. In this vision, the Saint ordered that his relics be more carefully preserved. This story inspired the baryans; they saw for themselves in this phenomenon the permission and, as it were, an indication of the Holy One. To facilitate their actions, they revealed their intentions to the monks and offered them a ransom of 300 gold coins. The watchmen refused the money and wanted to notify the inhabitants of the misfortune that threatened them. But the aliens tied them up and placed their guards at the door. They broke the church platform, under which stood the tomb with the relics. In this matter, the young man Matthew was especially diligent, wishing to discover the relics of the Saint as soon as possible. In impatience, he broke the lid and the gentlemen saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the baryans, presbyters Lupp and Drogo, made a litia, after which the same Matthew began to extract the relics of the Saint from the sarcophagus overflowing with the world. This happened on April 20, 1087.
In view of the absence of the ark, presbyter Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the baryans, transferred them to the ship. The released monks told the city the sad news about the theft of the relics of the Miracle Worker by foreigners. Crowds of people gathered on the shore, but it was too late ...
On May 8, the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the good news spread throughout the city. The next day, May 9, the relics of St. Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the Church of St. Stephen, located not far from the sea. The celebration of the transfer of the shrine was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, which aroused even greater reverence for the great saint of God. A year later, a church was built in the name of St. Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.
The event associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas caused a special veneration of the Wonderworker and was marked by the establishment of a special holiday on May 9th. At first, the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by the inhabitants of the Italian city of Bari. In other countries of the Christian East and West, it was not accepted, despite the fact that the transfer of relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom of honoring mainly local shrines, characteristic of the Middle Ages. In addition, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this memory, because the loss of the relics of the Saint was a sad event for her.
By the Russian Orthodox Church, the celebration of the memory of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Bari on May 9 was established shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, who passed from Greece simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. The glory of the miracles performed by the Hierarch on land and at sea was widely known to the Russian people. Their inexhaustible strength and abundance testify to the special grace-filled help of the great saint to suffering humanity. The image of the Saint, the all-powerful Wonderworker-benefactor, became especially dear to the heart of a Russian person, because he instilled deep faith in him and hope for his help. The faith of the Russian people in the inexhaustible help of the Pleasant of God was marked by countless miracles. In Russian literature, a significant literature was compiled about him very early. Tales about the miracles of the Saint performed on Russian soil began to be recorded in ancient times. Soon after the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Barigrad, a Russian edition of the life and story about the transfer of his holy relics, written by a contemporary of this event, appeared. Even earlier, a word of praise to the Wonderworker was written. Weekly, every Thursday, Russian Orthodox Church especially honors his memory.
Numerous churches and monasteries were erected in honor of St. Nicholas; Russian people called him the name of their children at baptism. In Russia, numerous miraculous icons great saint. The most famous among them are the images of Mozhaisky, Zaraisky, Volokolamsky, Ugreshsky, and Ratny. There is not a single house and not a single temple in the Russian Church, in which there would be no image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The meaning of the grace-filled intercession of the great saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of the life, according to which St. Nicholas “perform many great and glorious miracles on earth and on the sea, helping those in trouble and saving from drowning, and from the depths of the sea to dry wear, admiring and bringing into the house, delivering from bonds and dungeons, stepping up from the sword cut and freeing from death, many healings are given to many: sight to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb. Enrich many in squalor and poverty of the last suffering, give smooth food and every need for every need, a ready helper, a warm intercessor and a quick representative and protector, and he helps those who call him and saves them from troubles. The message (knows) of the great Wonderworker of this East and West, and all the ends of the earth are leading his miracles.
Few people know that in 1087 the Barians stole from the temple of the Byzantine city of Mira not all the relics of St. Nicholas. In haste and bustle, they left about 20% of the relics in the sarcophagus, which, after 9 years, the Venetians took out of Mir Lycian. We bring to your attention an article by Priest Alexy Yastrebov (rector of the parish of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women of the Moscow Patriarchate in Venice), which tells the story of the transfer of part of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Venice, as well as about other Orthodox shrines in Italy. (All the photographs presented in the article are taken from the book: Priest Alexy Yastrebov “The Shrines of Venice. An Orthodox Historical and Art Guide to the Shrines of the Cathedral of St. Mark and the Churches of the City”.) Italy.
Venice - the keeper of the relics
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
And the history of Venice and, more narrowly, the history of the appearance in Venice of the shrines of Orthodox Christianity, is closely connected with the East, with the Byzantine Empire. The city in the lagoon for a long time was politically dependent on Byzantium, which served its inhabitants well, because the presence of a powerful patron guaranteed relative safety from barbarian raids, while the special position of Venice - an outpost of the empire in the northeast of the Apennines - and the indispensability of the services of the Venetians as skilled sailors and pilots provided broad autonomy for local government.
After the fall of Byzantium, Venice owned a significant part of the former empire and, in particular, many Greek islands. It is no coincidence that refugees arrived here after the victory of the Turks over Christians in the Eastern Mediterranean in the 15th century. The Greek diaspora in Venice at that time numbered up to ten thousand people. Shortly after the arrival of the refugees, a Orthodox Cathedral and the episcopal see of the Patriarchate of Constantinople was established. The Greeks actively participated in the life of the republic and occupied prominent positions in its civil and military leadership.
About the same they brought some shrines. For example, in the Cathedral of St. George there is a part of the relics of the holy great martyr-patron of the temple. In the 16th century, one of the members of the Palaiologos imperial family, who lived in Venice, donated the right hand of St. Basil the Great to the cathedral. Relics are preserved in the cathedral to this day.
We note that in Venice there has never been religious hostility or, even more so, persecution for the faith, largely precisely because the Venetians were “their own” to the Byzantines, and the Orthodox Greek diaspora enjoyed all the rights and privileges of the religious community in the city.
Such closeness to the Greek world enriched the citizens of the island republic in every way, and as a cultural type, the Venetians are undoubtedly still very close to the Eastern tradition today.
The history of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas
The Venetian Republic took a direct part in the first crusades, of which the infamous Fourth, directed exclusively against Byzantium and Orthodoxy, was organized and paid for by the Venetians. This partly explains the fact that a great many relics of Orthodox saints are preserved in Venice to this day: they were among the trophies captured in Constantinople.
In 1096, Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade against the Saracens, in which Western rulers took part, who gathered troops and called themselves crusaders.
Venice did not stay away from the First Crusade, however, she took part in it in her own special style *. Before leaving for the campaign, Pietro Badoaro, Patriarch of Grado, and Bishop Enrico of Venice, son of the Doge Domenico Contarini, admonished the Venetian troops and fleet in the church of San Niccolo on the island of Lido (chiesa San Niccolo a Lido). Pietro Badoaro prayed to Saint Nicholas to help the Venetian weapons in the battles against the infidels and to grant them the relics of the patron saint of Venice. The fact is that Venice, in addition to the holy apostle and evangelist Mark, has two more patrons - the holy great martyr Theodore Stratilat and St. Nicholas. Bishop Enrico Contarini went on a campaign with the army.
*It is obvious that the Venetians did not go on a campaign immediately after declaring war on the Saracens and sending the bulk of the crusaders to Palestine. Perhaps the year of departure of the fleet from the lagoon can be considered 1099, and the year of return 1101, when the anonymous chronicle was written.
The Venetians made their way to Jerusalem through Dalmatia and Rhodes, where they clashed with their enemies, the Pisans, whom they defeated and many of whom were taken prisoner. When they came up with the Lycian coast, Bishop Contarini wished to take the relics of St. Nicholas, in order, as the chronicler says, "to multiply the patrons of his Motherland"*.
* In general, the main goal of the Venetians, apparently, was only the relics of St. Nicholas, since they were in no hurry to Palestine and arrived only at the end of the campaign.
Spies were sent from the ships to the city, who reported that the city of Myra was located at a distance of 6 miles from the seashore and that after the Turkish devastation there were almost no inhabitants left in it. In the basilica itself, due to the impoverishment of the faithful, services were performed only once a month. The Venetians set up an ambush and waited for the right moment.
When the Crusaders entered the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, they found it empty. There were only four guards assigned to guard her. The guards showed the broken shrine of the Saint's relics and said that the Barians had come and taken away part of the saint's relics (in 1088, a decade earlier). They said: “This is the tomb from which the Barians took part of the relics and left the other part”*. There was also a part of the relics, which, according to them, had been taken by Emperor Basil earlier in order to be transported to Constantinople; where they were subsequently placed is unknown.
*F.Corner “Notizie storiche delle chiese e monasteri di Venezia e di Torcello”, Padova 1763, p.52.
The Venetians did not believe the Greeks and dismantled the tomb, where they found only water and “oil” (perhaps this is what the author of the chronicle of myrrh calls it), and then searched the entire church, according to the chronicler, turning everything upside down. In parallel with the search, the guards were tortured, one of whom could not stand the torture and asked to be allowed to speak with the bishop. The bishop urged him to tell about where the relics lie, but the guard only began to beg to save him from unnecessary torment. Contarini withdrew from helping the unfortunate man, and the soldiers began to torment him again. Then he again cried out to the bishop, who finally ordered an end to the torment, and the guard, in gratitude, showed him the relics of two other saints - the predecessors of St. Nicholas: the Hieromartyr Theodore and St. Nicholas-uncle * - both were bishops of Mir.
* The assumption that St. Nicholas the Uncle is the uncle of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is unfounded, as has been shown on the basis of various studies. We are talking about a mixture of two persons: in the Middle Ages, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was confused with St. Nicholas of Pinar, who lived in the middle of the 6th century, that is, two centuries after St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas of Pinar is the uncle of St. Nicholas, called "Uncle" in Venice. See in particular: L.G. Paludet, Ricognizione delle reliquie di S. Nicol?. ed. L.I.E.F., Vicenza 1994. pp.4-5 or G.Cioffari, “S.Nicola nella critica storica”, ed.C.S.N., Bari 1988. In his last work, the Dominican Gerardo Cioffari, in particular, questions the authenticity of the “Venetian” relics of St. Nicholas , on the grounds that, in his opinion, the Venetians were looking for and found the "relics" of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker not where they should have been looked for. They arrived at the Zion monastery near Mir and found exactly the resting place of St. Nicholas of Zion, or otherwise Pinarsky, which explains the presence of the relics of his uncle there. (footnote 33 on p. 213 cit.). However, an anonymous Venetian source, which tells about the transfer of the relics of the saint from Myra of Lycia to Venice, clearly says: 1) about the city of Myra, and not the monastery of Sion, located three kilometers from the city, and 2) that, according to the guards, the Barians had already taken from there most of the relics - thus, if we agree with Czoffari, we will have to admit that the relics in Bari do not belong to St. Nicholas, since they were taken from the same place.
They loaded the relics onto the ship and were about to set sail when some of their comrades, who had slowed down in the church, said that they felt a wonderful fragrance in one of the church aisles.
Then some residents remembered that on major holidays the bishop did not serve in the chapel of St. Nicholas, but went to a room nearby. A portable throne was installed there, on which he served. On the ceiling of the room, in addition, there was a fresco depicting St. Nicholas. Thus, the incense emitted at that place and the icon told the crusaders where to look for the relics of the Saint.
Then the Venetians returned to the church, broke the floor of the altar, began to dig and found another floor, under a layer of earth. They also broke it and, having removed the large stones that supported it, they found a certain thick layer of vitreous substance, in the middle of which there was a mass of asphalt, as it were petrified. When it was opened, they saw inside, as the chronicler says, another sintered mixture of metal and asphalt, and inside it were the holy relics of the miracle worker Nicholas. A wonderful fragrance spread throughout the church.
Enrico Contarini wrapped the saint's relics in his episcopal robe. Here the first miracle happened at the relics of St. Nicholas - the palm branch brought by the Hierarch from Jerusalem and placed with him in the coffin gave rise to shoots. The Venetians took the branch with them as evidence of the power of God.
At the place where the relics were laid, they found an inscription in Greek, which read: "Here rests the great Bishop Nicholas, glorious for his miracles on land and at sea."
The chronicler refers to unnamed Greek sources (in his words, the "annals") to explain the reason why the relics were so deeply buried and so carefully hidden. Emperor Basil I the Macedonian (867-886) wanted to transport these relics to Constantinople, but somehow miraculously restrained from this, he wanted to make sure that no one else could take what he could not take, and therefore ordered them to be sealed and buried in one of the rooms of the church.
Both Barian chronicles indirectly mention this attempt, which we will discuss in more detail below: the chronicle of Nicephorus tells that the inhabitants of the Lycian world, seeing that they were deprived of their shrine, exclaimed: “here, according to our Greek chronicler, 775 years have passed during which neither the emperor nor anyone else could commit such an act. Another Barian chronicler, Archdeacon John, in this way trying to substantiate God's will to take the relics from Mir to Bari, says that many lords and mighty ones of the world tried to take the relics out in previous centuries, but in vain.
There were Pisans and Barians during the taking of the relics, who could confirm the authenticity of the sacred find.
O elated, the Venetians released some of the captive Pisans and handed over a hundred coins to the local archbishop to repair the damage they had done in the church.
The restorsers collected all the fragments of the alloy that contained the relics and carried them to the ship, where they set up a special church in honor of St. Nicholas, and instructed the priests to pray day and night and glorify the holy Archbishop Mir.
Then they moved to the Holy Land and arrived in Jerusalem for the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. We stayed in the Holy Land for some time and sailed to Venice. It can be understood from the chronicle that the Venetians did not take a direct part in the war, which at that time was almost over, but were mostly engaged in contracts and contracts for ships, sailors and food.
Upon returning home, the participants of the campaign were greeted with great triumph by the Doge, the people and the clergy of Venice. The relics were temporarily placed for worship in one of the churches. Numerous miracles and healings of the sick were performed at the shrine. Then they were placed in the church of St. Nicholas of the Benedictine monastery on the island of Lido, from where the army set off on a campaign and where, according to a vow, the relics of the saint were to be placed, although there were different opinions regarding their location.
The relics of the three saints were taken from the Myra of Lycia on May 30, and brought to Venice on December 6 on the feast day of St. Nicholas [on the time of the expedition, see the first note].
Venetian and Bari sources on the transfer of relics
The material concerning the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas to Venice was taken mainly from the fundamental study of Flaminius Corner "Historical News about the Churches and Monasteries of Venice and Torcello", who published this abridged one-volume version of his work in Italian in 1758. Latin "Izvestia" has 12 volumes.
In his narrative, he is based on an anonymous Venetian manuscript written around 1101 - this is the main source that provides information about the transfer of the relics of the Saint to Venice.
In addition, there are two more manuscripts - Nicephorus and John the Archdeacon - describing the taking of the holy relics of St. Nicholas by the Barians.
These manuscripts are the most important sources for clarifying the history of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas to Bari and, indirectly, to Venice. For us, the version of the anonymous author of the “Venetian manuscript” will be the main one, while we only mention the Bari sources in connection with the transfer of the relics to Venice.
And so, the chronicler Nicephorus, whose manuscript exists in three ancient editions, narrating about the taking of the relics of St. Nicholas, tells that the locals resisted the Latins. The Barians had to hastily open the tomb and take out the holy relics from the shrine filled with the world. A sailor named Matteo took the head and other parts of the relics of the saint. Given the haste with which the relics were taken, as well as the impossibility of reliably discerning all the holy remains in the shrine filled with the world, it is quite natural to assume that part of the relics remained in the shrine. In addition, apparently, the mentioned Matteo did not have a vessel or bag to put the holy relics, so he took as much as he could. Nicephorus writes only that he plunged his hands into the world and began to take out the relics, some of which, however, was visible on the surface of the world. Finding the head, he immediately left the tomb.
And John the Archdeacon wrote his chronicle around 1088. His story is replete with various details that Nicephorus does not have, but in principle the essence of his presentation is the same. He especially insists on the "indivisibility" of the relics of St. Nicholas, who allegedly appeared to the sailors himself and forbade the separation of his bones. By this, the Barians wanted to emphasize that they possess all the relics of the Saint.
It is quite obvious that all the chronicles in general, and the Barian ones in particular, are not free from the then prevailing spirit of political competition, therefore the chroniclers retain the right of exclusive possession of the shrine, and in the course of the chronicle they resort to outright lies. John, for example, puts into the mouth of one of the Barians the following words: "We are sent by the Roman pontiff!", Which, of course, was not true.
In general, the desire to capture as many shrines as possible was not so much or not only a religious zeal, but a political calculation. In the Middle Ages, it was a matter of prestige to have the relics of many saints in your hometown, who thus became the patrons of the city. They protected citizens and were the pride of the state. As noted at the beginning of the article, this partly explains why Venice became the owner of so many relics of Eastern saints: the proximity of Byzantium and the increased political power of the Venetian Republic - these factors determined the "wealth" of Venice in relics.
For us, it is important that the historical sources of Bari - the chronicles of Nicephorus and John - as a whole do not contradict the fact that part of the relics remained in the Worlds, untouched by the Barians.
To what part? It is difficult to determine with accuracy whether the Venetians took part of the relics left by the Barians and then hidden by the inhabitants of Mir to another place, or whether it was that part of the relics that Emperor Basil once tried to take out and which he then walled up in one of the inner rooms of the basilica*. The main thing is that whether it is one or another part of the relics, the Bari sources do not contradict the Venetian and their narrative does not at all exclude the possibility of the existence of part of the relics of St. Nicholas, which was not taken to Bari.
*According to Professor Martino, this is the part of the relics that the Barians did not take with them. The sailor Matteo, who entered the holy tomb in order to steal the shrine, literally trampled on the fragile bones of the saint, which were at the bottom of the shrine, when he took away the larger of the relics. That is why the relics are greatly fragmented.
Veneration of Saint Nicholas in Venice
As it was said, Saint Nicholas was one of the patrons of the Venetian Republic. In one of the conversations, the church historian of Venice, Monsignor Antonio Niero, expressed confidence that after the final reconstruction in 1097, the Cathedral of St. Mark, after the final reconstruction in 1097, they wanted to dedicate not to St. Mark, but to St. Nicholas, or, in any case, to make the church double-altar with its dedication to both saints. One of the visible proofs of this is the fact that in the central apse of the Cathedral of San Marco, next to the mosaic depicting the Apostle Peter, there is also a large mosaic icon of St. Nicholas. However, the relics were laid in the church of St. Nicholas on the Lido in accordance with the vow given by the participants in the campaign themselves. Lido Island is a natural barrier that protects the Gulf of Venice from winds, floods and enemy invasions. The church of San Niccolo is located at the very entrance to the bay next to the fort that blocked the way to the lagoon, and St. Nicholas, being at the gates of the city, protects its inhabitants, as it were.
Of course, the Venetians, eternal travelers, greatly revered St. Nicholas. The ships that came to the Venetian harbor stopped at the first church of the city - the church of St. Nicholas - and thanked him for giving them the opportunity to return home safe and sound.
Not far from Venice in the direction of Padua, on the banks of the river Brenta, there is a small town called Mira. There is an interesting folk legend associated with the name of the city: sailors who returned with goods from distant lands, after praying at the relics of the Saint, set off up the Brenta to deliver the goods to Padua. After a day's journey, they spent the night in a village, where they set up a chapel dedicated to the Miracle Worker of Myra. Over time, this village began to be called Mira in honor of St. Nicholas. Now it is a town in the province of Venice, which, by the way, is twinned with Stupino near Moscow.
The Benedictine monastery on the Lido, after the relics of Saints Nicholas the Wonderworker, Saint Nicholas the Uncle (who was called that, mistakenly believing that he was the uncle of Saint Nicholas) and the Hieromartyr Theodore, became one of the centers of the spiritual life of the city. Over the following years, rulers and wealthy citizens donated churches, land ownership and monetary contributions to the monastery, which indicates a deep veneration of St. Nicholas in Venice *.
* In the monastery, in addition to the relics of the three named saints, other relics also rested: parts of the relics of Mary of Egypt, the holy martyrs Placis, Procopius, and babies beaten by Herod in Bethlehem.
The relics of the three saints were laid in the same reliquary, but in different wooden containers. The anonymous author of the manuscript, dated 1101 and telling about the transfer of the relics to Venice, tells about the miracles performed at the relics of the Saint, many of which he personally witnessed when he performed the obedience of the monastery choir.
This anonymous author, at the end of his chronicle, distinguished by an exquisite literary style, placed the Praise of Venice, in which he writes about the patron saints of the city: “Happy and blessed are you, O Venice, because you have the Evangelist Mark as a lion for your protection in wars and the father of the Greeks Nikola as the helmsman of the ships. In battles you raise the banner of the Lion, and in sea storms you are protected by the wise Greek Pilot. With such a Lion you pierce the impregnable formations of the enemy, with such a Pilot you are protected from the waves of the sea ... "
Examination of the relics and their reliability
The shrine with the relics of three saints was opened, and not once, but at least three times before the relics were placed in the new church building in the 17th century.
So, for example, in 1449, the cancer was discovered due to the outflow of a miraculous pure liquid that settled on the outside of the stone cancer. Abbot Bortolomeo III, who became a witness miraculous phenomenon, ordered to collect with linen cloth and placed in glass vessel this transparent viscous liquid, which, being placed in a cold room in winter time, did not freeze. With the permission of Lorenzo Giustiniani, Bishop of Venice, the shrine was opened and a vessel with myrrh thickened to the state of ointment was found, which was next to the relics of St. Nicholas, and they also found a stone with an inscription in Greek. These items were also found during the survey in 1992.
In honor of this event, Giustiniani celebrated a solemn mass in the presence of Doge Francesco Foscari and many people, after which the shrine was again closed.
In 1634, the construction of a new church was completed, and the relics of the three saints were transferred to a new marble shrine, in which they have been preserved to this day. At the same time, another examination of the relics of St. Nicholas was made, about which it is said that they are whiter than the relics of the other two saints, and the most crushed, which is explained by the fact that they were badly damaged when they were separated from the substance (“bitumen”, as the chronicler writes), in which they were sealed.
As for the examination of the relics of saints, then in Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council, when the spirit of criticism prevailed, they were held frequently. One of these surveys was carried out in 1992 with the participation of the Franciscan L. Palude, who subsequently published an illustrated survey report, photographs of which are given here. Monsignor Luigi Martino, professor at the University of Bari, took part in the examination of the relics, who led a similar examination of the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari, which took place in 1953.
During the opening of the marble sarcophagus, in which the relics of three saints lie above the altar, three wooden receptacles were found. The largest of them contained the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. When the coffin was opened, they found another lead coating, removing which the members of the commission saw a lot of bones different size and colors. In addition, there were:
1. A black stone of a rounded shape with an inscription in Greek: “the myrrh-streaming relics of the humble Saint Nicholas”;
2. The upper part of the skull, which in no way could be the head of St. Nicholas, since after the examination of the relics in Bari, it was reliably known that the head of the saint was there*;
3. Vessel with the world.
*It was found that the head belonged to St. Nicholas the uncle.
The result of the examination: according to the conclusion of Professor Martino, whose opinion was especially valuable as an anthropologist who participated in the examination of the relics in Bari, “the white bones located in Venice complement the remains preserved in Bari”*. The white color of the remains indicates that they may have been under the sun for a long time, or, more likely, they were preserved in lime, as F. Korner writes about this in the Latin edition of his Izvestia **.
*L.G. Paludet, Ricognizione delle reliquie di S. Nicol?. p.37 Vicenza 1994.
**F. Corner, "Ecclesiae Venete", XI, p. 71, 1.
More fully about this is an extract from the conclusion of the commission: “The bones of St. Nicholas, consisting of a large number debris white color, correspond to parts of the saint's skeleton missing in Bari. Unfortunately, the bones were shattered into small pieces by a Barian sailor during his flight.
*L.G. Paludet, Ibid., p.59.
Thus, the opinions of experts fully confirm the authenticity of the relics of St. Nicholas, preserved in Venice.
* * *
The spiritual meaning of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas to Venice is the same as in Bari: according to the Providence of God, this relic was transferred from Orthodox lands to non-Orthodox lands. For what? Perhaps in order to shine with their grace-filled holiness on this ancient Christian land and call Western Christians to return to the Mother Church, or perhaps so that Orthodox pilgrims, who come in large numbers to venerate the relics of the Saint, would testify with their reverence and faith about Orthodoxy in the West. Of course, both are true - through the second, strive for the implementation of the first.
Saint Nicholas, in this way, in addition to all his miracles and good deeds to all people (and not only Orthodox, but even non-Christians) becomes, as it were, a beacon of reconciliation between Christians of different confessions, first of all, between Orthodox and Catholics, and therefore, like Bari, so Venice could become places not only of pilgrimage, but also of interfaith dialogue.
Veneration by Orthodox believers
relics of St. Nicholas and others
shrines of Venice today
The believers of the parish of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women of the Moscow Patriarchate in Venice are trying to re-open Orthodox shrines for Russian pilgrims. Materials are collected for publications, a Guide to the Shrines of Venice is being prepared, prayers and liturgies are served on the relics of saints. Gradually, we learned more and more about the shrines and talked about it in Russia. Immediately the number of pilgrims, previously small, increased, so that even the parish was opened. pilgrimage service preparing trips to the North of Italy.
The relics of the holy righteous Zechariah, father of St. John the Baptist, the Holy First Martyr and Archdeacon Stephen, the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, the Holy Patriarchs of Alexandria Athanasius the Great and John the Merciful, the two Patriarchs of Constantinople - a fighter against iconoclasm, St. Herman and Saint Eutyches, who was the chairman of the V Ecumenical Council. Let us also name the relics of the first monk - St. St. Paul of Thebes, the Holy Martyr Christina of Tire, the Holy Great Martyrs Theodore Tiron and Theodore Stratilates, so revered in the Russian Church, the Holy Martyr Lucia of Syracuse, the Martyr Valeria, the Holy Martyr Paul, the Monk Mary of Bithynia, who was called Marin in monasticism, the Monk Martyr Anastasius of Persia, the Holy Martyrs and unmercenaries Cosmas and Damian of Arabia, the holy apostle and evangelist Luke in Padua, as well as the most important parts of the relics of especially revered saints: the hand of St. great martyr and healer Panteleimon, the right hand of St. Basil the Great and the hand of St. John Chrysostom. In Venice, several needles from the crown of thorns of the Savior, which were preserved for some time in Venice on the way to France, and a great many relics of saints and other shrines are preserved.
There are many relics of the Roman martyrs of the first centuries in Venice, about whom practically nothing is sometimes known, except for their names. But holiness is not measured by fame and the breadth of popular veneration - many "witnesses" of the faith of Christ suffered without a trace, but the Orthodox with love and reverence resort to all the saints, regardless of their faces. For example, the relics of the holy martyrs Sergius and Bacchus rest in Venice. Little is known about these martyrs, and after all, the once young Bartholomew took monastic tonsure with the name of Sergius, and then became a great saint not only for Russia, but for the entire Christian world. The whereabouts of these relics were not known in Russia, but now there is an opportunity to bow to the relics of the saint, in whose honor the “abbot of all Russia” was named in monasticism - Reverend Sergius Radonezh.
It can be said with certainty that in terms of the number of shrines, Venice, together with Rome, ranks first in the entire Christian world.
On the days of commemoration of the saints, whose relics rest in Venice, at the parish of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women, a tradition was established to celebrate services at these shrines. The Catholic side welcomes this undertaking, and the abbots of the churches where the relics are located go towards the Orthodox. Prayers and venerations are performed for the saints at their relics and with pilgrimage groups from Russia.
On May 8, 2004, on the feast day of the apostle and evangelist Mark, in the famous cathedral named after him, which is considered the second most important in the Catholic Church after the Roman cathedrals, the first in the history of this temple was performed at the relics of the saint Orthodox liturgy. In contrast to the Cathedral of St. Peter - a monument of the Renaissance, very "Western" in its style, the Cathedral of the Apostle Mark is like an icon of the Orthodox East, painted specifically for the West. Therefore, according to the representatives of the Catholic Church who were present at the Liturgy, the Orthodox worship in this very "Eastern" church in essence fit very organically into the spiritual architectonics of the ancient basilica.
The relics of St. Nicholas are, of course, the most important shrine in Venice. Previously, only prayers and akathists were performed on the relics of St. Nicholas. This year, the parish received permission to celebrate the liturgy on the relics of St. Mirliky the Wonderworker. This will be the first liturgy on the relics of the famous saint kept in Venice. We hope that this liturgy will become the beginning of the general church veneration of the "Venetian" relics of the saint.
In 2004, by the grace of God, we managed to receive a particle of the relics of St. Nicholas. It was presented as a gift to His Holiness the Patriarch on the day of the transfer of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God.
Prospects for Orthodox Witness in Venice
Thus, Venice rightfully becomes one of the centers of pilgrimage in Western Europe. At the same time, the Orthodox community of Venice not only does not have any infrastructure for working with pilgrims, but it does not even have its own church for worship. Today, thanks to the hospitality of the Catholic side, the parish has been temporarily provided with a church for worship.
Of course, given the significance of Venice for Orthodoxy, the Russian community would be worthy of having its own church, as the representatives of the Patriarchate of Constantinople have it. Undoubtedly, the city should become one of the main places for visiting pilgrims not only in Italy, but in Europe as a whole.
The Parish of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women is in dire need of sponsorship. Now on the agenda is the opening of the parish website, ensuring the normal work of the parish press service. All this requires funds. And the prospect is, of course, the Russian church in Venice.
And this idea appeared already two years ago, when we realized how many shrines are kept in the churches of Venice. During this time, we received the blessing of the Hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church to begin work in the direction of the construction of the temple, we carried out the initial work in the city institutions responsible for construction and architectural planning. Everywhere met with a positive attitude and interest. It's up to the benefactors. When visiting Moscow, I always come up with the idea of building a church in the church media, but so far the Lord has not sent helpers in the development of the Russian spiritual mission in Venice.
We fervently pray at the parish that we may glorify the saints of God, whose relics rest in Venice, and build here a temple and a Pilgrim's House. We ask for the prayerful help of all who sympathize with the cause of church building in Venice.
I hope that the publication of this article will be joyful news for our believers, will reveal to them the great shrine of Orthodoxy, kept in Venice, and thereby serve the cause of church building in Venice.
The expansion of the Orthodox witness on Italian soil will, on the one hand, ensure the spiritual nourishment of our flocks who find themselves in a foreign land, and, on the other hand, help familiarize compatriots with the shrines of Italy, which, first of all, will be served by the parish in the name of Sts. Myrrh-bearing woman. In addition, this will greatly contribute to improving attitudes and deepening interest in Orthodoxy among Catholic believers.
In May 2012, Christ-sti-ane of the whole world is celebrating the 925th anniversary of the re-re-not-se-ning of the relics of st. -ko-laya from Mir Li-ki-skikh in Ba-ri. From-me-tea is an event, many in-se-ti-whether Turkey and Italy, wanting to see places connected with Ni-ko-la -em Chu-do-creator. Due to the historical circumstances of the pre-ter-pe-whether the facts are the same, some beliefs appeared these and legends from-no-si-tel-but pe-re-not-se-niya of the relics of St. Ni-ko-lay Mir-li-ki-sko-go. This gives us a crit-ti-che-ski assessment of the history of re-re-me-shche-tion of relics in the light of ar-heo-lo-gi-che-sky research-follow-up-va-ny and whether-te-ra-tour-sources-toch-no-kov within the framework of max-si-small-but-possible-no-cri-ti-che- sko-go from-lo-zhe-niya ma-te-ri-a-la and me-to-di-ki from-del-ny research-follow-to-va-ny.
In this article, it is represented-le-but chro-but-lo-gi-che-of-lo-same-events associated with the body of Ni-ko - barking of the Chu-to-creator from the moment of death to the present day in the historical context, on the basis of-no-va-nii to- texts that have come down to us and their is-to-ri-che-an-ana-li-za, on-scientific-research-to-va-ny, as well as from-cry- ty in the next years. The purpose of this work-bo-you is-la-et-sya analysis is-toch-no-kov with the use of the system-no-go sub-ho -yes, to the illumination of events and the sve-de-ing of in-for-ma-tion about the fate of relics in chron-no-lo-gi-che-ski you-strong-en -noe in-west-in-va-nie.
Pe-re-not-se-nie relics of saint-te-la Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator from the World of Li-ki-sky to Italy, yav-la-et-sya , p-please, the most-boo-more-described-san-ny chro-no-hundred-mi-be-ty-eat in the middle one. In the os-no-ve of this, having become-she-go-le-gen-dar-nym, is-it-ri-che-sko-go fact lies re-re-ple-te-nie ve -ry and pat-ri-o-ti-che-sky, in-li-ti-che-sky and eco-no-mi-che-sky ambitions. After more than de-ve-ti-hundred years since the time-me-no re-re-me-shche-ing of the relics, it is necessary-ho-di-mo kri-ti-che-ski from-not-stay to le-gen-de, someone-ruyu pre-under-no-syat tu-ri-stam and pa-lom-ni-kam in modern Turkey, co-ver -shen-but not counting with the is-ri-che-ski-mi fak-ta-mi, but sometimes insulting the memory of St. Ni-ko-lai Chu -to-the-creator.Ras-we-look-from-the-known to us chrono-ni-ki from the point of view of the traditions of Ba-ri, Ve-ne-tsi and Li-kii, according to -we-ta-em-sya to understand the goals and for-da-chi, some-rye pre-follow-to-wa-whether zhi-te-whether three areas of the Middle-di- earth-but-sea-rya in the light of vla-de-niya invaluable co-kro-wi-sch.
Study-tea ak-ro-pol li-ki-sky mit-ro-po-lii, you can-but do-pu-stit that the body is holy-ti-te-la in-lo-zhi-li in ti -pic-ny for the Roman-th-pe-ri-o-da sar-co-fag. But we can’t agree with the fact that the relics were in the sar-co-fa-ge, someone is now de-mon-stri- ru-yut in the “Ni-ko-la-ev-sky temple” tu-rets-ko-go-ro-yes De-m-re. During the life of Ni-ko-lai, Chu-do-tvo-retz uni-lived the temple of Ar-te-mi-dy and waged a fierce fight against paganism. And judging by the iso-bra-same-ni-pits on the sar-ko-fa-ge, the coffin-no-tsa is clearly attached to-above-le-zha-la tongue-no-ku. Everything is trying to explain the thread that this sar-co-phage is used-to-wa-li for the second time to mention the body of the holy-ti-te- la, in a certain sense, they offend the memory of a saint - he could not be buried in an ancient pagan coffin. In 336, Stra-ti-la-you arrived in Mir-ry, and, having learned that Saint Ni-ko-lai had died, “they searched for a place where sorry for his honest body ... [and] honor Ni-ko-lai, co-or-diving port-tik "church-vi. Since for the IV century. ha-rak-ter-but building-and-tel-stvo in the memory of the holy mar-ti-ri-ev - special buildings, then we pre-la-ga-em, that in-e-vo-dy in-stro-and-whether the first pa-myat-nick - hour-ov-nu over the mo-gi-la Ve-li-ko-go ar-hi-epis-sko- pa World of Li-ki-skih No-ko-bark. The temple, in someone's rum served Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-tvo-retz, and port-tic, built-en-ny stra-ti-la-ta-mi, would it be time -ru-she-ny lands-le-trya-se-ni-em 529, and in their place, “on the means, you-de-len-name-ra-to-rum Yus- ti-ni-a-nom ", erecting a new temple and an hour over for-ho-ro-not-no-thing of the holy.
In the 7th century on-cha-las active Arab ex-pan-sia on the ter-ri-to-rii of the Eastern Roman Empire. In 655, the ara-would almost completely destroy the V-zantian fleet in a naval battle off the coast of Li-kiya. In September-Tyab-re 792, the Bagh-Dad Kha-lif Kha-run-ar-Ra-shid sent Hu-maid-ibn-Ma-yu-fa to the head of the fleet "for raz-rob-le-niya ost-ro-va Ro-do". Raz-grab-biv-is-ditch, Hu-made from-pra-vil-sya to Mi-ra Li-ki-skie with on-me-re-ni-em “raz-lo-mother of the holy coffin -ni-tsu of the holy Chu-to-creator Ni-ko-lai, [but] broke another instead of her, standing in the near-zo-sti ". As soon as holy-tat-tsy had time to do it, how a terrible storm arose on the sea and once-bi-la a big number su-dov, "and the bo-go-bor-ny Khu-maid himself somehow escaped" . In-e-on-the-chief defiled, robbed the church and broke into the coffin-no-tsu, but he did not destroy the temple.
In the ninth century im-pe-ra-tor Va-si-liy I Ma-ke-do-nya-nin (867-886), wishing to underline the resurrection-de-nie in-chi-ta-nia icons and relics, so-bi-ral-sya re-re-vez-ti the relics of St. ti-te-la Ni-ko-lai in Kon-stan-ti-no-pol, but was left new-len in the doorway in a kind of miraculous way. Then, “strongly but angry,” ordered for-pe-cha-tat his relics in a white stone sar-ko-fa-ge and in-me- steve under half an hour - at-de-la church-vi Si-o-na, so that "no one else could take the remains" -la.
By the 11th century with an increase-whether-che-no-em pa-lom-ni-kov at the "Ni-kol-sko-go-temple-ma in Mi-ra for-mi-ru-et-sya mo-na-she-sky about -schi-na, the first mention-mi-na-tion about someone-swarm meeting-cha-et-sya in connection with the re-re-no-som mo-schey bari-tsa-mi in the 11th century." . In 1034, the sa-ra-tsin-ny “once again, you capture the city, but the church remains intact”.
In the XI century. about-a-hundred-now-ka in the V-Zan-Ti-im-pe-rii would-la-la-nebla-go-pri-yat-na for hri-sti-an. V-Zan-Tiy pre-table after the death of Va-si-liya II (1025) for-no-ma-whether weak, often changing im-pe-ra-to-ry; just at this time, serious dangers began to threaten im-pe-rii. In Front of Asia, sel-d-zhu-ki so-ver-sha-li its op-one-shi-tel-noe movement to the West, and by 1081 vi-zan- ti-tsy in-te-rya-whether the whole of Asia Minor.
After the defeat of Byzantium in the battle of Man-tsik-er-te (August 19, 1071) in Asia Minor, only one -on do-mi-ni-ru-yu-shaya si-la - sel-d-zhu-ki. Captivated by them-pe-ra-tor Ro-man Dio-gene co-gla-forces you-cry-to them for “Eternal Peace” and “Friend- stven-no-mu do-go-vo-ru "annually-but" a large sum-mu de-neg ". But the con-stan-ti-no-Polish nobility overthrew la failures-whether-in-the-great-vi-te-la, and his successor-nick - Mi-ha-il VII Du-ka Pa- ra-pi-nak - didn’t wish you-half-to-take-up-lo-wife-ny on the country of obligations. So mu-sul-mane in a lu-chi-li is a beautiful excuse for na-cha-la on-be-gov.
It's you-needs christ-sti-an, live-te-lei World, re-se-ly-sya in a safer place, on-ho-dya-sche -e-sya three kilo-meters from the old Mir. In the temple itself, only a few mo-on-hovs remain to serve. In 1086, St. Ni-ko-lai "appeared in vi-de-nii to three people-lo-ve-kam, with-ka-zy-vai to announce to them zhi-te-lyam go -ro-da Mi-ry, someone, being afraid of that rock, left from-here-yes to the mountain, so that they would return to live and guard the city, or did you know that he was re-se-lying in another place. ” One-on-one, do not heed the pre-du-pre-wait-ing of your own Ve-li-ko-ho-ty-te-la.
In Europe, by the end of the 11th century. striv-li-li-pri-zy-you to fight-boo with the wrong-we-mi. Ras-says of returning-returning-shih-sya pi-li-gri-mov you-zy-va-li in re-li-gi-oz-but on-strong-en-mas-sah for- fallen christ-sti-an strong-noe him-do-va-nie against sel-d-zhu-kov and regret about the fate of the city of the world. On Za-pa-de, no-ma-li, that christ-an-sky saints-you-no in Vi-zantia about-re-che-us on-ru-ga-nie and uni -something. In this way, the Europeans, especially after the race of 1054, during the trips to Vostok, counted nor-mal-nym in-hi-tit holy-you-nu and you-take her to your place on ro-di-nu. The desire to capture as much as possible, but more than the number of relics, was not only re-li-gi-oz-rve- no-eat, but also in-li-ti-che-sky races. In the Middle Ages, it was considered prestige to have in the native city the relics of many saints, some such about-ra-zom hundred-but-vi-lis in-cro-vi-te-la-mi go-ro-yes. They are both-re-ha-whether citizens and would be mountains-to-stu of the state-su-dar-stva. No one paid attention to how, in what way, the power of the pri-ob-re-te-na, the main thing is to own them, and the saint that one will be in-ro-vi-tel-stvo-vat to the one to whom they belong.
In a li-ti-che-sky and in-en-n terms, Vi-zan-tia is weak-be-la year after year. Since 1016, the southern part of Italy, adjoining the Eastern Roman Empire, became subject to Norman-sky on-be-gam: “In 1027, with the consent of them-pe-ra-to-ra Ko-nra-da II, it was-lo os-no-va-but the first Norman in-se-le-nie ". And in 1071, Duke Robert Gyu-is-kar finished-chil for-capturing the south-but-i-ta-lyan-sky regions, “for-in-e-vav by -the next Vizantine fortress - Ba-ri ", which at-ve-lo to the influence of the city-ro-yes in re-gi-one as a hundred -li-tsy of the vizantine pro-vintage in southern Italy. In connection with the change of the management of Bishop Ba-ri An-drey re-re-ho-dit from Kon-stan-ti-no-pol -go-pat-ri-ar-ha under the jurisdiction of the dictation of Rome-go-pa-pa.
At that time, many cities, having become ob-la-da-te-la-mi of the relics of the saints, turned into a place of a hundred pa-lom-ni- qualities that are attached to the eco-no-mi-che-sko-mu pro-color of the city-ro-yes. We can pre-lo-live that the city knows re-shi-la for re-birth-de-niya eco-no-mi-che-go-bla-go-po-lu -chia Ba-ri with-about-re-sti mo-shchi ka-ko-go-no-be-holy, and her choice fell on from-west-no-go and po-chi-ta -e-mo-go Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator from the World of Li-ki-sky. Possibly, this pre-reading would have been a word-le-but from-but-si-tel-ny convenience to-stay-ki-you-no. The relics of the saint on-ho-di-lied on the sea route to Sy-ria, where-yes the Bari merchants pla-va-li for trading-li zer -nom and fabric-nya-mi.
To-shed-shie to the present time-me-no chro-ni-ki Ni-ki-fo-ra, ar-hi-di-a-ko-on John-on and Si-geb-er- that about re-re-not-se-nii of the relics of St. Ni-ko-lai, yav-la-yut-is important-we-do-ku-men-ta-mi, under-ling -the-ness of someone doesn’t vy-va-et with me, for the study of the is-to-rii of that pe-ri-o-yes. One-to-one for compiling a full car-ty-ny of co-existence, as well as their is-it-ri-che-an-li-for we use -pol-zo-wa-li and other li-te-ra-tour-nye is-toch-no-ki and ar-heo-lo-gi-che-sky studies.
In 1087, in the city of Bar, St. Ni-ko-lai appeared in a dream to honestly and b-go-go-wei-no-mu-ho-no-no- ku and ordered: “Go and tell the people and all the co-bo-ru of the church-kov-no-mu, so that they go and take me from the World and po-lo - live in this city, because I can’t stay there in an empty place. God pleases it.” Having said this, "the saint became invisible." In the morning in the church, the priest gave the cli-ru and on-ro-du about his vision. All those who were in the church, having heard about the vi-de-nii of their shepherd-you-rya, gladly, but re-click-well: “The Lord has now sent His me -lost on the people and our city, for it has honored us to accept the relics of His holy Pleasing Ni-ko-barking ". For the use of the Chu-do-creator “... it-lyan-tsy hastily and secretly under-go-that-wi-whether the whole sea ex -pe-di-tion ".
The bar-ryans from-great-vi-lis for dra-go-tsen-us-mi mo-shcha-mi on three courts. The name of the participants of the ex-pe-di-tion for-pi-sa-na on the per-ga-men-te, someone is stored in the co-cre-vish-ni- tse Nikol-sky ba-zi-li-ki Ba-ri. Fearing that someone else will be able to get ahead of them, the bari-tsy foresee-look-ri-tel-but re-shi-whether to hide the goal of their-e- go travel under the guise of trades-whether grain and for this-th on-load-zi-whether your co-slave-whether wheat-ni-tsey. The first de-lom ka-ra-van of three ships on-right-vill-sya in Mi-ry in Ly-kiya. The Bari-tsy sla-whether in the raz-ved-ku mat-ro-sa under the guise of pa-lom-ni-ka, someone co-generalized that “in the cre-po -sti, where is the ba-zi-li-ka of the saint, a lot of that rock; the head-nick of the gar-ni-zo-na died, and they got together to ho-ro-thread him. The Ba-ri-tsy immediately on-right-wi-whether their co-slave to the port of St. Si-meon in An-tio-chia, where they found out that we-not- qi-an-tsy on-right-la-yut-sya in Mi-ry with the goal of picking up the bodies of St. None. Hoping to get ahead of them, the ba-ryans re-shi-whether immediately-len-but to complete their pre-admission.
April 11, 1087, so-rok, seven ba-ryans, ho-ro-sho in-arms-living-shis, from-great-went to the church of St. Si-o-on, where are the relics of St. None. Getting to the church and hiding the weapons, they “with smi-re-ni-em” entered the temple, in some-rum on-ho-di-moose four -ro without-for-shield hundred-ro-zhey-mo-on-hov. One of the bar-ri-tsev-ra-ti-lis with a request to the mo-na-ham about you-de-le-nii them a part of the mi-ra (man-na) from the relics holy-te-la Ni-ko-lai, others began to pray, imitating pa-lom-ni-kov. At the end of the end, po-te-she-stven-no-ki open-whether mo-na-ham your plan - re-re-do-not-sti the power of the miracle-to-creator in Apu -liu. Possibly, first of all, mo-na-hi, don’t re-pri-nya-whether on-me-re-nie according to slan-ni-kov from Ba-ri all-sharp. They said that the Saint never allowed anyone to transfer his remains to another place; yes, they-pe-ra-to-ru Va-si-liu Ma-ke-do-nya-ni-well had to-ka-za-sya “from on-me-re-niya re-re -not-sti in Kon-stan-ti-no-pol ". “The holy is-the-wid-nik of God will not let you take it”, - from-go-va-ri-va-lis mo-na-khi. The Ba-ri-sky pre-sweater named Loop held in his hands a glass-lyan-ny co-court, someone mo-na-khi temple-ma on-half-no- whether the world is from the relics. He decided to take part in the pe-re-go-in-ra with a hundred-ro-m-m and put the vial on top of the ne-so-ko-lon-na at al-ta-rya. During the dispute, Father Loop, by negligence, filed a co-court, and he fell on the marble floor with a “great crack”, but more than once beat. The strangers saw de-whether in this sign a b-go-pleasant sign of you-ra-zhe-in-whether God and the holy Pleasing ka, as if the saint said to them: “Here is mo-gi-la, I’m lying in someone, take my body and go to someone dyam in Ba-ri, someone-eye I will be in-ro-vi-tel-stvo-vat and protect.
Ba-ri-tsy re-shi-li change the thread so-ti-ku angle-ditch, re-shiv that "good deception does not harm anyone." They lie-whether mo-na-ham, declaring: “You must know that when pa-pa from Rima came to us in the city of Ba-ri, in -pro-leader-de-nii of many ar-khi-epi-sko-pov, with a retinue of priests-but-serve-te-lei and laity, he himself sent us to these lands are not-re-not-sti sacred body. He did all this, because the saint of God appeared to him in a dream and asked to be taken to our lands. When the Apu-li-tsy reached a hundred weapons from under their cloaks, the mo-na-hi realized all the seriousness of the me-re-niy -stay. One of the mo-na-hovs began to slowly step away from the door, wanting to inform the inhabitants of the world about the pro-is-go-dying, but ba -ry-tsy for-ra-her for-blo-ki-ro-wa-whether you-go-dy from the church.
A hundred-ro-mother connected, and someone named Matthew-fey (perhaps, the leader), put a knife to the mountains-lu mo-na-ha, threatening living death, if he does not indicate the place of the place-to-hod-de-tion of relics. Mo-nah replied to him: “We’ll sooner die, rather than let us take holy» . Another hundred-mug, wishing from-ba-wit a brother-ta from death and in-no-may, that co-against-le-ni-the devil-po-les-but, ska hall: “My son, why did you unfairly fall on our brother? shcha-mi, but could not-whether. By all appearances, the time has come for the fulfillment of promises, someone gave the saint a year ago. Hearing this, the Italians, in a pro-si-whether, tell them about the vi-de-nii of Saint Ni-ko-lai, who was three in 1086 live-te-lam Peace. Ba-ri-tsy races-tse-ni-is it like another one-but-no-va-nie for re-re-no-sa remains -be on ro-dee-nu. The servant of the temple indicated the hall to Mat-fairy from the hole in the floor, from someone-ro-mo-na-hi from-le-ka-li “ki-stoch-koy holy water". Ba-ri-tsy, for sure, that this is the place where the relics of St. Ni-ko-lai are located. Matthew hid his weapon and, taking an iron crowbar, began to beat on the marble floor.
Analysis of whether-te-ra-tour-nyh sources-toch-no-kov and ar-heo-lo-gi-che-sky research-sle-to-va-ny churches-vi-ti-te-la No-ko-barking in Mi-ra (De-m-re) poses-in-la-et define-de-pour the place where he was for-ho-ro-nen Ni-ko-lai Chu-do- creator. As a result of inspection of the kir-pich-noy treasure-house of the walls of the Nikol-skaya church-vi ar-heo-lo-ga-mi Ot-to Fel-dom and Ur-som Pesh-low define-de-le-but that the main part of the building-e-complex is from-no-sits to the VIII century, only service premises on the se-ve-ro-for-pas-de-complex-sa and two southeast-east-hours-no-no-syat-Xia to the V-VI century. The study of the plan on the church-vi gives the possibility of presuming to live that the walls of two south-eastern cha-so-veins, from -shchih-sya to the V-VI century., would it be intentional-len-but "except-key-che-us from the construction-and-tel-work-bots", preserved by the ancient ar- hi-tech-to-rum and built-e-us into the new complex of the temple near the central-no-go al-ta-rya. This for-bo-ta could-la be ob-words-le-on the same-la-ni-em co-store the thread of the ancient hour-ov-nu over for-ho-ro-no-no connection -Togo.
It is worth paying attention to the fact that all chro-no-ki one-on-one describe the actions of the bari-tsev. Ita-lyans-tsy once-bi-whether the floor, but not one of the le-to-scribes mentions about sar-ko-fa-ge. Kli-rik Ni-ki-for in "Pro-log-ge" writes that in An-tio-chii, we-ne-qi-an-tsy boasted of their-on-me-re- we don’t eat in the church of St. Ni-ko-lai “break her bridge and take away the sacred body”. Ar-khi-mand-rit An-to-nin Ka-pu-stin paid attention to this fact in the 19th century, pointing out that “Ba-ri mat- ro-sy do not see-de-li in the church-vi-no-tombs. Naturally, the destruction in the la could not pass without a trace for the building of the church. Studying on the floor of the mo-for-and-ki of the Nikol-skaya church-vi in Mi-ra and comparing it with mo-za-she-mi before us and-ka-mi other co-wielding poses-in-la-et yes-ti-ro-vat decoration in the la temple in De-m-re XI century. , i.e. time of re-construction of the temple in 1042 under “im-pe-ra-to-re Kon-stan-tin Mo-no-ma-he and his wife Zoya”. Research-after-before-va-niya races-on-the-same-ri-sun-kov mo-for-and-ki se-re-di-na XI century on the first floor of the same temple ma uk-zy-va-yut that the most-bo-largest, bo-ga-decorated, for-no-ma-yu-schee almost the entire area la uzo-ry are different, again, in two south-eastern clocks, while the floors of the main part of the central ma complex-sa-reached our-th time-me-no-almost without any time-waiting. On the basis of-no-va-nii re-zul-ta-tov ana-li-for ri-sun-kov of mo-for-ich-ny sexes, we are conditional, but you-de-li-whether you- re-os-new-ty-pas or-na-men-tov:
a) rectangular frame;
b) circles, inscribed in a square;
c) a complex pattern, consisting of an eight-to-none star and a “flower”, enclosed in a rectangle;
d) a square frame with a complex or-on-men-tom, in the morning se-re-di-noy.
If the first type of mo-for-and-ki is used in the central nave of the complex seven times, types “b” and “c” meet often in the decoration of the temple three times, then the type “d” is uni-ka-len - it has the largest area on the roof tia, and this ri-su-nok is no longer the same anywhere. Types “a”, “b”, “c” have come down to us in relative-si-tel-noy preservation and without loss, but mo-for-and-ka a trace-not-of-the-type-pa has me-ha-no-che-sky in-time-waiting, someone-ry later would-whether clumsily for-la-ta-na in XII-XIII century splinter-ka-mi mra-mo-ra, earlier used-zo-vav-shi-mi-sya in the decoration of unknown for-ho-ro- non-ny and not corresponding to the vet-stvo-yu-shi-mi uzo-ru in the damaged mo-for-and-ki. As a result of the study of the texts of the sources of the XII century. -ti-te-la Ni-ko-lai, and ras-watch-re-niya ar-hi-tech-tour-nyh especially-ben-no-stays of the complex-sa Ni-ko-la-ev-sky church-vi in De-m-re, we can conclude that for-ho-ro-not-nie Ni-ko-lai Chu-to-creator-ca-ra-ho-di -elk under the mo-for-and-coy in the center of the second swarm of the south-east-hour-of-the-no-Nichol-go-temple-ma in Mi-ra. Indirect confirmation of this statement is also the fact that the floor of the crypt-you of the temple of St. Ni-ko-lai in Ba-ri, it is decorated with an or-na-men-tom, which we attributed to type-pu "d" of the complex of the church-vi in Mirs.
Having broken the mo-for-and-ku on the floor, the bari-tsy about-on-ru-zhi-whether the ancient kir-pich-treasure and began to go deeper into earth, but not about-on-ru-zhi-whether the cover of the white-lo-go sar-ko-fa-ga. Fathers Loop and Gri-mo-ald began to mo-pour. The Bari-tsy came in confusion and were afraid to open the coffin of St. Ni-ko-lai. From-ko-pav-to-lo-vi-na the cover-ku sar-ko-fa-ga, no one dared to open it, “so as not to turn into a ka -men". Mat-fey hit-rum mo-lot-ka broke the marble slab. When-whether the fragments were removed, about-on-ru-zhi-whether "in-shi-tel-size-measures" sar-ko-phage, "full of holy moisture- gi ", and in-feeling-va-whether a wonderful aro-mat. Ita-lyans-tsy re-shi-li that the Pleasant of God agrees to re-re-not-se-re-relics.
Matthew, having lowered his “right hand” into the liquid, began to draw relics from the coffin and re-re-give them in parts te-ram. For-no-may that time is running out, the young man jumped into the ra-ku and, how later you-clear-nit-sya, once-da-vil your own but- ha-mi part of the ko-stey ta-for the holy-ti-te-la. Found a skull in the coffin, Mat-fey be-rezh-but gave it to the priest-no-kami and climbed out of the tomb. At this time, “some of the hundred mo-ry-kov around, secretly taking small parts of the stitches from the holy relics, hiding whether them." It was not possible for the Apu-liy-tsam to take the relics halfway. Ve-ro-yat-but, the bar-ri-tsy then-ro-pi-foxed and feared that the cue-tsy will re-pre-op-t-st-stvo-yut in-hi-che-ny mo -schey. The participants of the ex-pe-di-tion didn’t take with them a cove-che-ha for the remains of Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator. It is possible to presume that they are supposed to take the power together with the cancer and do not expect to find a big load yellow sar-co-phage. For this reason, pre-s-s-te-ry for-ver-well-whether the relics of the Holy One in their ob-la-che-niya and take care of it, but carried it to slave-lam. This version is confirmed by the study of the next-to-va-ni-i-mi bones, from-drawn in 1953 from the tomb-ni-tsy in Ba- ri. Professor Lou-i-ji Mar-ti-no, who studied the remains of the holy-ti-te-la, writes in from-che-th about research-sle-to-va- relics that on the bones “find-de-we re-re-lo-we in those places where they should be during the rough fight of the ex-gu-ma-tion, in connection with the fact that mo-rya-ki are in a hurry ". Also, the professor-sor from-metil that most likely during the trans-port-ti-ditch-ki the remains “on the bones arose-nick-whether ob-shir -nye in-time, caused by mutual friction throughout the whole ve-ro-yat-no-sti due to the fact that there would be together for-ver-well-you in for-shield-ny ma-te-ri-al ".
So did the Italians take a few large fragments of the sar-ko-fa-ga of the saint, someone, like a great saint-you-nya , later, would it be vmon-ti-ro-va-ny “in the pre-hundred-ly of many temples of Italy”. Inspection of these fragments-men-tov poses-in-la-et with confidence to say that the false-coffin-no-tsa, you-stand-la-e-may in De-m-re, does not correspond to the color-that, size-me-ram and ma-te-ri-a-lu on-hundred-I-sche-go sar-ko-fa ha. That's why we can confidently assert that until our time, the coffin of St. Ni-ko-lai has not been preserved Nil-Xia.
It was re-she-but that the invaluable cargo was taken on board by the commander-yes, in which Matthew was a swarm. The Ka-pi-tan was chosen-by-the-no-of-the-go-on and his command-yes swore that they ensured the complete preservation of the relics of the Holy go Ni-ko-laya and there will be no pre-principal-no-mother of any actions "without a general decision of all participants" ex-pe -di-tion. As it was said in the Trinity List of Life, two mo-na-ha from the temple remained in Mirs, and two climbed on board “and went a hundred with the help of holy Ni-ko-la and in-and-to-sha in Bar city ".
As soon as the Italians “raz-me-sti-li-mo-schi with ve-li-kim b-go-go-ve-ni-em in a very small-lazy de-re-vyan- nom box-ke ”and na-cha-whether from-yes-ly-sya from the be-re-ha, they see-de-whether be-gu-shchih to the be-re-gu of the sea live-te-lei The world, some-rye sobs-yes-and threw themselves into the sea, grabbed the oars with cries: “Give me your father to she-go and gos-po-di-na-na-she-go!” . The Bari-tsy tried to “calm down” the local residents by the fact that they were left with a coffin full of holy moisture from the relics of the holy -te-la, and miraculously-creative icon-on St. Ni-ko-lai. “Now, let him go away from here, so that other parts of the world can be enlightened.” Zhi-te-whether the World returned to the robbed temple and about-on-ru-zhi-li that some part of paradise remained in a gruesome way in mi -ro. Fearing new-on-pa-de-ny and gra-be-zhey, they took a decision again to cover the holy remains under the floor, which would-lo you-half-not-but. Possibly, in order to prevent the following tortures of theft of relics and to confuse future saints -to-tat-tsev, local residents-te-whether re-shi-whether you-stand at the temple a damaged sar-co-phage, taken from the "tsar-sko th necro-po-la, ras-po-lo-women-no-go along the do-ro-gi to the port of An-dri-a-ke. They you-yes-wa-whether him behind the coffin of St. Ni-ko-lai, robbed-len-ny bar-ri-tsa-mi, inside someone-ro-go in a hundred-vi-li co-judgment with the world from the relics of saint-te-la Ni-ko-lai. This deception found a continuation in our time. This sar-co-phage is still de-mon-stri-ru-yut in the temple-me-museum of the modern city-ro-da De-m-re, you-yes- wai for the real coffin-ni-tsu Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator. Ar-heo-lo-gi-che-study-before-va-nia in-ka-for-whether that the saint could not be for-ho-ro-nen or re-re-for -ho-ro-nen in this ga-le-ray and in sar-ko-fa-ge, earlier with-over-le-zhav-sh tongue-no-ku.
Firstly, the building, where there is a false coffin-ni-tsa Ni-ko-lai Chu-to-the-creator, from-no-sit-sya to the VIII century . This does not agree with you-in-yes-mi that in the V-VI centuries. over for-ho-ro-not-no-it of the holy-th-th-it-was-la-lift-well-that hour-ov-nya, preserved during the re-construction of the com- plexa in the 8th century.
Secondly, the analysis of the plan of the church of the VIII century. in Mi-ra and the way of the ka-men-noy treasure-ki-ka-zy-va-yut that you-re-ni-shi of the southern ha-le-rei Ni-ko-la-ev -of the church-ma-ra-it serve-whether ok-na-mi-of-the-way of the ha-le-rei or at-tvor-ra of the church. In the opposite case, the light would not have penetrated into these premises, but the good-go-go-vey-noe from-but-she-to the relics ho-ty-te-la No-ko-laya would not pos-in-whether-lo-lo-re-place the ra-ku with the might-mi in the window pro-em at the temple .
Thirdly, bo-ga-decorated diff-person-us-mi iso-brother-neither-I-mi coffin-ni-tsa would hardly be saved -na in pe-ri-od iko-no-br-che-stva.
The rise of op-on-nent-tov, side-ron-ni-kov of is-tin-no-sti of storage in the temple in De-m-re sar- ko-fa-ha, without-basis-va-tel-na. So, traces inside the coffin, supposedly from the source of the holy relics of the world, could not have been left by manna. In chronicles, it is said that the coffin of Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator was “full of holy moisture”, and traces on the wall kah ex-po-no-ru-e-mine in the Nikol-sky temple, the coffin-no-tsy does not reach even a quarter of the volume. Transparent liquid, you-de-la-e-may still stop holy-ti-la Ni-ko-laya, has con-si-sten-tion, “Like-chewing on the water of the mountain-no-go is-toch-no-ka” and leaving no traces on the stone sar-ko-fa-ge in Ba -ri, made-lan-nome from pri-ve-zen-no-go from the World of Li-ki-sky stones.
So, until now, in Turkey, pa-lom-ni-kam and tu-ri-stam tell-say-zy-va-yut local legend that “hurrying italian merchants uro-no-whether a few bones ", and later "these parts would-whether for-bot-whether-in-bra-we ... zhi-te-la-mi Mir ", slo-us in the la-retz," someone you-be-la-et-sya in the museum of An-ta-lii ". This statement is yav-la-et-sya you-dum-coy. On the very de-le, the might-schi carried be-re-rezh-but, and ko-sti, you-becoming-la-e-my as ex-po-nat in the halls of the ar-heo-museum lo-gyi, would-be-yes-re-na-museum "a certain Italian-lian-coy in 1925" In 2004, professor of su-deb-noy pa-to-lo-gyi Fran-che-sko In-tro-na studied bones, ex-po-no-ru-e-mye in the museum of An-ta-liya, and came to you-in-du, that these bones do not correspond to the remains, on-going in the tombs of Ba-ri and Ve-ne-tion, and, more than that, come-over-le-zha-whether mo-lo-to-mu-lo-ve-ku. Only in 2011, ex-per-ta-mi mi-ni-ster-stva tu-riz-ma Tur-tsii ko-sti, you-becoming-lav-shi-e-sya in An-ta-lii like the remains of No-el Ba-by, would-whether we-know-we are under-del-ny-mi. In connection with this, they are removed from the ex-po-zi-tion of the museum.
Ko-slave-went about another four-ty-by-two miles to the island of Me-gi-sti. Yes-lea, walk about five miles, would they-would-you-need-we because of the intensified wind-ra coming closer to on -right-le-nii Pa-tar, city-ro-yes, where Saint Ni-ko-lai was born. One-to-the-storm and still from-but-si-tel-naya proximity to the Mi-rams for-sta-vi-whether ba-ri-tsev de-anchored and moored - then-va-sya in the bay at Per-dik-kei, three miles away. Because of the torment of the inexperienced mo-rya-ki re-shi-li that the saint does not give blessings on the journey . Some of the sailors pre-lo-zhi-whether to leave the relics in Pa-ta-rah or return to Mir. One of the members of the team supposedly lived that part of the relics could be in a better way during the raising of the relics in the temple in Mira. Ko-man-di-ry ko-slave with this co-gla-si-lis and re-shi-li to collect all the participants in the company, oblige to swear on the Evangelion, that you don’t hide parts from the holy relics of Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator. Five-te-ro from the mo-ryaks were recognized in uta-and-va-nii of some part of the remains of the saint when they were taken out of sar-ko-fa-ga in Mi-ra. So, “Gri-mo-ald co-knew that he had taken two teeth” of the saint. “Here everything is from-yes-yes, its return, but and half-or-whether all the members, each with-not-sya, what he took.” In the morning the storm subsided, and the wind changed to a favorable one for sailing. The Ba-ri-tsy understand that their sacred duty is to bring the relics of the saint to Ba-ri in one piece.
When did you go 75 miles, on April 18, 1087, did you reach Tra-hei-sko-go for-li-va, one of the seas on named Di-se-gy said that he saw a saint in a dream, someone said to him: “Do not be afraid of any lei. after the passage of two or twenty days, we will all be already in the city of ro-de-Ba-ri. After a long journey, in the evening, they reached the island of Mi-los, where they were given a good sign in vi - de bold bird. Did you decide to build a worthy temporary cove, “to place sacred remains in it”, what would be done la-but. Ra-ka represented-la-la from itself a small box, lined with precious fabric, attached to An-tio-chia.
On Sunday morning, May 9, on the shore there would be from-right-le-but a few lo-docks with the goal of co-shielding the spirit-ho-ven-stvo and live-te-lyam of the city of the arrival of the relics of Ve-li-ko-th-holy. In the second half of the day, the news about the shrine “plunged the whole city into confusion and delight. On-se-le-nie of all ages-of-races and both-of-them-fishing st-ka-moose to the port "to become a witness-de-te-lem through-you-tea-no-go co-be -tiya. At this time, in the city-ro-de from-the-day-stvo-shaft of the head of the city-ro-yes, Duke Roger, and ar-hi-bishop Ur-sus, and sea- ki from-ka-za-lis to-believe the remains of the holy-ti-te-la mel-kim vel-mo-jam. The spirit-ho-ven-stvo re-shi-lo-lo-live might-schi in co-bo-re, but, according to the sailors, they promised together with that that erected a worthy holy church on the territory of Ka-ta-pa-nii. Most of the people approved of the promise of dare-cha-kov, others, perhaps, under-stre-ka-e-my local spirit-ho-ven- by the way, before-la-ha-whether in-place the relics of the saint-ti-te-la Ni-ko-lai in the city's so-bo-re. Wishing in a peaceful way to eliminate the thread of different-but-glory, on-to-I-tel of the city-of-the-mo-on-stay of the holy Be-ne- dik-ta Elijah convinced the ka-pi-ta-new times-to-place the body of the saint in the church-vi of his mo-on-stay-rya under the blue-de-ni-em in -weapon-women's security, until there will be no windows-cha-tel-noe solution ka-sa-tel-but me-a-hundred-a-hundred-yan- but-go pre-wa-va-niya the remains of saint-ti-te-la Ni-ko-lai. To the ringing of ko-lo-ko-lov of all the city’s temples, the holy-ti-te-la No-ko-lai would be re-re-not-se-ny to the church John-on Pred-te-chi be-not-dik-tin-go-mo-on-stay-rya, “where they went in those three days”. Immediately after the arrival of the relics of the holy favour, no-ka "from them flowed many-number-numbers-of-purposes" . On May 12, 1087, the ar-chi-bishop Ur-sul arrived in the city in a hurry and ordered re-re-not-sti relics in the city council . But the wave-not-on-ro-yes and in-weapon-women's skirmish between on-se-le-ni-em and the army of ar-chi-episco-pa, in ho -de-something-swarm-died two people-lo-ve-ka, you-well-di-whether Ur-su-la from-ka-zat-sya from this idea. Meanwhile, mo-rya-ki in co-pro-leader-de-nii on-ro-yes, did you-carry-we-we-pleasing God and in-a-hundred-whether them in church-vi of the holy moo-che-ni-ka Ev-sta-chia on the ter-ri-to-rii Ka-ta-pa-ni, the courtyard -le-zhal ger-tso-gu Rod-zhe-ru, pol-zo-val-sya pra-va-mi pa-tro-nat-stva, .. and for-vi-sat from civil power -sti ". Bla-go-da-rya this-mu once-before-ry subsided. The arch-hi-bishop gave permission to build a new temple. Ku-ri-ro-vat building-and-tel-stvo was-lo in-ru-che-but ab-ba-tu Elijah. On July 8, 1087, a large-scale construction of a new church was started in honor of St. Ni-ko-lai, for which it was necessary carry several buildings, including several churches.
Glory of chu-de-sah and is-tse-le-ni-yah, pro-is-ho-div-shih from the relics of saint-te-la Ni-ko-lai, quick times - carried across the whole of Europe. Many temples, mo-at-st-ri and great-ve-te-we-we-we-were-we-we-we-have-to-own parts of the relics of the Holy One. Carrying out rich sacrifices, many count-you-wa-whether on re-da-chu parts of power.
So, in 1092, during the turn-of-red-no-go-of-the-seation of Apu-liya, Baron Vi-lyam Pan-tulf in-lu-cha-et as a gift from the bar-ri- tsev “a tooth of a ve-li-ko-go-mu-zh” and two fragments from the sar-ko-fa-ga of saint-te-la Ni-ko-lai from the World of Li-ki-sky, someone -rye v-zet to se-be on ro-di-nu to England. One-on-a-bar-ri-tsy, remembering the case with the theft of fragments of the body of the Holy One while raising him from the tomb-ni-tsy in Mi -rach Li-ki-sky and further-their obstacles in the plane up to half-th return-that in-hi-shchen-no-go, as pra- vi-lo, from-ka-zy-va-li in re-da-che of particles of power. This is a question of qi-ro-va-lo repeated tortures of theft of parts of the relics already from Ba-ri.
Several fic-si-ro-van-nyh trans-steps-le-ny, connected with the sacredness, have come down to us. One knight king
by the name of Christ-sto-for, someone participated in the or-ga-ni-for-tion pe-re-no-sa relics of saint-te-la Ni-ko -laya, “tai-but hid in the ru-ka-ve a part from the rib-ra of the saint-ti-te-la”. After this, he gets sick and goes to the mo-on-stir, where he sacrifices in a hi-schen-ny part-sti-tsu.
In 1090, a certain Stefan, who recently (1020) os-no-van-no-go mo-na-sta-rya of the city of An-same, according to le-niyu pr-vi-te-la of the city-ro-da and ab-ba-ta mo-na-sta-rya, “taking off my mo-on-she-clothes, in se- poured in Ba-ri and arranged for a ra-bo-tu scribe. ” Enter in the trust to the local servants of the church of St. Ni-ko-lai, he committed the theft of part of the ni-tsy, in a bo-ga-decorated silver re-liqua-ry. Ob-on-ru-live from the presence of the holy-you-no, bar-ri-tsy in-la-li messengers throughout Italy and Si-tsi-li to prevent re-re-me-shche-nia of the saint-you-no to France. Gra-ni-tsy pe-re-roofs, and Stefan was you-need-to hide. He drew the relics from the re-liqua-rii, and sold the se-reb-ro. But soon he was detained near the city of Ve-no-za, and the relics were re-re-da-used in the monastery of the Holy Trinity.
After this, it would be re-she-but to hide the remains of the saint and stop access to them. The local tradition reports that Saint Ni-ko-lai appeared in a dream to one mo-na-hu and said: “Bla- go-in-le-ni-em all-mighty God, I came to you in the city of Bar; now I want my relics to be in the same way under the pre-table. In the name of the holy God-please, would-la-is-half-not-on - his relics would-be-lo-same-we under the pre-table, where on-ho -dyat-sya and at the present time.
At the end of the first, you-sya-che-le-tia re-li-gi-oz-noe in-chi-ta-nie Ni-ko-lai Chu-do-creator in Ve-ne -tions were at the level of chi-ta-nia apo-sto-la Mar-ka, the power of something-ro-go on January 31, 829, would it be with-ve-ze -ny from Aleksandria. At that time, Ve-ne-tion pre-ten-do-va-la on a single-personal control in the Adri-a-ti-che-sea. Local know for a long time, but in-du-we-va-la with-about-re-sti te-lo in-cro-vi-te-la sea travels, to underline -give your own in-li-ti-che-sky and military status, as well as in-zi-qi-o-ni-ro-va-nie yourself like re-li-gi -oz-no-go center-tra. In all vi-di-mo-sti, we-not-qi-an-tsy did not reconcile with the fact that the bari-tsy oper-re-di-li them in the Worlds. In Ve-ne-tion, for-reveal that the “relics of the bishop-pa-pa Mir in Ly-kiya are not-la-yut-sya whole those -scrap this-th about-glory-len-but-th-holy. In 1099, Ve-net-tion decided-shi-la to take part in the Cross in-ho-de, someone “pa-pa pro-po-ve-gave in 1095 city in Claire-mont-they ". The participants-no-ki-ho-yes-be-ra-were on mo-lit-wo in the church of St. Ni-ko-lai on the island of Li-do. In a solemn prayer to St. Ni-ko-lai, Bishop En-ri-ko Kon-ta-ri-ni pro-sit holy blah -go-to-word this “go-to-go and give help in getting-about-re-te-nii of his holy body”. This testifies to the fact that, from the beginning, but on the way for-du-we-val-sya as a journey for the holy th Ni-ko-barking.
En-ri-ko Kon-ta-ri-ni sent to the temple one of the boxes from the al-ta-rya of St. John with hundreds of gold coins, for “arranging - not-niya damage-ba, on-not-sen-no-th temple. At the windows-cha-ni of the cross-hundred-in-go-ho-yes-yes-slave-whether, go-lo-lo-lo-thousand-thousand miles, would you come to Ve- not-tion on December 6, 1101. After the solemn meeting of the es-cad-ry, the relics of the holy lo-zhe-us in ho-ro-sho guard-nya-e-my tower "small church-vi, on the be-re-gu". Fearing for the safety of relics, ve-not-qi-an-tsy you-sta-vi-whether strengthened security. Later, in 1628, the mighty raz-me-sti-li over the pre-scrap table in the church of st. skom mo-on-sta-re on the island of Li-do.
The Ba-ri-tsy always for-yav-la-whether that the bodies of the saint-ti-te-la are on their way. For a pro-long-same-nii for almost eight-and-a-lo-vi-noy centuries from the mo-men-ta-la-zhe-of the relics of saint-te-la Ni- ko-barking in the stone sar-co-fag under the throne of the lower church in Bari, no one could see the relics of the Chu-do-creator, unless only through a small round hole under the pre-table, and then only a fragment of bones. Because of this, pe-ri-o-di-che-ski, there is no-ka-li with-me-niya - “are there mo-shchi inside the coffin-ni-tsy , or at least a part of the epi-sko-pa Mir-li-ki-sko-go? We-not-qi-an-tsy, on-against, wanting to assure the whole world that the relics are on the island of Li-do, not once -briefly from-kry-va-li ra-ku with mo-scha-mi:
January 13, 1449, there was a pro-of-ve-de-but opening of a ra-ki, in the course of something-ro-go for-swe-de-tel-stvo-va -but is-te-che-nie liquid from relics;
May 25, 1634, confirm-di-whether there are bodies of St. Ni-ko-lai Ve-li-ko-go, and re-lo-zhi-li gro- would be in the marble sar-co-fag over al-ta-rem and for-wi-de-tel-stvo-va-li that the relics of Ni-ko-lai chu-do-creator before -become-la-yut from yourself frag-men-you ko-stay white-lo-go color.
September 17, 1992 pro-from-we-de-na ex-per-ti-for relics with the participation of pro-fess-so-ra Lu-i-ji Mar-ti- but, but this will be discussed below.
In contrast to the shrine of the saint in Venetia, his sarcophagus in Bari was first opened in 1953. From May 6, 1953 to May 6 1957, from-in-di-lis-ka-pi-tal-nye-ra-bo-you to strengthen the walls of the ba-zi-li-ki and the crypt. “By the blessing of Pope Pius XII, the sar-co-fag of St. Nicholas was opened; his remains, some of them have not been opened since the day they were put in the sar-co-fag pa-pa Ur-ban II, were they careful tel-but osvi-de-tel-stvo-va-ny. At the bottom of the sar-ko-fa-ha there was up to 2 cm of transparent liquid, similar to the water of the mountains-no-go is-exact-no-ka. Professor Lou-i-ji Mar-ti-no was invited as an ex-per-ta to lead a co-mission, pro-div-shui an-tro-by-met-ri-che-sky and an-tro-by-lo-gi-che-study of the remains for the “better ma-niya about-ra-for saint-ti-te-la Ni-ko-lai ".
In the process of ex-per-ty-zy, would you pre-pri-nya-you try to restore the appearance of saint-te-la Ni-ko-lai . According to the re-zul-ta-there research-follow-to-va-niya, would you make the following-du-yu-you-vo-dy:
Saint Ni-ko-lai mentioned pre-im-s-sven-but solid plant food, had a height of about 167 san-ti-meters;
- “attached to the white ev-ro-peo-id-noy medium-di-earth-but-sea race, for some ha-rak-ter-na medium height, swarthy skin, you-with-a forehead ", which corresponds to the tra-di-ci-on-nym icon-but-written-imo-bra- no-no-yam.
Bless-go-da-rya to study the remains of the saint in the best way, but for the key about the diseases of the saint and their -chi-nah. So, would it be confirmed the data on the ty-rem-n-key-and-torture of the saint.
In Venice, in the temple of San Nick-co-lo del Li-do, from September to November 1992, another osvi-de- the office of the relics of three saints, brought from Mir in the 12th century, including Ve-li-ko-go Ni-ko- barking Chu-do-creator. Os-no-va-ni-em for the pro-ve-de-tion of this ex-per-ti-zy became-lo research-follow-before-va-tion of the remains in Ba-ri, someone swarm confirm-di-lo their belonging to the saint-ti-te-lu Ni-ko-lai. In connection with this, the study of the remains stored on the island of Li-do became especially-ben-but ak-tu-al-nym. Pro-professor Lou-i-ji Mar-ti-no took part in the study of the relics, someone led the ex-pert group-pu in Ba-ri in 1953
During the work, it was-lo osvi-de-tel-stvo-va-but three de-re-vyan-ny coffins, in one of some of them on-ho-di-lissed the relics of the holy-ty-te-la Ni-ko-lai Peace-li-ki-sko-go. Among the relics in the coffin, there were no-ho-di-liss:
Fragment of the svo-yes-che-re-pa, the belonging of someone-ro-go to the given skele-le-tu is not confirmed. In addition, he could not be a part of the head of Ni-ko-lai-do-miracle-creator, because “after osv-de-tel-stvo-va- cabbage soup in Ba-ri was because of the vest, but that the whole skull of the saint is on-going there ”; dark, flat, rounded shape of a ka-men with Greek over-pi-syu: Ko-laya ";
Co-judgment with the world;
Old mo-not-you of different years and other pre-me-you.
As a result of the opening of the coffin, would you have done the following:
Ko-sti have many-numbers-numbers of over-lo-we, arising in re-zul-ta-te hurries of the Bari-sky seas, and so - the same rude actions of Mat-fey during the removal of the remains from the tomb-ni-tsy in the Mirs, and they represent from themselves a “big-sho -li-che-stvo (more than five-ti-hundreds) fragments of se-ro-va-to-be-lo-go color-ta ";
The color of the relics is due to the fact that, ve-ro-yat-but, they “on-ho-di-lied for a long time under the influence of direct sun-beams or co-stored in because of the ”that made la-lo more fragile-ki-mi and ugly-vi-we -mi;
On the left shoulder bone and on the left big tibia bone there are traces of the removal of the bone ma-te- ri-la, perhaps, these are traces of the deletion of some-ro-go-fragment-men-ta-ko-sti for installation in re-liqua-ria and more -vi-kethat wi-de-tel-stu-et about the belonging of the remains of "ve-li-koy-no-sti";
- “white bones, na-ho-dya-schi-e-sya in Li-do in Ve-ne-tion, correspond to the missing parts ske-le-ta in Ba-ri ", which corresponds to the is-to-ri-che-sky fact of re-re-not-se-niya relics from Mir Li- Kiy-skikh in Ba-ri at the end of the XI century. and in Venice in the 12th century, and also confirms the authenticity of the very remains of St. Nicholas.
Ve-ne-tion and Ba-ri, pox-ri-vaya vla-de-nie mo-shcha-mi saint-ti-te-la Ni-ko-lai at the World of Li-ki-sky, pre-after-before -wa-whether not only re-li-gi-oz-nye, but also quite secular goals - the assertion of dominance and prestige on Adri-a-ti -che-sky mo-re. In the Middle Ages, it was-la-moose sea-mi in-ro-ta-mi in the middle and northern Europe, through someone they went v-ry, weapons and riches. Having in the city-ro-de-mo-schi in-cro-vi-te-la of sea travels, zh-te-whether about-re-ta-whether not only mo-lit- vein-no-ka before God, but also a powerful symbol of power, which for re-li-gi-oz-but-po-li-ti-che-views then- th time-me-no would-lo de-scrap che-sti.
Studying the domestic and foreign-beige-on-scientific whether-te-ra-tu-ry for-for-lo, that, despite the sign chi-tel-ny in-te-res is-to-ri-kov and bo-go-word-ov to ras-smat-ri-va-e-my on-mi te-me, in-te-re- the sphere that su-used us as a whole remained outside the attention of scientists. In this work, we are pro-ana-li-zi-ro-wa-li and for-ka-for-whether the unity of different texts in the description of the to-rii of the relics of Ni-ko-lai Chu-to-creator; before-pri-nya-whether in-torture si-ste-ma-ti-zi-ro-vat and consider in chrono-lo-gi-che-sky in a row-ke fak- you are about the re-re-not-se-nii of the relics of the saint-te-la Ni-ko-lai, described in the middle-not-ve-ko-vy chro-ni-kah; so-by-sta-vi-li in-for-ma-tion from written-men-is-toch-no-kov with ar-heo-lo-gi-che-ski-mi is-sle-do-va -no-I-mi and in-li-ti-che-sky ob-hundred-new-coy in Ve-ne-tion, Ba-ri and Li-kii from the next-du-e-my centuries. All of the above-from-lo-women-noe has a great meaning for do-ka-for-tel-stva te-zi-sa about without-al-ter-na-tiv-noy true-tin-no-sti of events in the reviewed texts.
On the basis of the os-no-va-nii of ar-heo-lo-gi-che-s-sle-before-va-niy and ana-li-for the chronicle, in-west-woo-yu-shchi about pe- re-not-se-nii of the remains in Ba-ri and V-ne-tsiyu, in this ra-bo-te there was a definitive de le-no-one hundred first-first -but-go for-ho-ro-non-niya ve-li-ko-go Chu-do-creator, where later bar-ri-tsy and ve-not-qi-an-tsy ob-re -whether the holy relics of Ni-ko-lai Mir-li-ki-sko-go. So it would have been a dis-verg-well, a ra-pro-stra-n-noe me-tion about a coffin-no-tse, in some swarm, supposedly, it would have been in-ho-ro-nen -ti-tel.
In re-zul-ta-te, we could briefly, but max-si-mal-but accurately from-lo-live the history of the relics of saint-te-la Ni-ko -barking, as well as con-kre-ti-zi-ro-vat in-for-ma-tion about historical personalities and geo-gra-fi-ches on-call-no-yah, mentioned-me-well-tyh in connection with the pre-me-time-bi-ra-e-my on-mi-we. Analysis of is-toch-ni-kov and ana-to-mi-che-is-sle-before-va-ny pro-de-mon-stri-ro-val us unity and non-pro-ti-vo -re-chi-vost from-lo-same-niya chro-no-logia of events.
Deacon Dionisy Kuprichenkov
Notes
“From the choice of the holy-ty-te-la Ni-ko-lai ar-hi-epi-sko-pom of the city-ro-da of the World from-no-sit-sya near-zi-tel- but by 300 (Bu-ga-ev-sky A.V., Vla-di-mir Zo-rin, ar-chem. Saint Ni-ko-lai, ar-chi-bishop Mir Li-ki-skikh , Ve-li-ki Chu-do-tvo-retz: his life, in a move-gi and chu-do-your-re-niya, from-lo-women-nye in ancient Greek, la- Tin-sky and Slav-Vyan-sky ru-ko-pi-syam (yes-lea - St. Ni-ko-lai, ar-hi-bishop Mir Li-ki-sky, Ve-li- cue Chu-do-tvo-retz...), M. 2001, p. 18). The saint was seized, subjected to torture and thrown into the same place, where he spent a long time - from na-cha-la go-not-ny Dio-kle-ti-a-na (302) until his release in 311 or 313 (see ibid. P. 22 ). In such a way, holy-ti-tel-no-sit ti-tul Ar-khi-episco-pa The world of the Li-ki-skys in those 35 years, 11 of someone ryh he spent in the key-che-nii. Fak-ti-che-ski at the cafe-re, he was on-ho-dil-sya from 300 to 302, and from 311 to 335.
In the 11th century, the Greek empire was going through a difficult time. The Turks devastated its possessions in Asia Minor, devastated cities and villages, killing their inhabitants, and accompanied their cruelty by insulting holy temples, relics, icons and books. Muslims attempted to destroy the relics of St. Nicholas, deeply revered by the entire Christian world.
In 792, Caliph Aaron al-Rashid sent the chief of the fleet, Humaid, to sack the island of Rhodes. Having devastated this island, Humaid went to the Lycian Worlds with the intention of breaking open the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead of it, he broke open another, which stood next to the tomb of the saint. As soon as the blasphemers had time to do this, a terrible storm arose on the sea and almost all the ships were wrecked.
The desecration of shrines revolted not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Especially feared for the relics of St. Nicholas were Christians in Italy, among whom were many Greeks. Residents of the city of Bar, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of St. Nicholas.
In 1087, baronial and Venetian merchants went to Antioch to trade. Both of them planned to take the relics of St. Nicholas on the way back and transport them to Italy. In this intention, the inhabitants of Bar were ahead of the Venetians and were the first to land in Myra. Two people were sent forward, who, returning, reported that everything was quiet in the city, and in the church where the greatest shrine rests, they met only four monks. Immediately 47 people, armed, went to the church of St. Nicholas. The watchman monks, not suspecting anything, showed them the platform, under which the tomb of the saint was hidden, where, according to custom, strangers were anointed with myrrh from the relics of the saint. At the same time, the monk told about the appearance on the eve of St. Nicholas to one elder. In this vision, the saint ordered to keep his relics more carefully. This story inspired the baryans; they saw for themselves in this phenomenon the permission and, as it were, an indication of the saint. To facilitate their actions, they revealed their intentions to the monks and offered them a ransom - 300 gold coins. The watchmen refused the money and wanted to notify the inhabitants of the misfortune that threatened them. But the aliens tied them up and placed their guards at the door. They broke the church platform, under which stood the tomb with the relics. In this matter, the young man Matthew was distinguished by special zeal, wishing to discover the relics of the saint as soon as possible. In impatience, he broke the lid and the gentlemen saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the baryans, presbyters Lupp and Drogo, made a litia, after which the same Matthew began to extract the relics of the saint from the sarcophagus overflowing with the world. This happened on April 20, 1087.
In view of the absence of the ark, presbyter Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the baryans, transferred them to the ship. The released monks told the city the sad news about the theft of the relics of the Miracle Worker by foreigners. Crowds of people gathered on the shore, but it was too late...
On May 8, the ships arrived in Bar, and soon the good news spread throughout the city. The next day, May 9, the relics of St. Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the Church of St. Stephen, located not far from the sea. The celebration of the transfer of the shrine was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, which aroused even greater reverence for the great saint of God. A year later, a church was built in the name of St. Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.
The event associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas caused a special veneration of the Wonderworker and was marked by the establishment of a special holiday on May 9 (22). At first, the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by residents of the Italian city of Bar. In other countries of the Christian East and West, it was not accepted, despite the fact that the transfer of relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom of honoring mainly local shrines, characteristic of the Middle Ages. In addition, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this memory, because the loss of the relics of the saint was a sad event for her.
By the Russian Orthodox Church, the celebration of the memory of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Bar on May 9 was established shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, who passed from Greece simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. The glory of miracles performed by the saint on land and at sea was widely known to the Russian people. Their inexhaustible strength and abundance testify to the special grace-filled help of the great saint to suffering humanity. The image of the saint, the all-powerful miracle worker-benefactor, became especially dear to the heart of a Russian person, because he instilled deep faith in him and hope for his help. The faith of the Russian people in the inexhaustible help of the saint of God was marked by countless miracles.
In Russian literature, a significant literature was compiled about him very early. Tales about the miracles of the saint performed on Russian soil began to be written down in ancient times. Soon after the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycian to Bargrad, a Russian edition of the life and story about the transfer of his holy relics, written by a contemporary of this event, appeared. Even earlier, a word of praise to the Wonderworker was written. Every week, every Thursday, the Russian Orthodox Church especially honors his memory.
Numerous churches and monasteries were erected in honor of St. Nicholas; Russian people called him the name of their children at baptism. Numerous miraculous icons of the great saint have been preserved in Russia. The most famous images among them are Mozhaisky, Zaraisky, Volokolamsky, Ugreshsky, and Ratny. There is not a single house and not a single temple in the Russian Church, in which there would be no image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The meaning of the grace-filled intercession of the great saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of the life, according to which St. Nicholas “Create many great and glorious miracles on the earth and on the sea, helping those in trouble and saving from drowning, and from the depths of the sea to dry wear, delighting from corruption and bringing it into the house, delivering from bonds and dungeons, interceding from the sword cut and from freeing death, much healing has been given to many: the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the mute speak. Enrich many in squalor and poverty of the last suffering, give smooth food and every need for every need, a ready helper, a warm intercessor and a quick representative and protector, and he helps those who call him and saves them from troubles. The message of this great Wonderworker, East and West, and all the ends of the earth, are working his wonders..
Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of the World of Lycia, miracle worker (transfer of relics from the World of Lycia to Bari). Information about the life posted on December 6.
In the 11th century, the Greek empire was going through a difficult time. The Turks devastated its possessions in Asia Minor, devastated cities and villages, killing their inhabitants, and accompanied their cruelty by insulting holy temples, relics, icons and books. Muslims attempted to destroy the relics of St. Nicholas, deeply revered by the entire Christian world.
In 792, Caliph Aaron al-Rashid sent the chief of the fleet, Humaid, to sack the island of Rhodes. Having devastated this island, Humaid went to the Lycian Worlds with the intention of breaking open the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead of it, he broke open another, which stood next to the tomb of the Saint. As soon as the blasphemers had time to do this, a terrible storm arose on the sea and almost all the ships were wrecked.
The desecration of shrines revolted not only Eastern, but also Western Christians. Especially feared for the relics of St. Nicholas were Christians in Italy, among whom were many Greeks. Residents of the city of Bari, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of St. Nicholas.
In 1087, baronial and Venetian merchants went to Antioch to trade. Both of them planned to take the relics of St. Nicholas on the way back and transport them to Italy. In this intention, the inhabitants of Bari were ahead of the Venetians and were the first to land in Myra. Two people were sent ahead, who, returning, reported that everything was quiet in the city, and in the church where the greatest shrine rests, they met only four monks. Immediately, 47 people, armed, went to the church of St. Nicholas, the watchman monks, not suspecting anything, showed them the platform, under which the tomb of the saint was hidden, where, according to custom, strangers were anointed with myrrh from the relics of the saint. At the same time, the monk told about the appearance on the eve of St. Nicholas to one elder. In this vision, the Saint ordered that his relics be more carefully preserved. This story inspired the baryans; they saw for themselves in this phenomenon the permission and, as it were, an indication of the Holy One. To facilitate their actions, they revealed their intentions to the monks and offered them a ransom of 300 gold coins. The watchmen refused the money and wanted to notify the inhabitants of the misfortune that threatened them. But the aliens tied them up and placed their guards at the door. They broke the church platform, under which stood the tomb with the relics. In this matter, the young man Matthew was especially diligent, wishing to discover the relics of the Saint as soon as possible. In impatience, he broke the lid and the gentlemen saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The compatriots of the baryans, presbyters Lupp and Drogo, made a litia, after which the same Matthew began to extract the relics of the Saint from the sarcophagus overflowing with the world. This happened on April 20, 1087.
In view of the absence of the ark, presbyter Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the baryans, transferred them to the ship. The released monks told the city the sad news about the theft of the relics of the Miracle Worker by foreigners. Crowds of people gathered on the shore, but it was too late ...
On May 8, the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the good news spread throughout the city. The next day, May 9, the relics of St. Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the Church of St. Stephen, located not far from the sea. The celebration of the transfer of the shrine was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, which aroused even greater reverence for the great saint of God. A year later, a church was built in the name of St. Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.
The event associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas caused a special veneration of the Wonderworker and was marked by the establishment of a special holiday on May 9th. At first, the feast of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by the inhabitants of the Italian city of Bari. In other countries of the Christian East and West, it was not accepted, despite the fact that the transfer of relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom of honoring mainly local shrines, characteristic of the Middle Ages. In addition, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this memory, because the loss of the relics of the Saint was a sad event for her.
By the Russian Orthodox Church, the celebration of the memory of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Bari on May 9 was established shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the Russian people of the great saint of God, who passed from Greece simultaneously with the adoption of Christianity. The glory of the miracles performed by the Hierarch on land and at sea was widely known to the Russian people. Their inexhaustible strength and abundance testify to the special grace-filled help of the great saint to suffering humanity. The image of the Saint, the all-powerful Wonderworker-benefactor, became especially dear to the heart of a Russian person, because he instilled deep faith in him and hope for his help. The faith of the Russian people in the inexhaustible help of the Pleasant of God was marked by countless miracles. In Russian literature, a significant literature was compiled about him very early. Tales about the miracles of the Saint performed on Russian soil began to be recorded in ancient times. Soon after the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas from the World of Lycia to Barigrad, a Russian edition of the life and story about the transfer of his holy relics, written by a contemporary of this event, appeared. Even earlier, a word of praise to the Wonderworker was written. Every week, every Thursday, the Russian Orthodox Church especially honors his memory.
Numerous churches and monasteries were erected in honor of St. Nicholas; Russian people called him the name of their children at baptism. Numerous miraculous icons of the great saint have been preserved in Russia. The most famous among them are the images of Mozhaisky, Zaraisky, Volokolamsky, Ugreshsky, and Ratny. There is not a single house and not a single temple in the Russian Church, in which there would be no image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The meaning of the grace-filled intercession of the great saint of God is expressed by the ancient compiler of the life, according to which St. Nicholas “perform many great and glorious miracles on earth and on the sea, helping those in trouble and saving from drowning, and from the depths of the sea to dry wear, admiring and bringing into the house, delivering from bonds and dungeons, stepping up from the sword cut and freeing from death, many healings are given to many: sight to the blind, walking to the lame, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb. Enrich many in squalor and poverty of the last suffering, give smooth food and every need for every need, a ready helper, a warm intercessor and a quick representative and protector, and he helps those who call him and saves them from troubles. The message (knows) of the great Wonderworker of this East and West, and all the ends of the earth are leading his miracles.
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