On the evening of May 21, a particle of the relics of one of the most revered saints, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, was delivered from Italy to Russia for the first time. In Christianity, he is the patron saint of travelers, prisoners and orphans; in the West, he is the patron saint of almost all levels of society, but mainly of children. In Rus', many churches and monasteries are named after him, and his icons stand in houses...

The relics of Nicholas the Wonderworker, delivered to Russia, were kept for 930 years in the Italian city of Bari in the Basilica of St. Nicholas, a church Romanesque style XII century. As Patriarch Kirill noted, this is a unique event, since during the entire stay of the relics of St. Nicholas in Bari, they never left the city.

The transfer of part of the relics became possible after Cyril’s meeting with Pope Francis on February 12, 2016.

Saint Nicholas is considered the patron saint of sailors, merchants and children. However, absolutely everyone turns to him with everyday problems: it is believed that Nikolai Ugodnik is the fastest helper, a source of spiritual support, an intercessor and savior from injustice and unnecessary death. Nicholas performed miracles both during his life and after his death. Here are some of them.

The theft that saved the shrine

Surprisingly, the most “popular” saint in Russia was born in the 3rd century after the Nativity of Christ in Asia Minor - on the territory of modern Turkey. In the town square in the Turkish city of Demre, a huge Santa Claus rises - this is St. Nicholas.

Also in the city is the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. In the southern part of the temple there is a sarcophagus in which the saint was originally buried. In 1087, the Italians stole about 80 percent of the relics of St. Nicholas from the Byzantine church and reburied them in the city of Bari.

After this, the temple was attacked and subsequently flooded by the dirty waters of the Miros River. But the saint’s relics were already safe - they miraculously survived. According to church sources, this did not happen by chance: Nicholas the Pleasant appeared to one of the Italian priests in a dream, ordering his relics to be transported to Bari.

fragrant branch

The remaining part of the relics, nine years after the Barian raid, was removed from the sarcophagus in Demre by the Venetians. They dismantled the tomb, where they found only water and church oil, and then searched the entire church, while subjecting the guards to torture.

One of them could not stand it and showed the relics, but of two other saints - the predecessors of St. Nicholas: the martyr Theodore and the uncle of St. Nicholas, who was also a priest.

When the Venetians were already sailing from the shore, they suddenly felt a fragrance emanating from the direction of the church. Returning there and breaking the floor of the altar, they began to dig and discovered another floor under a layer of earth.

Having destroyed it, they found a thick layer of glassy substance, and in the middle - a mass of petrified asphalt. When they opened it, they saw inside another sintered mixture of metal and asphalt, and inside it were the holy relics of the wonderworker Nicholas. A wonderful fragrance spread throughout the church.

The bishop wrapped the saint's relics in his robe. Here the first miracle took place at the relics of St. Nicholas - a palm branch brought by the Saint from Jerusalem and placed with him in the coffin sprouted. The Venetians took the branch with them as proof of God's power.

Miracles on the water

The saint performed many miracles while traveling by ship to Palestine, where he went to venerate the holy places. On the ship, Nikolai showed the gift of foresight: one day the saint of God announced to the sailors about a storm.

The bad weather did not keep us waiting long: the wind rose, which tossed the ship from side to side, and the sky became clouded with lead clouds. Panic began on the ship, but Nikolai calmed the sailors and turned to God. His prayers were heard: the rampant elements, not having time to cause trouble, began to subside.

Soon here Saint Nicholas performed another miracle - he resurrected a man. One of the sailors slipped and fell on the deck. Seeing their lifeless comrade, the sailors turned to the miracle worker for help. After Nicholas’ prayer, the young man came to life.

On the way, the ship often stopped off the coast. The saint physically and spiritually healed local residents: he healed some from illnesses, drove out evil spirits from others, and gave others consolation in sorrows and sorrows.

Rescue of native people

There is a legend that while visiting the holy places of Palestine, Saint Nicholas decided one night to pray in the temple. Approaching the doors, he saw that they were locked. And then, under the influence of miraculous power, the doors themselves opened before God’s chosen one. But he was not destined to remain to serve the Lord in Palestine - people in his native Lycia needed Nicholas more.

At this time, food supplies in the Lycian country became scarce: the population experienced severe hunger. The disaster was becoming increasingly widespread. But Saint Nicholas did not allow a terrible disaster to happen.

One merchant, having loaded his ship with bread in Italy, before sailing, saw in a dream the Wonderworker Nicholas, who ordered him to take the bread for sale to Lycia and gave him a deposit of three gold coins.

When the merchant woke up, he actually found money in his hand. He considered it his duty to fulfill the will of the saint, and went to Lycia, where he sold his bread and told about his prophetic dream.

The appearance of Nikola in the sky over Mozhaisk

Evidence of the mercy of Nicholas the Wonderworker to our country and to our ancestors is miraculous image Saint Nicholas of Mozhaisk. It received its name from the city of Mozhaisk in the Moscow region, where it was located in the cathedral church named after the Saint. The origin of the Mozhaisk image dates back to approximately the 14th century.

During the siege of Mozhaisk by the Mongols, an amazing sign appeared in the sky. Saint Nicholas appeared standing in the air above the cathedral: in one hand he held a sword, and in the other - an image of a temple surrounded by a fortress, which delighted the Mozhaisk people and frightened the enemies. The enemy was frightened by the vision, lifted the siege and fled. After this, a revered image of the Pleasant was created in gratitude for his wonderful help.

Perhaps in memory of this incredible appearance of the Wonderworker to save the city, the image is now called revealed, and new miraculous signs confirmed its glory as a miracle worker.

Zoya's standing

In 1956, events occurred in Kuibyshev (today's Samara) that shocked Orthodox world, - the famous “Zoya’s Standing”.

During the New Year celebration, the girl Zoya, an employee of a pipe factory, could not wait for her groom: he was delayed somewhere. Music was playing, young people were dancing and having fun, but Zoya did not have a partner. The annoyed girl took the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the wall and began to dance with it, saying: “If God exists, let Him punish me!” And suddenly Zoya froze in place with the icon of the saint pressed to her chest and turned to stone - they could not move her. At the same time, the girl’s heart continued to beat.

The news of the miracle quickly spread throughout the city, people came in droves to watch Zoino's Standing. But after some time, the authorities blocked the passages to the house, placing a squad of policemen on duty around it.

Before the Feast of the Annunciation, a certain handsome old man asked the guards to let him through, but he, like everyone else, was refused. He tried to enter the house several times, and in the end, on the very day of the Annunciation, he succeeded. The old man turned to Zoya: “Well, are you tired of standing?” When the guards looked into the room, they did not find the elder there. Witnesses of this miracle are convinced: it was St. Nicholas himself.

Zoya stood motionless for four months - 128 days. On Easter, she began to come to life, the petrification of the tissues began to subside, but the girl constantly asked everyone to pray for the world, which was perishing in sins and iniquities, and she prayed herself - thanks to the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the Lord had mercy on her.

These events so struck the local residents of Kuibyshev that many rushed to church with repentance: they began to atone for their sins, be baptized, and order crosses. So this amazing incident turned hundreds of people to faith - to faith in justice and the power of repentance, to faith in St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and God...

Where can you venerate the relics?

From May 22 to July 12, particles of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker will be available for veneration in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (Volkhonka St., 15, Kropotkinskaya metro station).

On May 22, access to the relics will be from 14.00 to 21.00, and on subsequent days from 8.00 to 21.00.

From July 13 to July 28, the relics will remain in St. Petersburg. As TASS reports with reference to the head of the press service of Patriarch Kirill Alexander Volkov, the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra is being considered for their placement. After which the relics will return to Italy.

Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia, is perhaps the only saint to whose name the word “Wonder Worker” is added. December 19 is the day of memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I congratulate everyone on the day of remembrance of one of the most revered Christian saints, and I want to tell you about the miracles that St. Nicholas showed in my life.

The first of them took place in the Moscow Church of All Saints on Kulishki, where I ended up at the very beginning of my churching. I was surprised not only by its beauty and beautiful Byzantine chants, but also by the fact that one of the deacons there was a dark-skinned man (possibly of African origin). One of my first confessions took place here. From here, with my problems, they sent me to the Intercession Monastery to the relics of the Matronushka of Moscow. This is where my love for Greece begins. It was here, after my fervent prayers at the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, that one of the first miracles in my life happened...

On Kulishki

The most famous and one of the oldest in Moscow, the All Saints Church is located on Slavyanskaya Square near Solyanka. In 1999, the Church of All Saints in Kulishki received the status of the Metochion of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' and the representative office of the Primate of Alexandria Orthodox Church– His Beatitude the Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa.

The rector of the temple is Metropolitan Athanasius of Kirin, exarch of the Libyan Peninsula, representative of the Patriarch of Alexandria to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus'. Divine services at the courtyard are performed in Slavic and Greek.

The church on Kulishki has been known since the 14th century.

The first wooden temple-monument to the military glory of the Russian army was erected by the noble prince of Moscow Dimitri Donskoy in gratitude to the Lord for the victory granted in 1380 on the Kulikovo field and in memory of the soldiers who fell there.

In ancient times, on the site of modern Varvarka and Solyanka streets there was Vasilyevsky Meadow, which, together with the adjacent lands, was called Kulishki (Kulizhki, Kuligami). This was the name given to plots of land for haymaking along river banks.

The chronicler mentions the temple in 1488: “...at the ninth hour of the day the Church of the Annunciation on the Swamp caught fire, and therefore it burned from the city to Kulishka, not even to All Saints.”

The temple burned in fires in 1493, 1547, 1688, 1737. In 1930 or 1931 the temple was closed. In 1991, it was returned to the Church, consecrated and restored.

The shrines of the temple are the Cross-crucifix, icons Mother of God“Tikhvinskaya”, “Sign”, “Hodegetria-Sumela”, “Merciful”, icons of the martyr Andrew Stratelates and the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian. They also bring here shrines from other places, including a particle of the relics of the very revered Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky), Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea.

About the miracles that began in this temple

year 2014.

The sanctity of motherhood.
At the end of January 2013, my brother became seriously ill, at the same time my house burned down, and at the beginning of December of the same year I was laid off at work. Having suppressed my wild despair, I remembered who helped me find a permanent job in 2004, and I came to the All Saints Church, not knowing that every Thursday morning here you can venerate a piece of the relics of St. Nicholas, and in the evening you can pray at a prayer service with akathist and blessing of water.

On January 30, 2014, my birthday, I took communion at the Church of All Saints and was about to leave. But Saint Nicholas did not let me go, I kept standing by his icon and suddenly I heard one granny tell another that they would soon take out the ark with a particle of his relics. When they brought him out, the women and I read an akathist to the great wonderworker.

Needless to say, almost immediately after this I was offered a job. Currently, I am covering the topic of “the sanctity of motherhood” and making my contribution to the fight against such an evil as abortion.

Throne with the tomb of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Bari. Lower Temple.

2010

Like Nikolushka and Dmitry DostoevskyThey brought me to Bari.
I’ll tell you how, through the prayers of St. Nicholas, I was able to venerate his venerable relics, exuding fragrant myrrh, in the Italian city of Bari. I have not the slightest doubt that it was Nicholas the Wonderworker who brought me to Italy. Knowing that he helps with material needs (remember the bag of money thrown by the saint for two poor girls), I read the akathist to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for forty days - from March 18 to April 29, 2010 (then I read it from July 2 to August 13 and from August 30 to October 10, 2010).

And suddenly, on March 21, the magazine “Slavyanka” appeared in my hands with an article by Nikolai Kozhukhin “Meeting with Great Wonderworkers” (2009. No. 12). Under the unusual image of a saint in a cap, we were talking about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, about his quick help: “Nikolushka the saint will never leave! Him loving heart; As soon as you ask him for anything, he’s right there!” (page 92). At these words, I burst into tears and, turning to Nicholas the Pleasant (and that was St. Spyridon!), bitterly reproached him: “Why do you help others, but don’t hear me?”

That year, under the weight of the trials that befell me, my faith, acquired eight years ago at the bedside of my brother, who was dying in intensive care, collapsed. Over the years, I have visited so many shrines that no one else will ever see in their entire life. And it seemed to me that my faith grew stronger. But God sent a blow of such force that I barely survived it and begged the Lord: “Help, Father!!!”

Hundreds of times I have read the phrase in the Gospel: “Your faith has saved you.” “I didn’t save, but destroyed! God doesn't hear me! He left me, punished me, didn’t help!” - I complained with approximately these words that night to two saints - Nicholas the Pleasant and Spyridon of Trimifuntsky. How could I have known then that in the summer I would meet two great miracle workers at once? What if this article hadn’t caught my eye? What a pity that the Slavyanka magazine burned down along with my house - in those minutes I wrote down in the margins of the article, the date and time of the miracle that occurred.

On March 23, that is, a day after my night conversation with the saints depicted on the pages of “Slavyanka”, Olga Alexandre, the director of the international children’s Orthodox camp “Blagovestnik”, whose work I covered in 2009, called me. She offered to come to Switzerland again as a journalist and teacher. At that moment I was terribly depressed, but out of inertia I agreed.
Around the same days, a letter arrived from Doctor of Philology, Professor Stefano Aloe, who is an associate professor at the Department of Russian Literature and Slavic Studies at the University of Verona and executive secretary of the International Dostoevsky Symposium. When I read that my report was included in the symposium program, I didn’t believe it, because... In recent years, she has been engaged not in science, but in journalism and social activities. When applying to participate in the forum, I myself did not believe that anything would come of it.

In Italy, I never tired of thanking God and St. Nicholas for this miracle. Nikolushka returned Dostoevsky to me, my dear Dostoevsky brotherhood, which, by the way, was the first to come to my aid after the fire in January 2013. Already a trip to the conference was enough to understand the power of reading the akathist for 40 days. But the main miracle was that Dostoevsky, in turn, led me to the great miracle worker - to the shrine with his holy relics.

While in March I was moaning and crying in an unheated house about my broken fate, upstairs they took care of my fate in such a way that it is impossible to say in a fairy tale or describe with a pen! For many years I dreamed of visiting Bari, but I could not even imagine that I would find myself there, and not alone, but with the great-grandson of the writer Dmitry Dostoevsky.

Even before arriving in Naples, I asked Stefano Aloe in a letter if I would have the opportunity to travel from Naples to Bari. Stefano, whom I remember as a graduate student who came to St. Petersburg for the Dostoev readings, said that it’s unlikely, because it's a bit far. But remembering my question, he told Dmitry Dostoevsky about my desire, who was looking for travel companions for a trip to the great Christian shrine. I owe this unforgettable trip to him!

And here we are with Dmitry Dostoevsky (he turned 72 in 2017) and several of our other friends and colleagues in Bari! It was like a dream.

After Italy, I again felt a taste for life, and the miracles continued! Immediately after Naples and Bari, I just as miraculously ended up in Greece (and not in Switzerland, where I had already bought a ticket). On July 8, 2010, on the day of remembrance of the blessed princes Peter and Fevronia, I was informed that the Russian World Foundation, which a year earlier had allocated a grant for holding the first Orthodox camp in Switzerland, supported my project “Russian World in the Swiss Alps.”

Having received a grant from the “Russian World” for a trip to Switzerland, by God’s providence I was able in a matter of days to rework the project into “The Russian World at the Foot of Parnassus” and go to a Greek Orthodox children’s camp at the invitation of Archimandrite Nektarios (Antonopoulos), now Metropolitan of Argolid.
I owe my trips to Italy and Greece to two saints - Nicholas the Wonderworker and Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, whose icon is also in the Church of All Saints in Kulishki.

2004

About how Nikolushka employed me at the Apostle Andrew the First-Called Foundation.

How fervently, with tears, I prayed at the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the St. Nicholas chapel in 2004! I prayed for myself, unemployed, for my husband, who received mere pennies at the Institute of Developmental Biology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It was absolutely impossible to live on this with a small daughter.

I was on the verge of despair, but I didn’t really believe in any miracles, I didn’t believe that Nikolushka could help... However, literally the next day, a good friend of mine called me from America and asked: “Did your husband defend his Ph.D. thesis? We need a biologist with a degree for a Russian-American company. Write down the address. The salary is good!”

The husband passed the first interview in Russian very successfully, and the second - English language– he didn’t go, no matter how much I tried to persuade him. All in tears, not understanding why he refused this offer, I again prayed in the same temple: “Nikolushka, help!”

Imagine my surprise when, almost immediately after this, I was invited to a permanent job at the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, where I worked for more than ten years. In March 2004, I moved there from the Moskovskaya Pravda newspaper, where Saint Joasaph of Belgorod brought me, in turn. I still don’t understand how I alone managed to be the editor of three websites at once - “Dialogue of Civilizations”, the Center for National Glory and the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, and the first of them also had a version in English.

Here are just three miracles through the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, to whom I especially pray a lot. The saint of God receives us with love, being a father to the orphans, a nourisher to the poor, a comforter to those who cry, and an intercessor to the oppressed. I feel his help all the time. Sainted Father Nicholas, pray to God for us sinners!

Everyone has probably heard about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Even people far from Christianity know about him, because Nicholas is the prototype of the Western Santa Claus. However, this is not what deserves the greatest attention of believers. Even during his lifetime, Nicholas was called a miracle worker for a reason; his biography contains stories about truly miraculous salvation of people, good and generous deeds. But the most important thing is that, according to many believers, the miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker continue to happen today. Today we will talk about who Nikolai Ugodnik is, how he helped and continues to help people even after his death.

Nicholas the Wonderworker (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nicholas) was probably born in 270 in the city of Patara in the Roman province of Lycia. His parents were Christians, so the boy imbibed sincere faith from childhood. He spent almost all his time in prayer and studying the Holy Scriptures. Thanks to such zeal for the faith, he was first promoted to reader, then became a priest, and later - bishop of Myra.

The parents of Nicholas the Saint were quite wealthy; after their death, their son inherited a substantial fortune. However, he did not spend money on his own needs and enjoy his newfound wealth. Nicholas gave all his inheritance to the poor.

The beginning of the ministry of Saint Nicholas occurred during the reign of the emperors Diocletian and Maximian, whose policies included cruel persecution of Christians. Only in Last year During the reign of the next emperor, Constantius Chlorus, freedom of religion was declared. After this, Christian communities began to grow, and the teaching itself became more and more popular, because there was no longer any risk for its followers.

It is believed that Nicholas the Saint is especially kind to sailors. To this day they pray to him for a successful voyage and a speedy return home. This is due to the stories of how St. Nicholas saved sailors. One of them tells of a voyage from Myra to Alexandria, where, judging by his biography, he underwent training. During this journey, one of the sailors fell from the mast and fell to his death, but Nikolai managed to resurrect him. During his return to Mira, a misfortune also happened, and the Wonderworker again had to save the sailor, who subsequently went with him and stayed at the church.

However, most famous story, which started the tradition of Christmas and New Year's gifts, concerns three sisters whom Nicholas saved from a terrible fate. He learned that their father did not have any means to provide a dowry for his daughters, so he decided to take advantage of their beauty to earn at least something. Then Saint Nicholas came at night to the house where three beauties lived and threw a bag of gold out the window. It so happened that the bag fell into one of the drying stockings. That is why in the West the tradition arose of putting gifts in stockings or socks hanging in the house. Nikolai did not want the girls and their father to know who their benefactor was, because he was modest, and he also did not want the girls to be humiliated by his gold. Having found a bag of gold, the father was immediately able to marry off one of his daughters. He was still interested in who had left such a valuable gift, but wished to remain anonymous, so at night he did not go to sleep and began to stand guard under the window. The father waited until another bag thrown by Nikolai landed in the house and ran to catch up with the benefactor. He thanked the Wonderworker, but he made him promise that he would not tell anyone about who gave his daughters the dowry.

Nicholas the Wonderworker is considered the patron saint of:

• sailors;
• travelers;
• orphans.

However, in the West they believe that St. Nicholas patronizes all segments of the population, but especially children.

There are many testimonies of believers who claim that Nicholas the Wonderworker helped them at a time when, it would seem, there was nowhere to wait for help.

There are more than one story about when Saint Nicholas saved people who had an accident during a journey, who had an icon with his image with them or who read a prayer to him before starting the journey. People remained safe and sound in situations where this seemed simply impossible. Such salvation from the clutches of death cannot be described as anything other than a miracle.

There is also evidence that myrrh (a special consecrated oil), taken from the Basilica of St. Nicholas in Bari, where his relics rest, is capable of healing from illnesses. Some people smear it on sore spots, others drink it little by little and thus recover from their ailments.

Also, judging by the stories of believers, Saint Nicholas can help unmarried girls meet your soulmate. This is not surprising, because during his lifetime, Nicholas the Wonderworker saved virgins from loneliness. The girls claim that before meeting their betrothed, they prayed to Nicholas the Saint and asked him to help them find their happiness and build a strong family.

The saint also helps some in finding a decent job that brings a good income. This can also be considered quite logical, because during his lifetime Nikolai distributed all his wealth to those who needed it much more. People also say that prayer to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker helps to find what was lost, to get what a person needs most now.

It would be a good idea for all believers to pray to Saint Nicholas before setting off on a long journey. Since Nicholas is the patron saint of travelers, he protects believers on the road, helps to avoid dangerous situations and return home safely. However, you can turn to the saint with any requests. The most important thing is that the thoughts of the person praying are pure, and his faith is sincere and unshakable. The miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker continue today, because faith is truly capable of much. It is worth teaching Saint Nicholas to your children, because it is believed that it is children’s requests that he fulfills first.

Crisscross This story took place at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. A Moscow priest told it to me. It happened with [...]

Criss cross

This story took place at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. A Moscow priest told it to me. It happened to one of his close relatives. She lived in Moscow. Her husband was at the front, and she was left alone with small children. They lived very poorly. There was a famine in Moscow at that time. We had to live in difficult conditions for a very long time. The mother did not know what to do with the children; she could not calmly look at their suffering. At some point, she began to fall into a state of complete despair and was about to take her own life. She had an old icon of St. Nicholas, although she did not particularly reverence him and never prayed. She didn't go to church. The icon may have been inherited from her mother.

And so she approached this icon and began to reproach St. Nicholas, shouting: “How can you look at all this suffering, at how I suffer, I struggle alone? Do you see my children dying of hunger? And you do absolutely nothing to help me!” In desperation, the woman ran out onto the landing, perhaps already heading to the nearest river or planning to do something else to herself. And suddenly she tripped, fell, and saw in front of her two ten-ruble bills folded crosswise. The woman was shocked and began to look: maybe someone had dropped it, to see if there was anyone nearby, but she saw: no one was there. And she realized that the Lord had mercy on her, and Saint Nicholas sent her this money.

It affected her so much strong impression, which became the beginning of her appeal to God, to the Church. Of course, she left all the bad thoughts, returned home to her icon, began to pray, cry, and give thanks. She bought food with the money sent to her. But most importantly, she gained faith that the Lord is near, that He does not leave a person, and that in such difficult moments, when a person needs help, the Lord will definitely give it.

Then she started going to church. All her children became churchgoers Orthodox people, and one son even became a priest.

Saint Nicholas visited his temple

In the spring of 1976, the day after the feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, nun Olympias (now deceased) said that at the holiday Divine Liturgy In the St. Nicholas Church in Kursk, several praying parishioners were privileged to see something completely unusual.

Two priests performed divine services in the altar, Archpriests Anatoly Filin and Lev Lebedev (also now deceased - he died as a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad).

After the service, one of them was asked a question:

– Where is the third priest who served with you?

- Which? There was no one except the two of us!

Meanwhile, several eyewitnesses, through the open Royal Gates, to the right of them, saw a gray-haired old man standing in the altar in the bishop's place, who was fervently praying and bowing. His clothes were much brighter, richer than the vestments of other priests, his robe seemed to be on fire. It is known for certain: there are not and never were such exquisite vestments in the sacristy of St. Nicholas Church. That’s what those who saw the elder thought: the capital’s priest came to visit. Meanwhile, Vladyka Chrysostom of Kursk was away on that throne day. Otherwise everything was as always. Just the day before, the father abbot ignored the instructions of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs, took and placed on the lectern, for veneration, the miraculous image of the Saint in white vestments. But the wonderful priest never left the altar to worship the shrine.

Having learned about the mysterious visitor, the priests began to check whether it was their reflection that was reflected in the glass of the icons, they stood in different ways, this way and that, but they did not see anything like it.

- Girls, this is a miracle! - one of the archpriests who served that Liturgy remarked then, turning to the singers.

- How handsome he was, how earnestly he crossed himself, and bowed down, all to the High Place. “We thought it was Bishop Pimen of Saratov,” the singers answered.

And only over time did people understand that the third priest that day in St. Nicholas Church was... St. Nicholas the Wonderworker!

Evgenius Muravlev

Living miracle

40 years have passed since then, and this miracle is still before my eyes, standing like a living thing. I won't forget him until I die. It was a hot May morning. There is lively trading at the market. There was a long line along the shopping row. We approached Dunya Alekseeva, and there they sold icons on photographic paper for 10 rubles. Everyone wants to buy the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, but they don’t dare. This icon costs 15 rubles. The women bargain, dress up, and ask the saleswoman to give in and sell her for 10 rubles. But the saleswoman does not agree. “No,” he says, “I only have Nikolai Ugodnichek.” My neighbor and I also really wanted to buy this icon, and we even had money ready, but it was a shame to take it without waiting in line. After all, many people wanted to buy it. My neighbor Evdokia and I stood at the very end of the line. We wait in excitement: what if we don’t get it! The weather was hot, so calm, not the slightest breeze. We wipe the sweat from our faces. Nobody takes an icon for 15 rubles. They slowly argue, beg the saleswoman, wait: maybe she will give in. But the merchant is relentless. And suddenly, in the midst of such a sultry, complete silence, this very icon rose into the air, flew like a moth or an autumn leaf, and clung directly to my heart. And with great joy I pressed her with my left hand to my chest. Everyone gasped in one breath:

- How is this so?! And there was no wind!

- What a miracle! – said the saleswoman, crossing her arms over her chest.

- Why not stick to me or someone else? – Evdokia complained with annoyance. I put the money on the counter and ran home. Dunyasha follows me, almost crying. Dunya and I remembered this miracle for a long time. I told my friends. Now she, the deceased, is no longer alive. But let her hear with a dead ear: I am telling the truth. Maybe someone else among the witnesses remembers this miracle.

V. Starostina, Tataria

Intercession of the Saint

Our family keeps an ancient icon of St. Nicholas, the Pleasant of God, who was especially revered by my great-grandmother Daria Pavlovna. And why? - a family legend tells about this.

Once my great-grandmother, then still a young woman, went to early service at the Iversky Vyksa Convent. She lived 15 kilometers from the monastery in the village of Veletma, and the road went through the forest. About halfway, a dirty, shaggy man suddenly jumped out of the forest and blocked Daria’s path. What was a lonely, defenseless woman to do? She began to pray fervently: “Father Nicholas, help!” And then a short, gray-haired old man came out of the forest with a stick in his hand. He waved his stick towards the villain, and said to his great-grandmother: “Do not be afraid of anything, servant of God.” The man looked at the old man, recoiled, then said, turning to Daria: “Well, woman, pray to God and your holy intercessor, otherwise…”, and he disappeared into the forest. And the old man also disappeared, just as he had never been... So miraculously the mercy of the Pleasant of God Nicholas appeared visibly. Talking about the miracle that happened to her, the great-grandmother always cried and prayed fervently in front of the icon of the Saint.

Stepan Fomenkov, Nizhny Novgorod region

Don't let me die

This happened in October 1943 while crossing the Dnieper. Zinoviy Ivanovich Nemtyrev was carrying out another combat mission. Accustomed from childhood to obedience, he readily carried out any order from the command. And the management relied on him, knowing that from any, even the most difficult situations Nemtyrev will find a way out. But this case is truly wonderful! Zinovy ​​Ivanovich confidently drove the car along the pontoon bridge across the Dnieper.

Suddenly, enemy anti-aircraft guns opened fire, and one of the shells hit the bridge. Zinovy ​​Ivanovich’s car began to sink. “Nikola, help, don’t let me die!” - came out of my mouth short prayer. Miraculously, we managed to get out of the car. But it's far from the shore. Zinovia won’t be able to swim to the shore! Suddenly he felt on his left, under his arm, big fish. He pressed her to him and, supported by her, reached the shore safely. And despite the chilly autumn weather, I didn’t catch a cold.

...Zinovy ​​Ivanovich still often recalls that amazing incident. And every time tears come to my eyes.

"Destroyer of ungodly teachings"

Hieromonk Sergius (Rybko), rector of the Moscow Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles at the Lazarevskoye cemetery, reported the following incident: in the early 90s, he was a resident of the Optina Hermitage. One of the pilgrims told him about how she came to faith. She was an active member of the Communist Party and was engaged in anti-religious propaganda. And then her grandfather Stefan, who was a priest, began to appear to her in a dream. He told his granddaughter some circumstances of his and her life, which she could not even suspect. In particular, he revealed to her that her mother was not at all the woman she considered her to be, which was later confirmed. And in one of her dreams, she saw the martyrdom of her grandfather, how he was beaten, mocked and thrown alive into a well, where he died in severe agony, and his mother’s family and children were forced to stand at the well for a whole day, looking at his torment.

After these dreams, the atheistic views of the priest’s granddaughter were shaken, but not completely. And then the following happened. This woman had a daughter who was expecting a child at that time. In the seventh month of pregnancy, she was admitted for preservation; the child was very weak, and the doctors warned them that they had to prepare for his loss.

Having heard the final verdict of the doctors, the woman came home and immediately fell to her knees. They didn’t have icons in their house, because she herself took them down when she was an unbeliever. All that remained was this small, dusty icon of St. Nicholas, covered in cobwebs, hanging right from the ceiling, which my hands simply couldn’t reach. And it was to this saint that she began to pray fervently. After some time, she saw a luminous star appear over her right shoulder and, approaching the icon, entered it. Then the woman realized that her prayer had been heard.

Soon, the daughter safely gave birth to a child, and when she was discharged from the maternity hospital, they all went home together. The baby was in his grandmother's arms. They carried him into the room, unwrapped him, and his gaze fell on the icon of St. Nicholas. The child, weak, tiny, born underdeveloped, joyfully smiled at the saint and stretched his arms towards him. “It was a completely meaningful gesture. Then I immediately understood everything, threw out my membership card and was immediately baptized,” this servant of God finished her story.

Thus, the great Saint denounced the ungodly communist teaching, led the granddaughter of the hieromartyr to faith and reconciled with God. May the Lord rest his soul and have mercy on us through his holy prayers. Amen.

The church was never touched again

Not far from our village is the village of Nikolskoye, in which there is a temple in the name of St. Nicholas. It still stands today, large, beautiful and gracious, although it was built a long time ago.

The old people say that during the times when churches were being destroyed, some person wanted to remove the cross from the temple. He went up to the dome itself and saw some old man standing near the dome and said to him: “Why are you here?” The man guessed that it was St. Nicholas, got scared and quickly climbed down. The church was never touched again.

Tanya Avdeeva,
With. Bobyakovo, Voronezh region.

Nikola

It so happened that I Pacific Ocean, where I served on a cruiser, I had to move across all of Mother Russia to the Black Sea at the invitation of my friend. But, having arrived in Odessa, I was saddened to learn that my friend had gone sailing abroad. It was impossible to blame him for this - he did not depend on his own decisions.

But I myself am to blame for how I managed my time and my money. Youth and recklessness are bad advisers, and I was soon left without a livelihood, having squandered my naval money. And I decided to go to Donbass to earn money (at that time in Odessa there was a brisk recruitment for the mines).

So, without planning this at all before, I ended up in the Donbass at one of the old, unproductive mines. Sometimes I was so tired that, when I arrived at the hostel, I collapsed on my bed dead, right in my clothes. New friends tried not to make noise while I slept. I soon got involved in the work, the calluses on my rough hands had to be cut off with a knife, but I liked that I did not lose heart and run away, like some.

And everything would be fine, but trouble happened. That day I really didn’t want to go down into the cage into the mine! It was as if my soul sensed trouble. When we were walking along the roadway to the face, suddenly there was a crash from above, a roar, a blow to the left shoulder and arm, a wild pain in the leg, and finally – a blow to the head and a flight to nowhere. Darkness.

I woke up covered in rock and mud. It was difficult to breathe. Collapse. As we were taught, I began to move a little, looking for free space around me. Left hand was motionless, I moved my right fingers - they worked! And I began to free myself pebble by stone from the captivity of the earth, often losing consciousness from pain.

But I didn’t want to die buried alive and believed that I was partially buried. And my desperate struggle ended in victory - I was freed from under the rubble. There was pitch darkness all around. And silence. I shouted, calling my comrades, but no one answered me. Having felt myself, I discovered several wounds on my left arm, blood was oozing from them. My leg hurt unbearably, but there was no blood, I decided that there was a closed fracture. Having torn my vest, I somehow bandaged my hand. I began to scream again, but only the echo of the underworld answered me mockingly.

I fell into a heavy sleep, but suddenly I clearly heard laughter and squealing. I crawled along the drift, dragging my sore leg. The noise and barking intensified and then moved away. I rested, trying to find at least a little water dripping from above. And suddenly, very close by, I heard a malicious giggle, a loud grunt and a fervent hooting. And I crossed myself! It's me, a naval Komsomol member!

But a miracle - the vile sounds stopped! And I crawled in the opposite direction. But where? There are many workings in this old mine. This means that I will have to wander through them for a long time and, perhaps, stay in this dungeon forever. I lost myself in heavy sleep. I dreamed of my childhood and my mother standing in the left wing of the Intercession Cathedral in front of the icon of St. Nicholas. She gave me a candle and whispered: “This is yours.” heavenly patron Nikola the Wonderworker. Light a candle for him. If you pray to him, he will always come to the rescue and save you from any trouble. Always remember this. Always".

I crossed myself and whispered: “Nicholas the Wonderworker, save me!” – and woke up. I woke up suddenly, as if someone had touched me. A calm male voice said: “Get up, young man, and follow me.” I thought about my broken leg, but the same voice firmly insisted: “Follow me!” And I got up! But still afraid of stepping on my sore foot, I walked holding on to the wet wall of the drift.

I no longer heard the voice, but it was as if I saw in the darkness someone who was attracting me like a magnet. From time to time I stopped to rest, and the one in front of me also stopped and waited. At the next stop a light flashed and I recognized it! It was Nikola from the icon of the Barnaul Intercession Cathedral!

“Well, that’s all,” he said, “soon they will come to you from over there.” I looked in the direction he was pointing, and when I turned around, there was no one near me. I again fell into an unconscious state, from which I was brought out by rescuers who decided to check the old adits. To all questions about my salvation, I only answered: “Nikola, Nikola.” From that time on I was nicknamed Nikola the Siberian.

I spent nine days getting out after the collapse, wandering through the adits, and then eleven people died.

After being discharged from the hospital, my friends escorted me with honors to my homeland - my native, blooming Altai. My gray-haired mother greeted me with happy tears. After my detailed story Mom told me: “On the day you got into trouble, I went to the garden to water the beds. Everything was fine, I was quite healthy, but suddenly my vision went dark, I felt so bad that I had difficulty getting home. I drank Corvalol, lay down on the bed and dozed off. I dreamed of you, shrouded in a black cloud, in which lightning flashed from time to time. I was very sick, and also this dream. I dreamed about him for several days. Only now I understand that the black cloud is the darkness of the mine, and the light is St. Nicholas, your savior, glory to him and the Lord Jesus Christ, without whose will not a single hair will fall from a person’s head!
The next day we went to the Intercession Cathedral to pray for my miraculous salvation, to thank the Lord and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Nikolay Blinov,
Novoaltaysk, "Lampada"

“God definitely exists!”

Hello!

Such a miracle happened during the Second World War. Recorded from the words of Ivan Dmitrievich.

This happened a long time ago, during the Great Patriotic War. The Germans occupied the railway station, but did not enter the nearby village. They, of course, controlled it, but for the most part all the forces were at the station to protect it. Vanka, already at the age of 14, worked with the partisans and was busy planting explosives under German trains. He often visited the station and the Germans did not even suspect that this guy was the demolition bomber they had been looking for for so long. Vanka helped unload the carriages, and for this he was given bread biscuits.

And then one day, after another task, Vanka was returning to the village and accidentally came across a dilapidated church. Digging through the rubble, he accidentally found what he thought was a beautiful picture in a golden frame. He looked at him from her old man of advanced age with clear eyes and a stern look. "Beautiful!" - Vanka thought and, brushing off the dust from it, put it in his bosom. Finding nothing else suitable, he headed out and immediately saw a German patrol. Vanka generally always reacted calmly to the appearance of a patrol, but at that moment he got scared for some reason and, without realizing it, started running. Two German soldiers rushed after him, shouting after him: “Sofort bleibe stehen!”, which meant stop immediately! But Vanka rushed at full speed towards the forest, without looking back. And suddenly, just before the border of the forest, Potap appeared. He was a country man, and also a silent man, and then Vanka saw him in a policeman’s uniform.

- Just stop, you bastard! – Potap shouted and raised his rifle.

- Uncle Potap, it’s me Vanka! – he shouted back.

“So you’re the one who plants explosives under trains?” – Potap asked without lowering his weapon.

- So you are a traitor, Uncle Potap? Did the partisans talk about you? – Vanka shouted with surprise and annoyance in his voice.

Potap pulled the trigger and a shot rang out. The bullet hit me in the chest. The blow was so strong that Vanka flew three meters back and fell flat on the ground. The soldiers immediately ran up. One of them approached the prone body and pushed it with his foot. He did not move, and blood flowed from his mouth. The soldier bent down and pulled out two pieces of Bickford cord from Vanka’s hand and showed them to the second. The second one shook his head and waved his hand to Potap to come over.

- Gut schießt Du! Good shot, he praised German soldier Potapa, you’ll get an extra can of stew! Very bad!

They put away their weapons and headed back to the station to report that the bomber
destroyed.

Vanka woke up to his face being licked by the dog he had taken in, having found him on the street half-starved and sick. Vanka opened his eyes and looked at the dog. He whined slightly and wagged his tail with joy for his owner. Vanka tried to get up, but sharp pain in his chest made him scream, and he lay down on his back again. Gathering his strength, he turned on his side and, with difficulty overcoming the pain, managed to sit up. "How so?" - Vanka thought - “I’m not dead!”

He put his hand into his bosom and pulled out the icon. Looking at her, he couldn't believe what he saw!

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker held a bullet in his hand, which he raised in a blessing gesture.

Vanka examined the icon again. But it was written on a wooden board that was already decades old. Only now Vanka realized what had happened. He, like all Soviet children, did not know how to pray, and did not know how to do it. He only remembered how his grandmother did it on the sly. He reached the forest, leaned the icon against a tree and, bending to the ground, not paying attention to the pain in his chest, shedding tears, lamented: “Thank you, grandfather! Thank you for saving me!”

Having finally calmed down, he lay down on the grass and, looking with wide open eyes at the sky along which white clouds were floating, thought: “There really is a God! Grandma talked about it all the time, but I didn’t believe it. And now he saved me.”

Vanka got up, put the icon in his bosom and immediately caught himself thinking that there was no pain in his chest. He touched himself and, indeed, his chest no longer hurt. "Miracles!" - Vanka thought and went into the forest to the partisans.

Vanka went through the entire war without leaving the icon anywhere for a minute. During the entire war he did not even receive a scratch, although he sometimes participated in the most fierce battles and alterations. Now the icon stands in Ivan Dmitrievich’s red corner, and Nikolai the Wonderworker still holds the bullet fired by Potap’s treacherous hand. Many experts looked at this miracle, but no one could give any explanation for this.

Sincerely,
Nikolay Anisimov

Salvation of a Muslim

In the mid-80s, one Russian man happened to be in an Orthodox church in Tashkent. And there he saw a Muslim who, with great reverence, constantly bowing, lit candles in front of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. There, near the icon, they began a conversation, and the Muslim told about the miracle that St. Nicholas performed on him.

On a winter night he was walking through the steppe to a distant village and suddenly he heard very close wolf howl. A few minutes later he was surrounded by a pack of wolves. In horror and despair, the Muslim shouted: “Russian God and Nikola, help!” Suddenly it blew strong wind, a blizzard rose. She bumped into wolf pack and, spinning her in a whirlwind, she took her into the steppe.

When the wind died down, the Muslim saw a gray-haired old man near him, who told him: “Look for me in the Russian church,” and immediately disappeared. Arriving at Orthodox church, the Muslim with amazement and great joy recognized in the image of St. Nicholas the same “grandfather” who appeared to him at night in the steppe.

Nun Pelagia

Exit from Hell

The incident I want to tell about was told to me by my mother, and to her by a friend with whom she goes to church together. He testifies that Saint Nicholas helps everyone, even people far from God.

This incident occurred in Belarus, at the very beginning of the war. This woman's husband was an officer. They lived on the territory Brest Fortress. When the battles for the fortress began, a woman with a newborn baby in her arms miraculously managed to escape from the war-torn fortress walls.

When she came to her senses, she saw that she was in the forest, in an unfamiliar place, and she didn’t know where to go next. She fell into despair. There is a crying child in your arms, and there are trees all around, and no hope of finding your way. But suddenly an old man with a stick appeared from somewhere and pointed to her: “Go this way, you will be saved there.” And suddenly disappeared. The woman moved in the direction that the old man pointed out to her, and after a while she came out to the farm. There she was met by elderly peasants, a husband and wife.

She lived with her child on this farm throughout the war. There were no Germans here. After the war, the woman went to church and there she saw an icon of the “old man.” It was Saint Nicholas. “Since then I always go to church and never forget to pray to the saint,” says this woman.

Elena Chistikina

Didn't allow any abuse

One woman told an incident that happened in their family when she was barely six years old.

Her mother was a very believer, but her father, on the contrary, being a communist, was hostile to the Church. Mom had to keep secret from her father somewhere in the closet, among her things, the icon of St. Nicholas, the mother’s blessing.

One day she came home from work and began to light the stove. There was already firewood in it, you just had to light it. But she couldn’t do it. No matter how hard you fight, the wood doesn’t burn, that’s all!

Then she began to pull them out and, together with the logs, took out of the oven the icon of the saint, which the husband had found in the closet and decided to destroy with the hands of his wife.

Reprinted from the people's newspaper for glory
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "Rule of Faith"

“Who is praying for you?..”

When I was little, a sea captain came to our village to visit his parents. His story has stuck with me for the rest of my life.

“Our ship,” he said, “as usual, went to sea to fish. It was quiet, calm. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a strong wind blew in and a storm arose. The sails were torn off, the ship became uncontrollable and tilted to one side, and communication was lost. Huge waves tossed the ship around like a matchbox. There was nowhere to wait for help, and everyone felt imminent death.

I jumped up and with my hands raised, crying loudly, began to pray, asking St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for help. I don’t know how much time passed, but the storm began to subside. “Guys,” I shout to the sailors, “stretch the sails!” They answer detachedly: “It’s already useless: the bottom has been broken, water is flooding the ship.” I started to insist. The three of us pulled the sails in a matter of minutes, although usually ten men could not handle them. The storm was subsiding. When we went down, we saw that a large fish had plugged the hole.

The sailors surrounded me crying and asked: “Captain, tell us, who is praying to God for you?” Then it was persecuted. I answer them: “My grandmother and mother are praying for me, and this is who saved us,” and took out my wallet from my pocket, where the small icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker lay.

Management rewarded me extraordinary leave, and the sailors asked to buy them icons of St. Nicholas and serve a thanksgiving prayer in the church. Everyone who was on the ship bowed low to my grandmother and mother for their prayer.”

L. N. Goncharova,
Volgograd region
Reprinted from the people's newspaper for glory
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "Rule of Faith"

Autumn evening

This happened in 1978, when I was nineteen years old. One evening I stayed with a friend. When I got to my area, it was already eleven o’clock in the evening. All around is dark and deserted. Due to the frivolity characteristic of youth, I was not afraid of anything, believing that nothing bad could ever happen to me. And she didn’t attach any importance to the fact that the door of one of the front doors was slightly open and a man was looking out.

When I passed the door, he followed. Feeling something was wrong, I wanted to run, but I didn’t have time: a strong hand was already holding me. The man who caught up with me began to drag me into the front door. I resisted, but in vain. She began to ask: “Let me go!” He replied: “I’ll kill you now.” There is not a soul around. There is nowhere to wait for help. Then I raised my eyes to the sky and silently, with my heart, prayed: “Lord, Nicholas the Wonderworker! Intercede, help!”

And a miracle happened. The fingers holding my hand tightly loosened. I felt that I was free. The man who had just made an angry threat did not say another word. And he didn't try to follow me. He stood still, as if petrified. I got home safely.

Many years have passed, but I will not forget that autumn evening when I experienced the power of the miraculous intercession of our Lord God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Lyudmila
Reprinted from the people's newspaper for glory
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "Rule of Faith"

"Give me a peaceful sleep"

For many years I suffered from insomnia, and for the last two or three years I could only fall asleep with pills.

And then I found out that big cities they are carrying the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. He will also be in Tolyatti, where I live. I was looking forward to this day with impatience and hope. When the image was brought to the temple in honor of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God, it was completed procession. There were a lot of people: it seemed that the whole city had gathered. My soul was light and joyful, and my heart harbored hope for healing. And thanks to God's mercy it came.

Now I sleep soundly. And every morning I thank our Savior, His Most Pure Mother and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Servant of God Galina,
Tolyatti
Reprinted from the people's newspaper for glory
St. Nicholas the Wonderworker "Rule of Faith"

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Saint Nicholas mastered a lot of secular professions: doctor, engineer, gardener, pilot, veterinarian, postman... The saint still saves lives and performs miracles today.

I remember the Day of St. Nicholas the Winter in 2008 very well. That day I was doing my usual job at UNIAN, working on topics of politics and economics.

The UNIAN-Religion project did not yet exist, as they say, at all. But there was a lot of responsible editorial work, which did not allow me to leave. But in my soul that day I was in the church, at the icon of St. Nicholas, mentally lighting a candle, with a prayer for the most important thing.

In the evening I found some free time and the idea came to create group in honor of St. Nicholas on the popular resource "Odnoklassniki".

“If the Lord, through a prayer appeal to Nicholas the Wonderworker, accomplished what you asked for, you can leave a detailed record of this, in memory of modern wonders St. Nicholas,” wrote a call to the members of the new group.

Very soon she became popular. Today the group has 54.8 thousand participants and 12 moderators (priests and students of theological seminaries. - Author).

Group members say that Saint Nicholas actively participates in their lives, helping even in intractable situations. He mastered a lot of secular professions: doctor, engineer, gardener, pilot, veterinarian, postman...

The saint protects from offenders, helps to get a job, decides housing issues, saves lives, calls for justice and performs miracles.

I’ll add that the birthday of the UNIAN-Religions project should probably also be considered December 19th. After all, the idea of ​​its creation came right then, along with a group in honor of St. Nicholas in social network. And through prayers to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Holy Fathers of Pechersk, within a few months we launched a new project.

Fatima Alikova (Tsalikova) 35 years old, Moscow-Beslan.

IN THE LINE OF FIRE

“In 2004, I was held hostage in Beslan, at school No. 1. I won’t describe how hard it was for all of us in the gym these three days. During the explosion, I flew out of the window, and without realizing anything, I ran about 20 meters at random and hid between the iron garages. A shootout began, I lay down on the ground, covering my ears with my hands. I was very scared. Bullets whistled from all sides. The whole time I was lying there, I prayed to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

I just screamed to him in my heart to save me from death. It seemed to me that if my prayer was interrupted for even a second, a bullet would hit me. I lay there like that for an hour and a half, maybe more, I don’t know. At some point, the shooting died down, voices were heard behind the fence, and I called for help. They pulled me out and carried me on a stretcher to the ambulance. There wasn’t even a scratch on me, despite the fact that I was lying in the line of fire. All thanks to prayers to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker!”

Elena Bestuzheva, 57 years old, Tver, Russia.

“My dad was born in 1923. When he went to the front, my grandmother prayed to Nikolai Ugodnik for him. One autumn they were transferred to the front line. They walked through the mud, were very tired, when they got to the place, they dug in and fell down to sleep. Dad woke up to an old man in an untucked white shirt tugging at his shoulder. He said: “Vanyushka, run, run!” Dad jumped up and ran. Then I thought: where did the old man come from at the front line? He stopped and looked around... At that time a bomb hit the trench, and everyone who remained there was killed.”

Tatyana Ivanova-Suvorova, 47 years old, Lukyanov, Russia.

THE CATCHER

“My older brother, when he was two years old, got lost in the forest. The whole village searched for him, but to no avail. A day later, after crying, he was found on the edge of a cliff, above the river, on brushwood. The finder wanted to dress him warmly and feed him. But the child said: “I don’t want to and I’m not cold.” He was dressed lightly, and it was freezing at night. “Grey-haired grandfather warmed me up and gave me some bread.” All this happened on May 25th. The grandmother sincerely believed that it was Nikolai the saint who saved her grandson.”

Natasha Sidorova (Ulogova), 33 years old, Lobnya, Russia.

HUNGER

“It was in 1946, during the post-war famine. My mother was 9 years old. A handful of cereal - for the whole day, they ground acorns and made cakes from them, ate roots. Two younger sisters my mother was in the hospital due to exhaustion. It was a sunny summer day, and my mother was sitting on the rubble and playing with the ashes from the stove. Suddenly an old man appeared from around the corner. According to my mother’s story, my grandfather was very pleasant-looking: not very tall, with blue eyes and dressed all in white. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were completely gray. The suit was also white, the shoes were light.

In those days when everyone wore rags, it was impossible to see a person in such clothes. Grandfather approached mom and asked if she wanted to eat? And he gave mom two potatoes, bread, and two tomatoes. To celebrate, my mother didn’t even understand where this grandfather had gone. A neighbor came running to my mother and asked what kind of miracle it was? She saw all this from the window. She said that after giving mom the groceries, grandpa walked around the corner and... disappeared!!! They talked about this incident for a long time in the village, they assumed that it was St. Nicholas the Wonderworker himself! My mother often tells this story. She remembers everything, down to the smallest detail. And my mother is already 74 years old.”

HAPPY MARRIAGE

Tatiana Stivrinya, 49 years old, Jelgava, Latvia.

“I have a friend who got married through prayers to St. Nicholas. She is already over 40, she was divorced, but really wanted to find her soul mate. She was told that she should pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for marriage. She works in the church, so at every opportunity she began to approach the icon and ask for painful things. One day, when she was wiping the icon, a man her age approached her. “I’m watching you, you’re always at this icon.” She answers him so simply: “I ask the Lord for a husband.” He laughed and said: “Here I am!” It’s already the second year since we got married, and now the Lord has sent a child.”

Svetlana Lakhina (Chikantseva), 39 years old, Belaya Kalitva Sukhumi, Russia.

“I really wanted a baby, but I couldn’t carry it for more than 10 weeks. I was asked in Sunday school to embroider an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for the holiday of the Day of Love, Family and Fidelity. While I was embroidering, I asked St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for help. And 9 months later our daughter Juliana was born. Isn't it a miracle?

Galina Kovalenko 38 years old, Maykop, Russia.

“I couldn’t give birth for a long time - there were miscarriages. I prayed to Nicholas the Wonderworker. I became pregnant again, but I no longer believed, I thought nothing would work out. And late in the evening I was leaving work, an old man came towards me and said: “Happy holiday!” And it slipped my mind that it was Mother’s Day, I thought he was tipsy and joking. I replied: “And you too!” He laughed and said: “Ehhh! It’s me who congratulates you on Mother’s Day!” I replied: “Thank you!” And she moved on. And for some reason I immediately remembered about Nikolai Ugodnik. I turned around, and the old man was no longer anywhere... I realized that this was a sign, and that this time everything would be fine. My daughter was born!”

Lyubov Fedoseeva.

“I didn’t have children for seven years. Everyone I knew knew about infertility. I was advised to go to Turkey, to the temple where St. Nicholas the Wonderworker himself once served. There is still a church there, it is not active, but services are held there twice a year. Saint Nicholas bequeathed: “Whoever comes with good intentions to this temple, everything will be fulfilled.” My husband and I were traveling to ask for children. I cried when I was there, I believed and prayed. I returned from Turkey pregnant, a miracle happened! A daughter was born.

I wanted a lot of children, but again I couldn’t get pregnant for a long time. And I went to Turkey again. I asked Nikolai for twins. I had a dream: “It will be difficult for you to bear two children right away, as it was C-section. You'll have better weather." After this dream I became pregnant. In the fifth month of pregnancy she fell ill with hepatitis. I couldn’t believe it, because my child was blessed by St. Nicholas the Wonderworker! I had to go to the hospital.

I prayed all night. Saint Nicholas himself appeared in a dream and said that I was healthy. I woke up and told my mom about it. Mom said that if this comes true, she will believe. I arrived at the hospital, they took tests, and I turned out to be healthy. The doctors were against pregnancy, insisted on an abortion, and scared me that I might die. I believed only Nikolai. A son was born. According to your faith, so be it to you. I know that for sure. I have three children - Lyubov, Maria and Bogdan. Thank God. Thanks to Nicholas the Wonderworker. These were the greatest miracles of my life.”

Irina Postarnak, 46 years old, Belgorod, Russia.

HOUSING PROBLEM

“My husband met another woman, I could no longer live in his lies and debauchery. He said: “If you don’t want to live with me, go wherever you want!” The director offered to move into an apartment with a shared apartment. The neighbor thought that we were having a fictitious divorce in order to get an apartment. The court decided to evict me. I came to church and stood on kneeled in front of the icon of Nikolayushka, and in her own words began to ask for help to send me some housing. I met the mayor of the city in the morning, I was going to work, for some reason I stopped, listened. I saw sympathy in his eyes, he told me to come to such and such an office tomorrow. "The next day I received a warrant. When help comes from above, all doors are open, no connections or money are needed."

Leonid Kichko, 53 years old, Lipetsk, Russia.

PLITTERING

“By profession, I am a repairman of technological equipment. After one of the repairs, the unit’s performance did not meet the norm: it was disassembled and reassembled three times, and commissioning was delayed. Frustrated, I went to the temple. Standing at the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant, he asked him for help. To be honest, when I returned to the site, I forgot about the request. IN Once again Having disassembled and reassembled, without finding the reasons, we made a hopeless decision about a test run. Imagine the surprise of everyone present when the unit began to work. Nobody could explain what was happening. Having visited the temple, I remembered the request and thanked St. Nicholas. Not knowing prayers, I asked in my own words.”

EMERGENCY DOCTOR

Irina Vladina, 42 years old, Kostroma, Russia.

“I was 7-8 years old. My ears hurt very badly, I was screaming in pain! The whole family stood by my bed, not knowing how to help. My great-grandmother Olga had an icon of St. Nicholas - a simple one, on a paper cardboard... I remembered about the icon, and through my tears I shouted: “Grandma, pray to St. Nicholas the Pleasant!” Grandmother quickly went into the room. As soon as she disappeared behind the door, the pain disappeared. Now I am 42 years old, and this miracle is not forgotten. No one had any doubts - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker helped!”

Irina Kholopova, 52 years old, Moscow, Russia.

“My relative was cured in Mir. I flew to Turkey with herpes on my back. I warned him about the consequences. But youth... He said: “I’ll anoint you with iodine and everything will pass.” And then - chills, pain. We decided to skip the sea and go on an excursion. This is how they got to the Lycian Worlds. On the way back to the hotel I noticed: no pain, no chills. The skin healed quickly, without marks.”

Vladimir Altunin, 64 years old, Sevastopol, Ukraine.
“At work we were repairing an electric motor. My crowbar fell off and I hit my elbow hard. The fingers on my left hand began to go numb. One day we stopped at the Foros Church. I stood near the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and mentally said: “I don’t believe in God, but if you help me with my health, I will believe!” At the same moment, warmth flowed through my hands, as if entering a warm bath from the cold. Five years passed, my hands never went numb again. Everyone at work knows, they saw how I suffered. Believe it if you want! It happened to me."

Liliya Kozina (Polozhnova), 36 years old, Moscow.
“About 15 years ago I had an ovarian cyst. The gynecologist prescribed therapy, after which she had to undergo surgery to remove the cyst. For exactly a month I took the prescribed pills, washed down with holy water and praying to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. On December 19 (!) the cyst came out on its own. The gynecologist, experienced and competent, was very surprised. I spent a long time looking through the ultrasound, but in the end I admitted that the operation was not necessary.”

Margarita Bozhko (Gusarova), 47 years old, Kursk, Russia.

ST. NICHOLAS - GARDENER

“I planted tomatoes on the loggia, they bloomed all summer, but none of them set fruit. In October I look at these barren flowers and think: “At least one tomato has started, for consolation.” And three days later one started. I immediately realized that it was Nikolai Ugodnik who gave me the tomato, since his icon is on the window right next to the tomatoes.”

Ekaterina Yudkevich, 49 years old, Leningrad region, Russia.

ICON ON ASPHALT

“It was at a very difficult moment in my life, when I lost loved one, and came to St. Petersburg for documents. It was pouring rain, and it seemed to me that I would simply die, I could not stand the grief. Near the Tekhnologichesky Institute metro station there is a very busy place, people walk in a stream, no one notices anyone. I walked in this stream, and my soul was overcome by despair. Suddenly on the sidewalk I saw an icon standing right in the middle of the road. It is not clear how she could stand, and how people did not knock her down. I bent down and picked it up. It was an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the size of a palm, on a tree. What’s also surprising is that in the pouring rain it was completely dry! I was filled with such unexpected joy, peace, love - all this is difficult to convey in words! My confessor said that it was Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker who consoled me.”

Alexander Vorobyov 52 years old, Kaliningrad, Russia.

DEFAMATED ICON

“The incident took place in the mid-90s. We have a temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kaliningrad. Above the entrance is an icon of St. Nicholas. One day they discovered that the icon was missing. An empty, broken icon case was found in a flowerbed. A few months later the icon was returned; the eyes of St. Nicholas were dug out. Father told us scary story how the icon came to be and what happened. The woman returned the icon to the temple; she was in tears and told how it all happened.

That night, her son and a group of teenagers entered the temple territory and removed the icon of St. Nicholas. She was very beautiful and looked rich from afar. When the guys brought the icon home and saw in the light that it was simple, one of the teenagers, out of anger, took a nail and picked out the saint’s eyes. A month later, the teenager who committed the sacrilege had both eyes gouged out. When it became clear that he remained disabled for life, he told his mother about what he had done and where the desecrated icon lay. Then the woman took the icon to the temple and told the priest what grief befell them for her son’s blasphemy. The icon was restored, inserted into the icon case and installed in its original place. There is no information about what happened to the boy and his mother.”

Irina Sorochan, 49 years old, Astana, Kazakhstan.

LAW ENFORCEMENT

In July 2005, my mother died. Less than 40 days had passed, I decided to go to the cemetery alone. A man sat at my mother’s grave, looking scary. He and I looked at each other. I walk and think he will follow me now. And so it happened, he was walking along with a man still under 2 meters tall. It became scary; we had cases where people were attacked in the cemetery. And then grandfather comes out of the bushes, I still thought that he had come to visit someone. He was dressed simply, but I noticed his face: extraordinary, clean, so light that it was impossible to convey, his beard and hair were white. A familiar face, where could I have seen him? He looked at me so sternly and walked past my mother’s grave, and I followed him as if spellbound. Those two men followed us, but did not increase their pace. On the way, I went to my husband’s grave, laid flowers, he slowed down, waited for me, and those two also stopped. We reached the fork, and I saw that he was gone, as if he had sunk into the water. I returned home safely. When she came to our church, she approached the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and gasped, recognizing in that old man the beloved St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, it was him. That is, he helped me, even without turning to him. I thank the Lord for giving me such a miracle - to meet Nikolai Ugodnik."

Inna Rimskaya 41 years old, Kyiv, Ukraine.

WIZARD IN A BLUE HELICOPTER

“In 1998, my friend Olya and I went to Valaam. Money was running short, we all couldn’t leave: either there was no boat, or we didn’t know about its departure. We have already gotten used to the idea that we will use our last money to travel by boat to Sortavala, because the return tickets were bought in Kyiv and we will not receive the money if we return them. Out of grief, we went to the hotel, ate all the porridge taken from the refectory, and then, for consolation, we began to read an akathist to St. Nicholas and sang glorification. When we sang the praise for the third time, a helicopter landed near the hotel and we flew away. Two hours later we were already in St. Petersburg.”

Tatyana Moskaleva (Ilyasova), 54 years old, Kansk, Russia.

POSTMAN

“I read in a magazine how Saint Nicholas helped one husband give away his daughters, and I thought: where can I get Nicholas the Wonderworker for everyone? I was in a difficult situation - I was raising my son alone, he was a freshman. Winter is outside, but he has no warm clothes. The next day I come home from work, there is a notice at the door - money has arrived from my sister. I bought a down jacket for my son. And my sister told me that she suddenly thought that we needed money more than they did.”

Marina Idadze, Kutaisi, Georgia.

VET
“Our puppy got sick. We took his illness hard. For about a week he lay there, did not eat or drink, and breathing was almost inaudible. And suddenly, out of the blue, he shows interest in food, starts running and playing pranks... We were very surprised. And then dad admitted that he asked Nicholas the Wonderworker for the puppy to recover. As it turned out, dad was heard. But the vet refused to treat our dog! What a miracle..."

Evgeny Polyakov, 51 years old, Moscow, Russia.

ON VALAAM

“About 15 years ago, with Abbot Joel, we sailed to Valaam on a small motor boat. As soon as we passed St. Nicholas Monastery, our engine stalled. While the oars were being taken out, a terrible fog fell, only the domes of the St. Nicholas Church were visible. We barely made it on the oars. If the engine had stalled later, no one knows what would have happened to us. Saint Nicholas saved us from death!”

Svetlana Krykun (Arkhipova), 52 years old, Murmansk.

"YOU PROMISED"

“It was in 1988-1989, my daughter was 4 years old. At work she boasted that she had never been to the hospital with a child. That same evening, a child with larigotrachiitis was taken away. I prayed to God to have mercy on my child, and promised to go to church in case of healing and light a candle. My girl recovered, but I never went to church. A year later I had a dream, a man in a long robe was standing in the doorway, his arm was slightly bent, as if pointing to an icon, and he said: “You promised!” I didn’t know who I dreamed about. After 13 years, my daughter entered FINEK in St. Petersburg, I took her there, and I took her to the Kazan Cathedral. I went to inspect the icons, approached one, and immediately started to cry like a river: it’s him - Nikolayushka, from my dream, I’ve just never seen a full-length icon of the Wonderworker before.”

Olga Gavrilova, 44 years old, Russia, Krasnoyarsk.

"IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, GIVE SOME SIGN"

“My daughter graduated from college, received a degree as an artist-designer, went to live in St. Petersburg, and for 4 months could not find a job. And so, when my strength and patience were running out, my legs led me to the Vladimir Cathedral. There is a very old icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. She turned to him with a prayer: “If you hear me, give me some sign!” Suddenly the window opened, the wind blew out all the candles, leaving only the candle in the daughter’s hands burning. On the same day, they brought her a newspaper with advertisements where the company needed a designer. This was 8 years ago. Now my daughter has her own company. She never parts with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.”

Tatyana Shvedova 42 years old, Zaporozhye, Ukraine.

“WHEN I SEE A TRAFFIC POST, I ASK NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER TO COVER US WITH YOUR HANDS”

“When we drive past the traffic police post, I ask St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to cover us with his hands so that they don’t see us. No one ever dared to stop us."

Flight engineer Lyudmila Maygurova, 38 years old, Volgograd, Russia.

“I LOOKED OUT THE PORTHOLE, AND I WAS STUNNED: THE PATTERN OF WINGS WAS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THE GLASS”

“We flew on a Boeing 737-200, which is the smallest and with which disasters occur more often than others. We took off normally, gained altitude, began serving us drinks and food, people relaxed... Suddenly we entered a zone of turbulence, the plane was throwing in all directions so that glasses, plates, napkins and everything in the world were flying around the cabin. The passengers turned white with horror, the people did not know what to grab with their hands to stay in their seats...

I had with me an icon with images of Nicholas the Pleasant, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel and the Lord with the traveler’s prayers to them. She took it out with shaking hands and began to read all the prayers in a row. I finish - and again. I read prayers and out of the corner of my eye I see people looking at me with such hope. And I began to read prayers not to myself, but out loud. Then suddenly everything calmed down as quickly as it started. And some guy, when I finished reading the prayers out loud, shouted to the whole plane: “Hallelujah!” I looked out the porthole and was stunned: the pattern of wings, like an angel’s, was clearly visible on the glass... Probably it was a sign. For some, but for me, it was a miracle. Thank God for everything!"

Anna Gorpinchenko, UNIAN-Religions.

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