“There is no icon like Nicholas.”
Russian proverb
Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker (feastday: Dec 6/19)
is one of the most beloved Saints of the Church. He is loved by so many because
God has revealed St. Nicholas to be an ever-active intercessor, often
performing very practical, straightforward, miracles of healing and rescue that
anyone can comprehend. Among these miracles, a number have been worked through
the icons of Nicholas. Below is a small selection of St Nicholas icons that
have performed, or continue to perform, miracles.
1) Icon
of St. Nicholas “of Zarazsk”
The icon of St Nicholas “of Zarazsk” is one of the most well-known icons in Russia that
plays a significant role in the nation’s early medieval history. Hailing from
the ancient Byzantine colony of Korsun, in the Crimea, the icon of St Nicholas
was said to be situated in the church in which Vladimir the Great was baptized
in 988.
In 1225 the icon was escorted by the priest Eustathius
from Korsun to the Russian principality of Ryazan. This meant traversing the
dangerous Polovtsian lands of the Tartars. Guided miraculously by St Nicholas,
Fr Eustathius safely delivered the icon to Ryazan’s Prince Theodore. The prince
built a church in honour of St. Nicholas, and placed the miraculous image within
it.
Catastrophe later came upon the land of Ryazan in the
form of the Tartar-Ruler Batu’s forces. Prince Theodore was captured and later
died. On hearing the news, Theodore’s wife, Eupraxia, threw herself, along with
her baby son, from the bell-tower of a church rather than face Tatar captivity
herself. It is this manner and/or location of death, associated with a prophecy
of St Nicholas’ icon regarding Ryazan, that gave the icon its name “Zaraysk.”
It wasn’t until the 16th century, when the icon was
transferred to Kolomna, that St Nickolas of Zarazsk gained a wider devotion.
This is also the time the stories of the capture of Ryazan were written in
their present form. Consequently, copies of the icon spread widely throughout
Russia – distinctive in showing St Nicholas full-length, right arm raised in
blessing, and left arm holding aloft a Gospel book. Some of these copies have
also been considered wonder-working.
2)
Saint Nicholas Reappears on a Burnt Icon
In more recent times, burnt planks of wood manifested
the faces of Christ and St Nicholas when moved to the home of a villager in the
Ukraine. The villager’s farm belonged to a priest just before WWII, but the
house was bombed by the Germans, and a new one was built. A much older shed
remained until it burned down in a fire six years ago. Dismantling the
wreckage, the 80 year-old woman was surprised to find two small planks with
faint images upon them. Believing they were icons that had survived the fire,
the lady removed them to her house, but promptly forgot about the indistinct
images.
Not long after the images cleared to reveal the faces
of Christ and St. Nicholas. The boards were taken to the local church to be
sanctified, and since then have gradually become clearer and clearer, with no
cleaning by the owners. The old lady’s house is now regularly visited by locals
wishing to venerate the icons.
3) The
Miraculous Icon of St Nicholas in Kokkari
In the secluded fishing harbour of Kokkari, is the
largest church on Samos, and home to a wonder-working icon of St Nicholas. As a
village based on fishing, it is unsurprising that the inhabitants wanted a
church dedicated to St Nicholas – the patron of sea-travellers – nearby.
Started in 1902, building of the church halted just a few years later due to
political squabbles on Samos. At the same time, the icon of St Nicholas arrived
from Mt Athos, where it had been specially painted for the church in Kokkari.
As building had been halted, many of the church’s patrons were unwilling to pay
for this costly icon, and it was set to be returned. However, a local wealthy
doctor, received in a dream the message that his greed should not prevent the
icon from staying in Kokkari, and settled the balance.
From then on, the numerous miracles have been
attributed to the icon. A sailor from Marathokampos, who had run aground in
stormy seas, was guided to a safe beach by the light emitted by an image of St
Nicholas. Heading to the nearest church, in Kokkari, to give thanks to St
Nicholas, the sailor was amazed to see the icon, which had the same composition
as the image which had guided him to safety. This miracle helped settle the
petty squabbles of the villagers, and construction of the church was resumed,
being finally completed in 1938. A little later, in the Summer of 1940, the
icon began to weep – a miracle that was seen as a forewarning the terrible
events that were to befall Greece during World War II.
4) The
Strange and Modern Miracle of St Nicholas’ Icon
On New Year’s Eve, a young woman called Zoë, caught up
in the worldly celebrations, took down one of her pious mother’s icons of St
Nicholas and started to irreverently dance with it. Upon taunting God with the
words, “If He exists, let Him punish me,” there was a flash of light, and Zoë
became frozen to the spot, still clutching St Nicholas’ icon to her chest.
Alive, conscious, but unable to move a limb, Zoë
remained frozen like a statue until Easter, 128 days later. During that time
physicians, a professor of medicine, priests, and the local bishop all visited
her and left unable to explain what had happened, nor move her from where she
stood. Meanwhile, Soviet guards were placed on the house’s door to prevent the
news spreading too far. Zoë could speak, and related her dreadful visions of
the world “burning… lost because of its sins”. On Easter day her muscles
relaxed and she could finally move freely again. The young woman, now
exhausted, related her experiences and the need for repentance, before reposing
peacefully three days later.
5) St.
Nicholas “O Streidas” (of the Oyster)
During the Iconoclastic period, the monks of Mt Athos
sometimes threw the holy icons into the sea, reasoning that at least in the
waves there was a chance of survival, whereas to hold on to them would mean
sure destruction at the hand of the icon-smashers. Among these icons, was an
rare “mosaic” (rather than painted) icon of St Nicholas.
After the iconoclastic heresy was defeated, many of
the monasteries of Athos were rebuilt. The brethren of one of these
monasteries, dedicated to St John the Baptist, were fishing one day when they
found in their net the mosaic icon of St Nicholas thrown into the sea years
before. The icon had been miraculously preserved, except for one thing: an
oyster shell was embedded in St Nicholas’ face. When the monks pulled the shell
from the icon, they were amazed to see blood run from the “wound”. On hearing
of this miracle, Patriarch Jeremiah the Elder rededicated the monastery of St
John to Nicholas, giving it the name Stavronikita. The monastery remains today,
along with the miraculous icon: crack and dried blood still clearly visible.
6) The
Myrrh-Streaming Icon of Michigan
This icon is remarkable, but not unique, for being a
myrrh-streaming printed image laminated onto a wooden board. The icon was made
by the Isaac of Syria Skete in Wisconsin, but was not put on sale because it
had failed the skete’s strict quality-control standards. Placed in the “reject
bin” of icons available as free gifts to visitors, it was given to the priest
(Fr Elias) of St George’s Church, Michigan City, Indiana.
In 1996, on St Nicholas’ feastday, Fr Elias and the
Reader, Timothy, entered the church to be greeted by the strong smell of roses
engulfing the entire nave. The smell was traced to the icon of St Nicholas,
which had been placed on the icon-stand specially for the feast. The icon was
found to be exuding myrrh in three streams, originating on Nicholas’ forehead,
and coming through the icon’s laminate.
Miracles have been attributed to this holy oil, and
the icon itself travels around the United States, still exuding myrrh.
7)
Embroidered Icon of St Nicholas in Andros
The ancient St Nicholas Monastery in Andros is blessed
with not only relics of the Saint himself, but at least two wonder-working
icons of the Mother of God. In the narthex of the main church is also an
unusual embroidered icon of St Nicholas that is claimed to work miracles too.
The icon dates to the 17th century, when the abbot, Jakavos, went to Smyrna on
monastery business. There he met an uneducated woman, Triandaphyla, who had
gained a reputation for healing the sick, not only with herbs, but also with
magic. Among those she had helped was a wealthy Turkish Pasha who, in
gratitude, had given her a bag of gold. Abbot Jakovos spoke to her about the
dangers to herself and others of using magic, and repenting, she returned with
him to Andros where she lived in the village of Messarion and was tonsured a
nun with the name Leonida. She spent eleven years sewing the icon of St.
Nicholas, and the threads of the hands and face are her own hair.
8) Icon
of Nicholas “the Wet”
In Ukraine, and around Kiev in particular, are
numerous churches dedicated to St Nicholas “the Wet”. This recounts a famous
miracle of St Nicholas, as well as linking in with the Saint’s well known care
for sailors and travelers. A Kievan man was sailing home on the river Dneper
with his wife and baby, after celebrating the feast day of Ss Boris and Gleb in
Vyshgorod. The wife dozed off and allowed her baby to fall into the waters.
Frantically the two parents tried to save their child, calling out to St
Nicholas in particular for help, but the baby was pulled under by the strong
currents, lost. Distraught, the young couple returned home, begging St Nicholas
that their child might at least survive.
The next morning, the sacristan of St Sophia Cathedral
in Kiev, heard the crying of a baby coming from within. To his amazement,
despite the doors being locked all night, an infant was found dripping wet
underneath the icon of St Nicholas. News spread and the parents were reunited
with their child, confessing it to be a miracle of St Nicholas. Pilgrims
flocked to the icon, which remained an object of veneration right up until it
disappeared during the Second World War. The icon shown here is not the
original, but an icon of the miracle. Here is what is thought to be a
photograph of the original icon.
9) The
Wonder-Working Icon of Saint Nicholas in Spata
Within the olive groves and rich farmland east of
Athens, lays the small village of Spata, renamed Agios Nikolaos because of the
miracles the Saint has performed in this area.
There are two stories relating how the icon of St
Nicholas was discovered. Both stories describe the icon being discovered by
locals in a secluded, forested, spring, either a cave or an abandoned hermit’s
cell, leading to speculation it is an ancient icon hidden during the
iconoclastic period. Either way, each time the icon was brought to Spata for
veneration, it miraculously returned to its original spot, letting the
villagers know that is where the church to St Nicholas should be built near the
spring.
Innumerable examples of healing have been attributed
to the St Nicholas’ shrine, including visions of the Saint himself. Among these
phenomena are the account of wild animals entering the church, and unguided
walking up to the holy icon of St Nicholas, and venerating it!
10. The
Invincible Icon of Nikolskaya Tower
Gate icons, painted over the entrances to cities or
palaces, were often found protecting gatehouses throughout Byzantium and,
later, the Russian Empire. The Kremlin in Moscow had numerous, including the
icon of St Nicholas over the entrance to St Nicholas (Nikolskaya) Tower.
The icon itself depicts the miracle of Mozhaisk of
1302, when a besieging army of Tartars was routed by a giant apparition of St
Nicholas above the city. The saintly-bishop appeared brandishing a sword in his
right hand, and the city of Mozhaisk in his left hand, which put the Tartar
horde to flight. From the 14th century onwards, icons of this miracle have been
among the most popular depictions of St Nicholas in Russia. The vividness of
the apparition is preserved in the remarkable number of statues and bas-relief
icons of “St Nicholas of Mozhaisk” that exist, where such depictions are
otherwise rare in Orthodox iconography. Nicholas of Mozhaisk is especially
regarded as an image of protection from attack, which is presumably why it was
chosen as the gate-icon for the Nikolskaya Tower, sometime in the 16th century.
In 1812 when Napoleon retreated from Moscow, the
tower, with the rest of the Kremlin, was set on fire. The spire was blown up
and the roof over the gateway destroyed. However, the icon itself survived
unscathed.
The icon’s miraculous surviving ability was really put
to test during the October Revolution. In the fighting, both Nikolskaya Tower
and Nikolskaya Gate were damaged by explosives, machine-gun fire, hand grenades
and rifle shots. Icons decorating the building were destroyed, but again St
Nicholas’s image survived. Though pocked with bullet-holes, the stern gaze of
St Nicholas continued to stare out at the Muscovites. Not long after, the
Bolsheviks covered the icon with a red cloth, aware of how St Nicholas might be
able to rally people’s faith in God.
Then, in May of 1918, the red cloth covering St
Nicholas was discovered ripped to shreds. Once again, the image of St Nicholas
was miraculously revealed, and thousands of faithful thronged the square before
Nicholas’ Tower carrying banners and icons. But the Godless Soviet government
could not tolerate such devotion to Christ and His Saints, and the icons
disappeared. No documentation existed, but it was assumed the icons were
removed – perhaps destroyed – and the recesses plastered over.
Now considered lost, the recesses above the gates of
the Kremlin remained in this state until well into the 21st century. Wanting to
replace the lost gate-icons, the plaster was removed in around 2004, only to
reveal a metal mesh over the original icons. St Nicholas had been watching over
the gates all the time, and a sympathetic workman had obviously sought to
preserve his icon, and others, by applying the plaster over a protective metal
mesh.
Source: https://iconreader.wordpress.com/2012/12/20/ten-miracle-working-icons-of-saint-nicholas/
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