18 Modern Day Miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
1. Miracle At Gregoriou
Monastery of Mount Athos
During
the eighth year of the abbacy of Elder Athanasios, a wonderful event gave great
spiritual joy to the fathers, and revived their devotion to the Bishop of Myra.
How can one not break forth in praise when one sees the tangible assistance of
a Saint!
There
were two brothers, Fr. Michael and Fr. Chrysanthos, who worked in the
Monastery's bakery. One day, just as on many others, they were preparing the
wheat that was to be ground in the mill. They passed it through a special
machine to clean it of dirt and chaff. They were not very happy, however,
because the wheat was almost used up and it was difficult to procure more.
Suddenly
a little old man came up to their work area. He was short, bald, and poorly
dressed, and he held a Gospel in his hand.
"How
are you, Fathers? How is it going?"
"Well,
glory be to God!"
"Do
you have all the wheat you need?"
"What
you see is all we have, Grandfather. It is only enough for one baking, and we
have to do two bakings a week."
"Don't
worry, Fathers. God is great." Shortly afterwards he blessed the wheat and
left.
A little
while later the two monks said: "We didn't do right to let the old man
leave. Let's call him back and give him something to eat."
They ran
after him to catch him, but he was nowhere to be found. A strange thing! - One
would think he were a young man with wings on his feet to disappear so fast.
They asked the other monks, but no one had seen him or knew anything about him.
Little
by little they came to realize that the little old man might have been St.
Nicholas. There was some doubt, of course, but time took care of that, for they
beheld a wonder: the wheat that the old man had blessed lasted for six whole
months! It was an obvious miracle.
2. Saint
Nicholas Miraculously Saves A Chinese Man
Before Communists came to power in China, there was an icon of St. Nicholas in the Harbin train station, as many Russian immigrants had settled there. The icon was respected by non-Christian Chinese as well as the Russian Orthodox immigrants.
One day
a Chinese man, dripping wet, ran into the station, throwing himself down in
front of the icon. He was speaking Chinese and it is said he was thanking the
saint for saving his life.
Durig
the winter, when the Sungari river that flows through Harbin, China, is frozen
solid it becomes a short-cut to to from one side to the other.
The ice
breaks up in the spring and chunks flow down the river. On that day this man
was in a great hurry to get to the other side of the river. Even though the ice
was breaking up and floating in the water, he ran across, jumping from floe to
floe. Then he slipped and went down under the ice.
As he
was beginning to drown, he remembered the train station icon and cried out,
"Old man from the train station, help me!"
Then he
became unconscious, slipping completely under the ice where he would surely
perish.
The very
next thing he knew, he was on the riverbank! Freezing water soaked him to the
skin, but he alive and well! As fast as he could, the man ran the long distance
to the train station. He stopped in front of the icon, throwing himself down,
thanking the great hierarch Saint Nicholas for such an amazing miracle of his
mercy and love.
3. The
Lost Icon of the Kremlin Which Reappeared
One of the twenty towers of the Kremlin is the Tower of Saint Nicholas and is one of the entrances to the Kremlin built in 1492. From the 16th century the icon of St. Nicholas Mozhaisk adorned the tower. Under the gaze of the Saint parades took place and tzars were crowned for 500 years.
In 1812
Napolean set fire to the Kremlin. The Tower of Saint Nicholas was blown over
and the top part destroyed. The icon however miraculously survived.
In 1916 the tower was repaired with some additions. During the October Revolution the Gate and Tower of Saint Nicholas Mozhaisk was attacked with explosives, machine guns and grenades. An icon of an angel was destroyed. The icon of the Saint however, despite the holes from the bullets, survived yet a second time. The Bolsheviks covered the icon with a red cloth away from the sight of the faithful. The cloth however was torn and the Muscovites were abkle once more to see the icon.
On 9 May
1918 (the feast of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas) Patriarch
Tikhon called for the procession to run through Red Square where prayers were
offered beneath the icon. The Red Army broke up the gathering with gunfire.
In 1934 the icon disappeared. Everyone thought it was destroyed by command of Stalin. The restoration work of 2010 dispelled this rumor. The icon was found!
The workers who had gone up to destroy the icon, putting their lives in danger, did not destroy it but covered it with a metallic plate and metallic cord. The distance from the plaster was ten centimeters, to make it "breathable". The metallic plate was painted over with paint.
The icon was restored and unveiled on 15/28 August 2010 by Patriarch Kirill and President Medvedev.
4. Saint
Nicholas Heals A Muslim Woman
A Muslim
woman from the Russian Republic of Bashkortostan, who for 4 years underwent
tests and treatments to become pregnant, achieved her desire after praying
before an icon of St. Nicholas.
"I
am a Muslim, but for some reason I believe that the icon helped me",
testified the happy mother to Komsomolskaya Pravda.
Her
friends advised her to go to church: Her marriage had failed though her
diagnosis was like a knife stab to her family; her illness should not have
allowed her to become pregnant. It was her first time she went to a church. She
was a little scared and did not know how to pray. The parishioners told her to
pray from her heart.
She then
prayed saying: "Wonderworker Nicholas, help me to acquire a son", and
she left a golden chain next to the icon.
After a
month she became pregnant and eventually gave birth to a healthy baby.
5. A
Miracle Wrought By St. Nicholas in Kiev in the 1920's
It was
nearly half a century ago that I first heard of this miracle wrought by St.
Nicholas. Never had I chanced to read anything about it in the writings of the
Church. I would not want this case of the saintly bishop's help to depart to my
grave with me.
During
the mid-1940s (I can't recall the exact date), I had to spend the night in the
city of Munchen [Munich] in West Germany. The city was in ruins after the war,
and I would be forced to spend the night outside. Fortunately, there chanced to
be a "Good Samaritan" church-house in the city, and I was provided
with its address.
There
were two of us in the room. Myself, and a man unknown to me, some 40-45 years
of age. We introduced ourselves, each to the other. I do not remember either
his name or his surname - and they probably would not have been
"real" anyway. We had to sleep on wooden benches and chairs. So, in
order to pass the night more quickly, we fell to talking. I can't remember why,
but my co-locutor, for some reason or other, asked me whether I was acquainted
with the miracle of St. Nicholas that took place in Kiev in the 1920s. I did
not know of it, and he related the following tale to me.
In Kiev,
at Podol (the northern section of the city), there dwelt an elderly widow with
her son and daughter. The old woman dearly loved St. Nicholas and, in all cases
of difficulty, would go to his church to pray before the image [obraz] of the
saintly bishop [sviatitel'], always receiving consolation and the easing of her
misfortune. Her son, seemingly a student, became an officer.
The
governments of the city changed frequently: Whites, Reds, a Hetman, a
Directory, Poles, Germans, etc. All former officers were arrested on the spot,
the old woman's son among them. His sister rushed about from one
"department" of the time to another. She ran her legs off, but
achieved nothing. But the old woman ran off to St. Nicholas. Long did she pray
before his icon; then she returned home, consoled--the saintly bishop will
help. She sat down to have a spot of tea, while her daughter's hands simply
fell to her sides. O, woe!, her brother had vanished!
The son
returned home at dawn of the following day. Famished, beaten, dirty, weary.
According to him, a large group of officers under a strong convoy of guards was
being led off to Pechersk. This is the hilly section of town, opposite from
Podol, by the Kiev-Caves Lavra. There was a large hippodrome there, where horse
races were held. Beyond it, there was a grove, and rampart-trenches which had
been dug on Peter I's day, as a defense against the Swedes. It was in that
grove, by the rampart-trenches, that the shootings took place.
They had
come up to the hippodrome when, suddenly, some little old man or other stepped
out from around a corner. He approached the convoy-commandant and asked:
"Where are you taking them?"
The
commandant replied, rudely: "To Dukhonin's H.Q.!" (which meant, in
the jargon of the time, "to be shot"). "Go away, old man!"
The old man left, but, in doing so, he took the old woman's son by the hand and
said: "Let him go. I know him."
Neither
the commandant nor the escort-guards replied with even so much as a single
word, nor did they hinder him. The little old man led the young fellow out
around the corner and, saying, "Go on home to your mother," vanished
away somewhere.
The old
woman was overjoyed and immediately set off to thank St. Nicholas. The son
wanted to do nothing more than to lie down and have a good, long sleep, but his
mother took him along with her to the church. He had probably been there on
previous occasions, but had been but little interested in anything.
The
little old woman led him up to a huge image of the saintly bishop. The son
turned ashen-pale and began to tremble. He could only whisper: "Mother,
dear, but that's the very same elder who led me to freedom..."
Wondrous
is God in His Saints.
Many of
the details of this tale were precise and animated. Who had my co-locutor been?
Perhaps he had been speaking of himself? I don't know...
-- N. P.
F. California 1993
6. The
Icon of St. Nicholas Which Appeared By Itself
In the province of Tambov a family bought an old abandoned home. Furthermore
the building was deserted and an old door was thrown under the shed.
On a
rainy day the daughter went out to the garden and saw an icon above the door.
Having venerated it she went home happy saying: "There was a miracle! St.
Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared!"
They
quickly took the icon to the church in Sechman. When the bishop of Tambov saw
it, he said: "Yes, this appears to be a miracle. We did not know anything
about this icon and suddenly it appeared. It was revealed to remind us that it
escaped from the great persecutions."
Many
faithful come to venerate this icon which day after day becomes brighter.
A
conservator identified the icon - which was covered by a thick layer of paint,
as an icon of the Muscovite School of the 19th century.
7. The
Icon of St. Nicholas Which Gushed Myrrh
In August of 2006 an icon of Saint Nicholas in Donetsk of Ukraine began to weep. Large tears of myrrh ran from the eyes for one week. This occurred three moths before an airplane carrying 159 passengers crashed near Donetsk.
8.
"Someone Is Knocking On the Window"
The
following miracle happened at the beginning of the war in Balasich, a town near
Moscow.
The
Soloviev family had four children. The mother was on her death bed. Her ten
year old daughter Paraskevi stood at the window crying. She suddenly heard a
sound on the window. Wiping with her hand the frozen window she saw an old man
with a cord wrapped around his shoulder. He said to her: "My girl do not
cry. Your mother will not die." Paraskevi quited down and went to tell her
neighbors of this.
"My
mother will not die. An old man told me."
"Which
old man?"
"The one who
knocked on my window. He had a cord on his shoulder. He told me that mama will
not die."
They
showed her some icons. Among them she recognized St. Nicholas who was portrayed
with an omophorion and holding a Gospel.
9. The
Face of Christ and St. Nicholas Appear On Burnt Icons In Ukraine
An
unusual phenomenon occurred in the village Rassivka in the Poltava region of
Ukraine: the face of Christ and St. Nicholas appeared on planks after being
moved from a burnt area to a home.
"Before
the war, our farm belonged to the priest. The old house was bombed by the
Germans, and we had to build a new home. About five years ago the shed of the
priest was burned. When we started to dismantle the wreckage after the fire, we
found two small planks with an image size 10 x 15. We were very surprised that
it was not burned. My husband decided not to throw it away", said the
85-year-old Maria Nefortouna.
Now, her
fellow villagers come to her home like they go to church to venerate the icons,
according to the newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda.
In turn,
the husband of the housewife, Basil Bouchanenko said, "It was initially
impossible to see something on the boards, it was blurry, and it had a
yellowish color, and was hit hard by the beetles."
The
icons were moved to the summer kitchen and forgotten about until the
grandchildren found them and started playing with them.
"Seeing
it, I took a board in my hands and was shocked! On it seemed the face a saint.
I went to church, had it sanctified, and then placed it in the most prominent
location of the house, next to family photos. There was no doubt that this was
an icon. In a few months there appeared the face and the hands of St. Nicholas
the Wonderworker and even details of his clothing. Some details appeared in
just one week ", said Basil Bouchanenko.
The head
of the church in Rassivka, Father Bogdan, recounted that "the emergence of
these icons" took place before his eyes.
"I remember well
how dull was the icon of St. Nicholas, when we sanctified this board, and how
clear it is now. It is simply lit up! I have no doubt this was a miracle. To
wash or clean the old icons is impossible. These experiments do not go along
with that. Whether it is renewed or not. God's will is in everything. A large
role was played by the atmosphere in the home and the faith of the people who
live there", said the priest.
10. A
Strange Miracle of Saint Nicholas in 1956
A true incident which shocked and brought repentance to hundreds of people in the Russian Soviet city of Kuibyshev (modern day Samara), in the year 1956.
In the
city of Kuibyshev there lived a family: a pious mother and her daughter Zoë. On
the evening of New Years Eve (December 31) of 1956 Zoë invited seven of her
girlfriends - and just as many young men - over for dinner and dancing. At that
time it was the fast for Christmas* and Zoë’s mother begged her not to plan a
dinner, but the daughter insisted on having things her way. That same evening
her mother went to church to pray.
All
those invited came over, except for Zoë’s fiancé who hadn’t arrived yet. His
name was Nicholas. The young ladies and the boys got in pairs and Zoë was left
alone. Not knowing what to do and without really thinking, she took down the
icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from the wall and said, “I’ll take this
Nicholas and I’ll go dance with them,” not paying any attention to her friends,
who advised her not to commit such a blasphemous act. “If God exists, let Him
punish me,” she said. And so she started to dance, did two or three twirls,
when all of sudden there was a fearful noise in the room, a whirlwind, and a
blinding light flashed like lightening.
The
former joy turned into fright. Everyone fled from the room scared. Only Zoë
stood there motionless, with the icon of St. Nicholas stuck to her chest,
petrified and frozen like marble. The doctors, who arrived quickly, were not
able to bring her to her senses in spite of their attempts. The injection
needles, which they tried to stick in her, bent and broke as they hit her
marbleized body! They wanted to take her to the hospital, but were unable to
move her from her spot. It was as if her feet were nailed to the floor. But her
heart was beating! Zoë was alive. However, she was no longer able to eat or
drink…
When her
mother came back and saw what had happened, she fell unconscious and they took
her to the hospital, which she didn’t leave from for a few days. Her faith in
the compassion of God and her warm motherly prayers for the forgiveness of her
unfortunate daughter, by the Grace of God, restored her vitality.
Zoë came
to consciousness and with tears she sought forgiveness and help.
Zoë’s
house was surrounded by a crowd of people for the first few days, faithful who
came or, even yet, walked from afar: the curious, doctors, and spiritual
personalities. But according to an order from the authorities, the house was
quickly closed to visitors. There were always two policemen guarding the house,
in alternating eight-hour shifts. Some of the guards’ hair turned white, even
though they were still young (28-30), from the fright of hearing the terrifying
cries that Zoë made every night.
Night
after night her mother was next to her praying.
“Mama,
pray! Pray, because I’m lost on account of my sins! Pray!” Zoë would cry out.
Because
of all the things that were happening they even informed the Patriarch and
asked him to pray for Zoë’s recovery. The Patriarch replied, “The one who is
punishing her will also have mercy on her!”
From
then on, among those who were allowed to visit Zoë were:
1. A
professor of medicine of high prestige who came from Moscow. He had confirmed
that her heart did not stop beating.
2.
Priests, who the mother had invited in order to take St. Nicholas out of Zoë’s
hands. But neither were they able to pull the icon away from Zoë’s petrified
hands.
3. The
Hieromonk Seraphim from the Glinsk desert, who had come to Kuibyshev for the
feast of the Nativity, performed the Holy Water service and had blessed the
icon. Afterwards he said, “Now we must wait for some sign at Pascha! If nothing
happens, it means that the end of the world is drawing near!” showing by these
words his deep faith in miracles.
4. The
Metropolitan Nicholas, who also read the Paraklesis and said, “We must wait
till Pascha for a new miracle,” repeating the saying of the pious hieromonk.
On the
eve of the feast of the Annunciation (which that year fell on the Saturday of
the third week of Great Lent) some genial elder approached the guards and asked
them to allow him to see Zoë. But the police guards refused to allow it. The
elder came again the following day, but neither did those guards allow him. The
third time, on the day of the Annunciation, the guards allowed him in. They
heard with how much compassion he spoke to Zoë as he entered, “Now then, did
you get tired from standing?”
A little
time passed and when the guards wanted to kick the elder out, he wasn’t to be
found in the room…
Everyone
was sure that it was Saint Nicholas himself. Thus, Zoë had stayed there
standing for exactly 4 months (128 days) until Pascha, which that year had
fallen on April 23 (May 6 on the New Calendar).
On the
night of the Glorious Resurrection of Christ Zoë started to cry out especially
loud: “Pray!”
The
nightshift guards started to tremble and asked, “Why are you crying out so
frightfully?” Pay attention to her answer. “How dreadful, the earth is burning!
Pray! The whole world is lost because of its sins, pray!” From that moment Zoë
was revived, her muscles started to become soft; she came back to life. They
eventually put her on a mattress but she continued to cry out and call all to
pray for the world which is lost because of its sins, for the earth which is
burning because of its lawlessness.
“How did
you stay living up till now? Who fed you?” they asked her. “Doves, doves fed
me” was her answer. From this it was apparent that she had received mercy and
forgiveness from the Right hand of the Lord Almighty. The Lord forgave Zoë’s
sins, by the attendance of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and because of her
great tribulations and her standing for the duration of 128 days.
All of
these events shocked the inhabitants of Kuibyshev and the surrounding areas.
Many people again found their faith in God, having seen the miracles, hearing
her screams and her entreaties for us to pray for the people who are lost on
account of their sins. They returned to the Church with repentance. Those who
didn’t wear a cross started to wear one, when at that time you might have paid
with your life just for that. The return was so en masse that the churches
didn’t have enough little crosses for everyone who sought one.
With fear and tears
the people sought forgiveness for their sins, repeating Zoë’s words, “How
dreadful, the earth is burning, we are lost because of our sins! Pray! The
people are lost because of their lawlessness!”
On the
third day of Pascha Zoë left for the Lord, since she had traveled the difficult
road of standing for 128 days before the face of the Lord for the forgiveness
of all of her sins. The Holy Spirit had preserved her life all of these days
for the resurrection of her soul from the death of sin, just as in that eternal
day to come it will resurrect her bodily for life everlasting; for that matter,
just as her name itself means: Zoë.
11. A
Miracle Told By A Monk Of Grigoriou Monastery of Mount Athos
In
Beroia of Macedonia there is a Metochion of the Monastery. One or two times a
year, always in the summer, we communicated by sea with a small boat from the
Monastery. One time I was traveling with two brothers to the Metochion. But
between Cassandra and Pelion there was an unusual calm even though we rowed
regularly. The annoying lull got me thinking of an inevitable great evil. My
concern was lively, without reason. It was something like a premonition. And
while the brothers begged me for all of us to take a break from paddling to
rest, I urged them to accelerate, as if something was leading me away from
imminent danger. We had to reach as soon as possible the coast between Pelion
and Olympus. A slight breeze helped us considerably. We reached the shore, we
disembarked, and we pulled in the boat.
Meanwhile
a cloud appeared above Pelion, which grew increasingly dark. It was a harbinger
of terrible evil. What a terrible outburst followed! A rare windy storm, a
stove pipe as they say. As we arrived all the residents gathered, and they were
amazed and perplexed, looking at us while doing their cross. They confessed
that Saint Nicholas rescued us. We stayed a few days, equipped ourselves, got
food, and departed. What a spectacle we saw when we returned! Wherever we
passed, shipwrecks. All the ships anchored in the ports of Livas and Garbi were
stranded or submerged. The entire southwest side of Cassandra, Sithonia and
Athos were affected by the storm. As we reached the Monastery we saw a shocking
sight: the Litochorino ship full of timber was submerged.
Avoiding
any comments, I can only emphasize the vague anxiety I felt as we went. Was it
not a profound and vivid intervention of the Saint?
12. A
Miracle At Grigoriou Monastery on December 6th
During
the abbacy of Elder Symeon, spiritual father of his successor Elder Athanasios,
Saint Nicholas looked after the needs of Grigoriou Monastery with a great
miracle.
Once, as
the 6th of December was approaching, all the fathers were gathered in a
meeting. With the help of God, all the preparations for the feast were going
well. Only the cooks were worried because they did not have enough fish to feed
all the monks. On the day before the feast, in the afternoon, they went to the
Abbot.
"Elder,"
they said, "don't you think we ought to plan for salt cod? If so, we will
put it in water to soak."
"No,
no! Don't think of that. We'll have fresh fish. St. Nicholas will take care of
it."
Meanwhile,
the all-night vigil began - Compline, Great Vespers, Litany, then Matins with
the Six Psalms, the Kathismata, and so on, one thing after the other. Again the
anxious cooks went to the Abbot.
"Elder,
now it's even too late to cook salt cod. Should we start cooking some
beans?"
"No,
no! The fish will come."
This was
something the cooks could not understand. How were the fish going to come? And
when? Matins was half over! What made the Abbot so sure?
The
choir began singing the lauds, and the cooks were getting even more upset. Then
suddenly joyful noises were heard from the courtyard. The dock master, gasping
and excited, was shouting: "Fathers, come down here! Get baskets and come
down! The Saint has made a great miracle!"
What had
happened? A large wave had come and strewn the beach with large and succulent
bass. It was a gift from God, an obvious miracle of the Saint.Everyone was
amazed - especially the cooks. They didn't know what to marvel at first - the
miracle of the Saint, or the unshakable faith of the Abbot. At no other feast
had they ever had such fresh and tasty fish. The Saint had given them a
bountiful - both spiritual and material.
13. St.
Nicholas, Patron Saint of the Holy Monastery of Grigoriou
Another
miraculous event occurred on a feastday of St. Nicholas during the abbacy of
Fr. Symeon. This time, the cellarer informed the Abbot that he would not be
able to give any oil to the hermits. (At that time they were accustomed to give
a certain amount of oil as a blessing to the poor ascetics who took part in the
feast.)
"What
is the difficulty?" asked the Abbot.
"We
don't have much oil. There is only half a jar left."
"It
doesn't matter. Give them what is left."
The
cellarer obeyed. Portioning out the oil to the ascetics, he made them happy,
but he himself did not feel any great joy. They had a little oil left; now it
would be completely gone. These were the thoughts dictated by his logic, and -
even more - by his lack of faith. That which followed, however, and which he
was the first to ascertain, brought new life to his faith in the providence and
power of God. Their kind and compassionate protector, St. Nicholas, again
intervened. The level of the oil in the jar did not go down at all, not even by
one centimeter. It remained where it was before.
Thus the
hermits received their alms, the Monastery suffered no loss, and the monk who was
lacking in faith received a valuable lesson.
If
someone had the patience to search through the various books and records of the
Monastery, he would find countless miracles of St. Nicholas. Many times he
protected the Monastery from sure destruction by fire, and saved monks who had
fallen down steep cliffs. Many times also he saved boats and ships from certain
shipwreck.
In the
Katholicon of the Monastery, from the great ring above the chandelier, there
hangs a silver model of a schooner. What does it represent? It represents a
certain schooner that had come to pick up a load of lumber at the Monastery.
The sea was so heavy that it was in danger of foundering. As soon as the
sailors called on St. Nicholas, however, the tempest was stilled, and, beyond
hope, they were saved from certain death.
Elder
Athanasios gave the following advice to his successor Abbot: "The Abbot
must be very charitable, as was St. Nicholas, and must assist all who come to
the Monastery asking for help. God will never forsake anyone, but will provide
so that nothing is lacking."
* All
stories about Grigoriou Monastery were written by Archimandrite Cherubim in the
book Contemporary Ascetics of Mount Athos.
14. How
the Village of Saint Nicholas in Solia Got Its Name
The
village of Saint Nicholas in Solia did not have its name from the beginning.
But a miracle of St. Nicholas prompted the residence to rename their village.
One day
a farmer, while tilling his field, came upon a difficulty. The ploughshare of
the plow was caught under a large stone. With a spade the farmer unearthed the
stone and pulled it to the surface of the field. There he noticed the stone had
a hole at one end equal to another at the other end. The farmer thought that
such a stone was useful, and in the afternoon went home carrying it to his
yard. Through the hole he passed the cord of his ox to tie him there. In the
morning when he woke up, he found his ox dead. He called his neighbors to tell
him how his ox died from the stone, since it may have carried demonic energy.
His neighbors said his ox died from some grass, and not from the stone. The
farmer insisted, however, to the point that one day an old man told him how the
ox died. He said it was a miracle of St. Nicholas, because he heard from his
grandfather that in the area where the stone was found a church dedicated to
St. Nicholas once existed that was destroyed by the Saracenes.
The
farmer suspected the old man to be right. One Saturday night St. Nicholas
appeared to him and told him that in the area the stone was found there existed
his church which was buried deep. He was then ordered to uncover it.
That
Sunday the farmer went to church, and after the Liturgy told the villagers of
his vision, and begged them to go there with him to uncover the church. Before
sunset they followed him, and they found the walls of the church. They dug
around the church till the walls came up to their waists, and they were
painted. On one wall was an icon of St. Nicholas full-bodied. The villagers
then decided to build a church on that spot and named their village after Saint
Nicholas.
15. A
Miracle of Saint Nicholas in Limassol, Cyprus
The
following was written by Sylvia Leonidou - Onesiphorou:
My
grandfather, that is the father of my mother, was named John Kyriakides. He
served in the small Church of Saint Nicholas as a sexton for more than thirty
years. He was an honest, sincere, humble and good man who loved the Church very
much and had a great weakness for Saint Nicholas. He always had him as a
protector and helper.
The Holy
Metropolis of Kition (Limassol belonged to the Metropolis of Kition) granted to
my grandfather one of the two houses that were near the church, where today is
housed the Parish Center, and he lived with his wife Helen. In another house
the priest lived with his family.
One
night in winter, when rain came and went, there came a big storm. It was chaos.
Thunder was heard from afar and lightning ripped the sky from east to west.
Great desolation and deep darkness reigned everywhere. Nor were there lights,
nor moon, nor stars, because the sky was covered with black clouds.
My
grandfather had lied down early. The midnight hour passed. My grandmother
suddenly heard him get out of bed and hurriedly put on his poor jacket, ready
to go out of the house. Immediately my grandmother began to yell: "John,
where are you going at this hour?" My grandfather replied with a calm and
gentle voice: "Don't be afraid Helen. Saint Nicholas came and told me his
silver icon dropped to the floor in the church and I'm going to pick it
up."
Despite
the exhortations of my grandmother for him to not go out on such a fearful and
rainy night, my grandfather quickly went to the church without losing time.
After
some time he returned soaking wet like a duck, but satisfied. He was in fact
correct. The silver icon of St. Nicholas was on the floor of the church, just
like the Saint notified. Grandfather picked up the icon with great respect and
placed it back in its permanent position. After doing his cross three times he
venerated St. Nicholas and locked the door to the church. He returned in the
rain to his poor bed to continue his sleep, delighted and happy now that he had
done his full duty.
16.
Saint Nicholas Appears To A Pious Christian Woman
The
following was written by Sylvia Leonidou - Onesiphorou:
My
mother Chrystalla Andrew died on 2/3/1992. She was a very quiet and faithful
wife and grew up there in the old homes of the Church of St. Nicholas.
One
summer afternoon in 1985 while sitting on the porch with my father Andreas
Leonidou and my little sister Angela Leonidou and all spoke together, suddenly
my mother got up from her chair, opened her arms and shouted: "Welcome,
welcome! Pass through." Her face glowed a little strange and seemed too
happy. Others who saw and watched her movements and heard her words said they
did not understand, but neither could explain why she did what she did.
After a
few minutes she sat quietly in her chair. Concerned the others asked her what
was wrong and what happened. Then my mother said naturally: "Didn't you
see the three bishops who came to our house? Here with us was St. Nicholas, the
Apostle Luke and the third I did not understand who it was. All three were
dressed in the garments of a hierarch. I told them to pass through, but St.
Nicholas told me that they were all in a hurry. Just at that moment St.
Nicholas blessed our house and told me not to fear and that all will go well.
All three smiled at me, they left from the yard and proceeded toward the Church
of St. Nicholas. You did not see that they were here? Why are you asking
me?"
My
mother at this time was awake and had her senses. Also my mother was a very
positive and honest woman, and said with confidence and enthusiasm that which
occurred that summer afternoon in 1985.
17.
Helen Ilia Speaks Of Her Father
Around
1920 when I was a little girl, we lived here in Saint Nicholas. We had great
poverty. My father was a shepherd and had his own herd. One day he said he was
going to cut wood. Where he went he hit at a point in a tree and "lost his
light" (he was blinded). People said he beat the "table outside that
we saw" (the devil).
He
visited several doctors and was not cured. He went to various churches. At the
end he decided to walk from Saint Nicholas to Saint Barbara in Zakaki. At
night, in his sleep, a Saint said: "You went to all the churches and did
not come near me."
"Who
are you?" asked my father. And he got the reply: "I am St. Nicholas.
I want you to come like this ..." and he raised his robes, showing his
feet were clean.
My
father asked me to boil water and he bathed. We took him along the reverse path
to walk him, with my brother Harry and myself. That night my father slept alone
in the Chapel of St. Nicholas. The next morning we went to take him from there
but we did not find him. He had become well. Saint Nicholas healed his eyes and
when he woke he saw as before. He had gone home to take the herd and drive it
to the pasture.
We all
praise God and St. Nicholas! The "old ones" had great faith you see.
18. A
Miracle of a Prisoner of War During the Turkish Invasion
The
following was written in the newspaper "ΣΗΜΕΡΙΝΗ" on 07/19/1998:
The
constable Polydoros Georgiadis is not a person that bends easily. He lives life
with a cool and unique serenity. When he remembers, however, the 100 days of
captivity, in the dungeons of Adana and Amasa, it is impossible though he tries
to hide his tears, and even more tears run from his eyes when he recounts the
appearance of St. Nicholas in his cell on September 5th. Let him tell us what
he saw:
"While
I slept at 10pm St. Nicholas appeared, holding in one hand my wife, who wore
the same clothes as on the last day that I saw her when I was captured, and in
the other arm a baby. 'Here is your wife and the male baby she gave birth to'
he said. 'Yes, but we dedicated him to the Apostle Andrew,' I replied. 'I know,
but you should baptize him in my church,' said St. Nicholas, and he
disappeared. At the same time I saw the Church of St. Nicholas in my village,
in Nata of Paphos. A few days later the Red Cross came to the prison, and I
wrote down what I saw on the night of September 5 when St. Nicholas appeared.
My letter reached, through the Red Cross, the hands of my wife, who later told
me she was moved and informed all my neighbors of the appearance of St.
Nicholas. On October 28, when released, I went straight to Nata. It was 1:30 in
the morning and all my fellow villagers, who were informed, were on foot, while
the bell of the Church of St. Nicholas rang joyfully."
Source: http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/12/20-contemporay-miracles-of-saint.html
