Among the first wave of immigrants went amazing story associated with Saint Nicholas, it is known from the words of the famous singer, poet and composer Alexander Vertinsky. It was in Harbin, in the 20-ies of the last century. In Harbin there was a lot of Russian, and someone on the station hung an icon of one of the most revered saints in Russia – Nicholas, the patron Saint of travelling and persecuted. And once landside motley crowd witnessed how the icon ran an elderly Chinese man, fell prostrate before it, crying: “Old station, old station!” As it turned out, the Chinese went out in a boat fishing and did not notice that a storm picked up. The little boat tossed on the waves with such force that the fisherman already said goodbye to life, to expect help was nowhere. And suddenly, as in a dream, he saw before him the image of a gray-haired old man, who prayed to Russian station. Not knowing how to call on the Holy, in his own way, mangling a foreign language, pleaded for help: “Old station! Old station!” What happened next is Chinese and he could not explain, he woke up safe and sound, with a good catch of fish. His wonderful salvation he attributed to the help of the “Holy Russian” – “old station”, and rushed immediately to thank.
As it is written in the lives of St. Nicholas, composed in the sixteenth century: “Come to Russia and see that there is no castle and the village, which would not be miracles of St. Nicholas, which for many of them it is impossible to write”. Never in life not linked to Russia, St. Nicholas was always the first, most beloved patron and each patron, with faith and prayer seeking his help. Here’s what you can read in one of the books beginning of the XVIII century, which recorded the miracles presented praying to Saint Nicholas: “…it is imminent, without delay, the protector of all in trouble, rescues from drowning and from the depths of the sea on land transfers, delivers from death with the sword, and other genera of death in war, takes the healing of the blind, the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the dumb Glagoleva. Premnogu he enriched when they were in extreme poverty, a refuge from a cruel death, give food to the hungry, and slandered innocent salvation. The ends of the earth is known for its miracles”.
the life of the Saint in volume is much more modest than the volume devoted to the evidence of countless miracles that have occurred through prayer to the Saint after his death and until the present day. And this is no accident. Of course, during the life of the Saint followed God’s commandments about what we need to do good, not just hiding it from the human eye and ear, but so that even your right hand know what the left is doing. Therefore, only a small part of a lifetime of miracles of the Saint extant, little is known about his earthly life. However, we know that he was the only the late and wanted child in a godly home. His parents, asking God for a son and promised to dedicate him to God, and their prayer was heard. Presumably, 260 g., in the city of Patara province of Lycia in Asia Minor (now Turkey) from Theophanes and Nonna boy was born, received the baptismal name of Nicholas, which in Greek means “victorious people”. From early childhood, Nicholas was not just extraordinary wisdom, but also craving for good, to serve others. For example, all money passed to him by inheritance from his parents, he distributed to the poor, and tried to do it so that they did not know who was their benefactor. Famous case of Nicholas, being in Holy orders, with the risk of their lives stood up for the innocent slandered and sentenced to death.
of Course, some of the miracles that occurred through the Saint’s prayer could not remain secret. For example, the life of St. talks about how during a sea voyage to Jerusalem, in the eyes of many witnesses, the Saint with the power of his prayers calmed a storm, raised a young sailor fell from the mast to the deck and falling to her death. Many sick and possessed were healed once addressed to St. Nicholas for help. As the Bishop of the Lycian city Myra – hence another name of Saint, Nicholas of Myra, he all the forces sent to serve people. There is some evidence, as in the difficult years of hunger, he miraculously saved his city from certain extinction. And esteemed Holy, not only Christians but also Muslims in Turkey still with great reverence to the Saint, preserved tower and the dungeon in which he was imprisoned Bishop Nicholas of Myra in Lycia during the persecution of Christians.
the Saint had a long and difficult life, he died in 334 or 335 year, and after the death of his glorification has gone beyond Asia Minor. In the V century Nicholas of Myra began to honor as a Saint by the Greeks, and the first Church dedicated to Nicholas, appeared in Russia long before the baptism of Rus and the old Russian state education. Nestor the chronicler indicates that in 882, at the tomb of the Governor of Askold, in Holy Baptism Nicholas in Kiev was built the first Church in the name of St. Nicholas. Thus began the history of the veneration and worship of Saint Nicholas in Russia. On may 22, the churches will be heard the words addressed to the Holy: “the Rule of faith, model of meekness, abstinence teacher showed you the life of your congregation. And because humility you have acquired greatness, by poverty – riches: swedenconsulate father Nicholas, pray to Christ God for the salvation of our souls”.
