In Russia, the icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker from ancient times are one of the most revered shrines. Prayers are offered before them for a variety of life circumstances and, uttered with sincere faith and hope in the intercession of His honest saint before the Lord, they are certainly heard.
Half-length image of St. Nicholas
In the Orthodox tradition, the iconography of St. Nicholas is subject to strictly established canons, allowing only a few possible spellings. The most common among them is a belt image in which the saint’s right hand is raised in a blessing gesture, and the left one holds the gospel to his chest.
On the icon of St. Nikolai the Miracle Worker is presented dressed in a bishop's felon (robe) - the upper liturgical robe without sleeves of purple or red. Note that in the days of early Christianity it was always white, but in subsequent times this tradition weakened.
In addition, an indispensable attribute of his decoration is the omophorion - a wide and long ribbon with the image of crosses. The saint's left hand holding the gospel is covered with a robe, which is a sign of his special reverence for the Divine Word. Such an image is the most common, and it can be seen in all Orthodox churches. It is an indispensable component of most home iconostases.
Features of the growth image of the saint
As another option for writing the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker can be mentioned his full-length image, on which the Myrrhlic miracle worker is represented in full growth, which is clear from its very name. The vestment on it is the same as on the waist icons, but in this case the tradition allows different positions of the hands. Most often, traditionally - with the right hand the saint blesses the viewer, and in the left holds the gospel. However, often both of his hands are portrayed upright, which corresponds to the prayer pose of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Her iconographic versions of the Oranta type (Praying).
Icon - protector of cities
There is another very characteristic type of icons of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. A photo of one of them is given in the article. On it he, standing at full height, in his right hand squeezes a sword, and in his left holds a thumbnail image of the fortress. On icons of this kind, the Bishop of Myrtle is represented by the defender of Orthodox cities and is called "Nicholas of Mozhaisk." The tradition of writing this image is connected with the legend according to which hordes of Tatars approached Mozhaisk in the past, and its inhabitants, without any other salvation, offered prayers to the saint for help.
Their hearts were filled with faith before, and the words were full of ardent feeling that suddenly in the sky above the cathedral Nikolai the Wonderworker himself appeared with a sword in his hands. His appearance was so terrifying that he plunged the enemies into flight and filled the citizens with joy. Then he was recognized as the heavenly patron of Mozhaisk, and his image associated with this city was widely worshiped in all of Ancient Russia.
The value of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
How does the image help, and what is its role in the life of believers? It is impossible to give a monosyllabic answer to this question. It is known that, according to the majority of theologians, St. Nicholas in its significance is comparable only to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who offer prayers and petitions concerning all aspects of human life. That is why it is customary to open the soul to the image of the Myrrhlic saint, pouring out his most secret aspirations, and ask for his help in all life situations without exception.
The Orthodox Church teaches that, having acquired the Kingdom of Heaven, the saints receive grace from the Lord to work miracles, primarily in what they themselves greatly succeeded in the days of earthly life. That is why the meaning of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is so great, because being in the perishable world and performing archpastoral service in the Lycian city of Mira (Asia Minor), he was an inexhaustible source of love for his neighbors and, sparing no strength, cherished their needs.
Patron of travelers
Deeply understand what the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, you can only remember the deeds committed by him on his life path. So, having God's blessing to make long journeys, having acquired the Kingdom of Heaven after his blessed death, the saint invariably intercedes for all who are on the way.
He does not cease to pray to the Lord for those who are in the power of the water element, since he himself once miraculously escaped from the wrath of the surging waves. At all times, prayers for help floating and traveling have sounded and continue to sound before him, and he himself is considered the patron saint of sailors.
Protector of the weak and captive
From the pages of the Life of St. Nicholas it is known that even in his youth, the Lord granted him grace to raise the dead - just remember the episode with a sailor who fell from the mast, crashed to death and brought back to life by the power of his prayer. By this, the saint gave grounds to ask his intercession before the throne of God to send health to the afflicted and to save from premature death all believers in the mercy of the Most High.
By carefully studying the biography of Nicholas the Wonderworker, it is not difficult to find the basis for the prayers offered for those who ended up in prison, since the saint himself was able to endure this burden. When he got there innocently, he begs God for a speedy release, and for criminals - sincere repentance and relief of suffering. There are many cases when the saint Nikolai the Wonderworker himself appeared to the captives and saved them from inevitable death. Especially many such episodes occurred during the Bolshevik persecution of the Church.
Protector of victims of arbitrariness
As you know, in the days of earthly life the saint, interceding for the victims of oppression, fearlessly entered into conflicts with the powers that be, endangering himself, pacified the wrath of the lords. The Lord preserved this grace after him even after a blessed death. Therefore, from time immemorial, it is believed that among the many host of saints found at the Throne of God, there is no better defender than him, and prayers for help offered before the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, unusually gracious. Not without reason in one of them (the text is given in the article) he is called the "warm intercessor" and the "ambulance" in all sorrows.
Icons of St. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker among the Old Believers
For many centuries, this image has been always respected by the Old Believers, representatives of Russian Orthodoxy, who split from the official Church in the 17th century due to their rejection of the religious reform of Patriarch Nikon. This conflict, which has been going on for three and a half centuries, has not been resolved to this day.
However, believing that they did not depart from true Orthodoxy, but the official Church itself, the Old Believers, or, as they are called, schismatics, evaded it, they defend the canons established in Byzantine and Old Russian icon painting. At the same time, the icons created by their masters show many distinctive features.
An image that averts sin
An example of this is the image known as "Nicola the Disgusting." It is characterized by the fact that on it the face of the holy miracle worker, occupying almost the entire board, is given particularly severe features, and his eyes are set aside, as if refusing to look at the lawlessness done by people. Researchers believe that this type of icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker among the Kerzhaks - members of Old Believer communities that settled, starting in the 18th century, in the Nizhny Novgorod province along the banks of the Kerzhenets river. They were especially ardent adherents of “ancient piety”, and the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, born in their workshops, was, first of all, to turn people away from sin, which filled the world after the godly, in their opinion, Nikon reform.
Cast Old Believer Icons
Continuing the conversation about the history of the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, one cannot help but recall her special appearance, which became widespread among numerous representatives of the Old Believer communities during the period of the 18th-19th centuries. These are the so-called mortise or, simply put, copper cast icons, which have a number of characteristic features. A photo of one of them can be seen in the article.
Having first appeared in the Urals and in Western Siberia, they repeatedly fell under the ban of church and secular authorities as not conforming to established canons. Despite the fact that in the above period copper casting, which underlies the technological process of their manufacture, developed among the entire Orthodox population of Russia, the production of such icons, which did not receive the blessing of the supreme hierarchy, was strictly prosecuted by law. The workshops in which they were cast were subject to closure, and significant fines were imposed on their owners.
Conclusion
Saint Nicholas, widely revered by representatives of all areas of Christianity, has been making love in Russia for centuries, where many churches were erected in his honor. In each of them, along with the image of the Savior and His Most Holy Mother - Virgin Mary, you can see the divine image of the Myrrhlic miracle worker. His memory is celebrated twice a year: May 9 (22) and December 6 (19). These days in the churches it is especially crowded, and before the images of the saint the candles do not go out and prayers for his intercession before the throne of the Most High and intercession in troubles accompanying people on their life path do not go out.