greek-saints

Saint Nicholas biography – Greek Saints

Saint Nicholas Saint Nicholas is one of the most famous greek saints of Christianity. His name is on the lips of countless believers who seek his help. Millions of Christians bear his name and there are many Temples dedicated to him. Saint Nicholas is one of the most famous saints of Christianity. His name is on the lips of countless believers who seek his help. Millions of Christians bear his name and there are many Temples dedicated to him.

Saint Nicholas is, after Virgin Mary and Saint George, the most well-known saint throughout the Orthodox world. He is the one who protects the seafarers and all those who encounter storms in their lives. That is why many Churches have been built in his honor. His whole life was a wonderful embodiment of love and philanthropy.

He was born in Patara in Lycia in Asia Minor around 230 to 250 AD and he died in December 6, 343. . When exactly he was born is not known. However, in the year 300 AD at the time of the godless emperors Diocletian and Maximian he was High Priest of the Myrai. He also lived until the years of Constantine the Great. His parents were devout Christians and their financial situation was very good.

He was left an orphan in the prime of his life and unprotected amid the many dangers of his heathen environment.
At that time the Archbishop of Lycia was his uncle. After appreciating his virtues and great faith, he called him to the service of the Lord and ordained him a priest of the Episcopate.
When he became a priest he distributed all his property, left to him by his parents, to the poor.

His ascension to the archbishopric throne of Myra in Lycia (present-day Demre, Turkey), caused the wrath of the pagans, who arrested them and subjected him to torture. He was released after the reign of Constantine the Great and devoted himself to his pastoral work. He took part in the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325), where the Christian doctrine was largely shaped, with the condemnation of the Arian heresy.

In the Greek folk tradition, the feast of Agios Nikolaos is the end of the festive three-day period called “Nikolovarvara” and is associated with severe cold and bad weather conditions. Related proverbs: “Ae Varvara fysa, ae Savva brexon, ae Nikola sondson (it snowed)” (Pontian), “The Agionikolobarvara either rains or snows” and “Barvaritses, Nikolitses, wherever you are in, stay”.

Agios Nikolaos is especially honored throughout Greece by the people of the sea. He is the patron saint of sailors, the Navy and the Merchant Navy. He is the patron saint of Alexandroupoli, Volos, Galaxidi, Kozani, Polygyros, Sitia and Syros.

In the Roman Catholic World Saint Nicholas , in addition to sailors, is the patron saint of children, pharmacist, coopers, merchants and the wrongly accused. In the Western tradition, Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) is used to bring Christmas presents to children, just like, in the Greek tradition, Saint Vasilios (Basel)

Miracles of Saint Nicholas

His life was full of wonders: as a three day old infant he stood up in his bath, and every Friday he would refuse his mother’s breast. When his parents Euphemius and Anna died in the plague, he gave away their fortune to the poor. For example, there was a father who had three daughters he could not marry off because he could provide no dowry. St. Nicholas then threw three golden balls into his house, and so the maidens got married.
He is also said to have raised three dead children that had been pickled, as well as having saved three men from execution.

The miracle with the father and the three daughters

At that time there lived a very rich man, who had three very beautiful daughters. Due to the envy of his enemies, the rich man lost all his property and fell into great poverty. He found himself in such a sad and difficult situation that he could not live with his three daughters. He decided to put his daughters into prostitution so that they would have some income and be able to live. And the All-Good God, who knows the secrets of hearts, wanted to free those three souls from hell and sin. On that same day, when the father of the girls revealed his will, Saint Nicholas also learned about it.

He immediately put three hundred florins in a handkerchief, went secretly and dropped it into the house of the bankrupt rich man through a window and left immediately without being noticed. He did not want to reveal himself to anyone, because he avoided the praise of men and only desired to please God. Listen to the Holy Gospel he was saying. “And to him who gives alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing” (Matthew 6:3), that is, when you give alms, let no one know.

The father of the three girls woke up in the morning and saw a handkerchief tied in the house and immediately opened it. As soon as he saw so many flowers he was ecstatic and rubbed his eyes with joy, not believing the fact. He immediately counted the flowers and found exactly three hundred. He had great wealth in his hands, so he was very excited and happy, but he wanted to know who did this good deed. Since he did not know his benefactor, he was constantly thanking and glorifying God. He immediately took care and betrothed his eldest daughter to a rich man of that city and gave her the hundred florins as a dowry. He hoped that the one who helped him would make sure to help him with the dowry of the other two girls as well.

After Agios Nikolaos saw that the father used the money for a good purpose, immediately on the second night he tied another three hundred florins in another handkerchief and in the evening he went and dropped them again from the door. When the girls’ father woke up in the morning, he saw another handkerchief with three hundred more flowers. He marveled at the event and begged God to reveal to him the man who had done him this great good and saved his girls from sin. He wanted to show him his benefactor who with his mercy grabbed his three daughters from the hands of the devil and saved them. This is how he blessed his second daughter, giving her three hundred florins as a dowry, hoping to God that the benefactor would also help his third daughter.

But the third time he was very careful and wanted to run and see his benefactor. And Agios Nikolaos, seeing that his second daughter also flourished, decided to put an end to the good. So he tied another hundred thousand flowers to another handkerchief and went to drop them secretly in the night through the porthole. As soon as the Saint dropped them, the girls’ father was awake, he didn’t sleep, he opened the door, ran and saw someone running away.

Then for a while they ran each other. The girls’ father saw him and saw that it was Saint Nicholas, the well-known and most popular saint, the great benefactor of the poor and the unfortunate. Immediately he fell at his feet and with tears in his eyes was saying. “I thank you, servant of God, for taking pity on me, the suffering and wretched one, and for showing me such great mercy. It is fortunate that you caught me because otherwise I would have perished mentally and physically.” When Saint Nicholas saw that his virtue was revealed, he said to him. “I don’t want you to tell anyone anything, as long as I live, about the kindness I showed you.”

The next day the father also married his third daughter and spent the rest of his life in peace and glorifying the name of God.

 

The jurney of St Nicholas to Jerusalem

Once Saint Nicholas wanted to go to Jerusalem, to see the Holy Land where the God-Man was martyred. So he entered a ship with other Christians to go to Palestine. After worshiping the Holy Sepulcher of Jesus, the Golgotha ( Calvary) , the Holy Cross and seeing all the places where Christ taught and martyred, he wanted to stay there and be quiet.

But an angel of the Lord ordered him at night to return to his homeland. The next day the Saint faithful at the behest of the Angel went down to the port and asked if any ship would leave for Patara. But no ship was starting. Then some sailors told him. “Wherever we find fare, that’s where we’ll go.” Immediately the Saint told them. “Give you the fare and take me to Patara in Lycia”.

The captain and the sailors, seeing that the wind was fair, raised the sails and departed. Wanting to pass by their homeland first, they turned the ship in its direction, but God, in order not to grieve the Saint, raised a great storm, so that the rudder-rudder of the ship broke and the sailors desperately awaited death. But the Saint calmed the sea through his prayer.

The captain together with his sailors saw that they had arrived at Patara and after falling at the feet of the Saint they asked him for forgiveness. The Saint revealed their thoughts to them and advised them not to repeat such a thing in their lives, he wished them and blessed them.

Finally, after a great sea storm, the Saint returned from Jerusalem to Patara. The people gave him a great reception, because they loved him very much. Young and old, men and women, even the Monks of the Monastery where his uncle had left him, all came out to welcome and receive him.

St Nicholas  becoming the Archbishop of Myron

Near Patara, at a distance of four kilometers, was a small town called Myra. The city of Myra is in Asia Minor, later it became the capital of Lycia. Today she is called Debre. There the Metropolitan of the city died and they wanted to find someone worthy to replace him.

Then the Bishops and clergy of the province of Myra gathered to elect a High Priest. Where they were meeting, one of the bishops fell asleep and told the others to ask God to enlighten them so they could make a good choice.

During the night, all the bishops saw an angel in their sleep, who told them to go to the Church in the morning and whoever enters first should become a bishop. Indeed, that’s how it happened. The first to enter the Temple was Nicholas . This is how Nicholas  Archbishop of Myron was ordained.
His charitable activity grew greatly when he became High Priest. He established a poorhouse, a hospice, a hospital and other institutions.