The Translation of the Relics of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Wooden orthodox icon.
In the 11th century, the Greek Empire was going through hard times. The Turks were devastating its possessions in Asia Minor, plundering cities and villages, killing their inhabitants, and accompanying their cruelty with insults to holy temples, relics, icons, and books. Muslims attempted to destroy the relics of St. Nicholas, deeply revered by the entire Christian world.
In 792, Caliph Aaron Al-Rashid sent the commander of the fleet, Humeid, to plunder the island of Rhodes. Having plundered this island, Humeid went to Myra in Lycia with the intention of breaking into the tomb of St. Nicholas. But instead, he broke into another one, which stood next to the tomb of the Saint. The sacrilegious people had barely managed to do this when a terrible storm arose at sea and almost all the ships were wrecked.
The desecration of the holy places outraged not only Eastern but also Western Christians. Christians in Italy, among whom were many Greeks, were especially concerned about the relics of St. Nicholas. Residents of the city of Bar, located on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, decided to save the relics of St. Nicholas.
In 1087, merchants from Bar and Venice set out for Antioch to trade. Both intended to take the relics of St. Nicholas on the way back and transport them to Italy. In this intention, the residents of Bar were ahead of the Venetians and were the first to land in Myra. Two people were sent ahead, who, upon returning, reported that everything was quiet in the city, and in the church where the greatest relic rests, they met only four monks. Immediately 47 people, armed, went to the church of St. Nicholas, the monks-guards, suspecting nothing, showed them the platform under which the tomb of the saint was hidden, where, according to custom, strangers were anointed with myrrh from the relics of the saint.
The monk told about the appearance of St. Nicholas the day before to one elder. In this vision, the Saint ordered to keep his relics more carefully. This story inspired the barons; they saw in this appearance for themselves permission and, as it were, an instruction from the Saint. In order to facilitate their actions, they revealed their intentions to the monks and offered them a ransom - 300 gold coins. The guards refused the money and wanted to notify the residents of the misfortune that threatened them. But the strangers tied them up and placed their guards at the door. They broke the church platform under which the tomb with the relics stood.
In this matter, the young Matthew stood out with particular zeal, wanting to find the relics of the Saint as quickly as possible. In his impatience, he broke the lid and the barons saw that the sarcophagus was filled with fragrant holy myrrh. The barons' compatriots, the priests Lupp and Drogo, performed a litany, after which the same Matthew began to extract the relics of the Saint from the sarcophagus overflowing with myrrh. This happened on April 20, 1087.
In view of the absence of an ark, the priest Drogo wrapped the relics in outer clothing and, accompanied by the barons, transferred them to the ship. The freed monks reported to the city the sad news of the theft of the relics of the Miracle Worker by foreigners. Crowds of people gathered on the shore, but it was too late...
On May 8, the ships arrived in Bari, and soon the joyful news spread throughout the city. The next day, May 9, the relics of St. Nicholas were solemnly transferred to the Church of St. Stephen, located near the sea. The celebration of the transfer of the relic was accompanied by numerous miraculous healings of the sick, which aroused even greater reverence for the great saint of God. A year later, a church was built in the name of St. Nicholas and consecrated by Pope Urban II.
The event associated with the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas caused a special veneration of the Miracle Worker and was marked by the establishment of a special holiday on May 9. At first, the holiday of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas was celebrated only by residents of the Italian city of Bar. In other countries of the Christian East and West, it was not accepted, despite the fact that the transfer of the relics was widely known. This circumstance is explained by the custom of honoring mainly local shrines, typical of the Middle Ages. Moreover, the Greek Church did not establish the celebration of this memory, because the loss of the relics of the Saint was a sad event for it.
The Russian Orthodox Church established the celebration of the memory of the transfer of the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari on May 9 shortly after 1087 on the basis of the deep, already established veneration by the people of the great saint of God, who came from Greece at the same time as the adoption of Christianity.
The icon is made by printing on a wooden board. Paints are mineral, do not fade with time. The thickness of the board is 2 cm. The board is covered with primer by hand. The image is covered with wax. Each icon has a metal mount on the back side so that you can hang the icon on the wall.
You can buy the icon in three sizes:
- 13 х 11 centimeters (5,1 x 4,3 inches)
- 19 х 16 centimeters (7,5 x 6,3 inches)
- 26 х 22 centimeters (10,2 x 8,7 inches)
Our icons are made by Orthodox craftsmen. You can read more about the technology here.
We hope it will be a good gift for you and your loved ones.
