Modern miracles of St. Nicholas. Miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Even during his lifetime, he became famous for the numerous miracles that he performed through prayers to God. About the help of St. Nicholas ordinary people, his virtues towards those in need, about intercession, about healing are described in But a lot of miracles were performed and are being performed after the earthly death of Nicholas the Pleasant.

Today everyone turns to Nicholas the Wonderworker - both simpletons and scientists, believers and non-believers, even many who are alien to Christianity, Muslims and Buddhists turn to him with reverence and fear. The reason for such large-scale veneration is simple - quick, immediate help from God, sent through the prayers of this greatest saint. People who have turned to him with faith and hope at least once know this, of course.

Below are just some evidence of St. Nicholas’ miraculous help with money, healing from illness, etc.

The priest's story about the help of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

This happened in 1993. A difficult and impoverished time of perestroika that has not yet been reconstructed. My wife and I rented a dacha in Ilyinka for the fall-winter. It was much cheaper than even the most shabby housing in Moscow; I was not yet a priest and served as a sexton and reader in one of the newly opened monasteries. We lived more than modestly, and pollock, the breadwinner, was our exquisite holiday meal. Our second child was born, we were desperately short of money, and we didn’t want to return to secular work or leave the temple.
Once during confession I complained to my confessor about life and he told me:
- Pray to Saint Nicholas, everything will be fine. I came home and told my wife about this, and we began to read the akathist.
On literally the third day, an old friend calls me and says:
- Dimitri, listen, are you still working in the church?
“In church,” I say.
“And, of course, you don’t have money.”
- Of course not.
- Listen, here’s the thing, a friend, the chief accountant of the bank, was balancing the balance, and somehow she had 40 thousand hanging around, neither here nor there, as if they were extra, would you take it? She wanted to donate to one of the believers so that they could pray.
“I’ll take it,” I say, “of course I’ll take it, sir.” great joy I'll take it.
And took. And brought it home. Forty thousand rubles was a lot of money in those days. My wife and I were shocked. Incredible, unthinkable!
We decided to give half of the money to help one St. Nicholas Monastery in Kaluga region, and on the other half they lived comfortably, I don’t remember which one, but long time. However, money tends to run out, and we were again despondent, but decided to take up the akathist again. And on the second day my friend called again:
- Dimitri, how is it, still in the church?
- In the church.
- Listen, it’s the same story again, only this time it’s 50 thousand, will you take it?
I probably won’t be able to write about my experiences and feelings with my wife. You need to think about this for a long time, like poetry. We again halved the money in the same areas and lived comfortably for another significant period of time, and there I became a deacon, then a priest, and life took a completely different turn. But to this day and, I hope, until death, my mother and I treat the great and holy name Nicholas the Wonderworker. Through his prayers and to you all, on the day of his holy memory and all days - salvation and help from God, intercession and consolation in all sorrows, sorrows and adversities. I believe that the great Saint will wipe away with his omophorion every tear you shed, will support with his right hand everyone who has raised their foot over the perilous abyss, will warm with the fire of his heart our sinful, weak, but faithful souls who have caught a cold in the cold winds of this century.

Priest Dimitry Arzumanov

Help of St. Nicholas in healing the disease

About 4 days before the Nativity of Christ in 1887, a peasant from the Kostroma province of Buisky district, retired private Filimon Otvagin, came to the Nikolo-Babaevsky Monastery, suffering from relaxation of the entire right side of his body, and he could not control his right hand and dragged his right leg - he walked with the help of others. The certificate issued to him from the Vologda Zemstvo Hospital stated that he was there recovering from “semi-paralysis of the right half of the body, resulting from embolism of the cerebral vessels, a completely incurable disease and preventing him from engaging in personal physical labor.” On the night of December 25-26, Otvagin reports, in a dream he saw St. Nicholas the Wonderworker standing at his head, and to the right the Most Holy Theotokos. The saint told him:
- Work hard and pray with me, the Lord will grant you healing.
The Queen of Heaven told him the same thing.
When he woke up, he began to feel the strength in the previously uncontrolled members, and he brought his right hand to his head, which he could not do before, and crossed himself with his left hand. Arriving on the morning of the 26th for the early liturgy, he was already able to freely make the sign of the cross with his right hand. Now he feels healed and wishes to stay in the monastery forever.

The miraculous rescue of a baby by Nicholas the Wonderworker

There lived a husband and wife in Kyiv who had only son- still a baby. These pious people had special faith in Saint Nicholas and the martyrs Boris and Gleb. One day they were returning after a holiday from Vyshgorod, where the holy relics of the holy martyrs were located. While sailing along the Dnieper on a boat, the wife, holding the baby in her arms, dozed off and dropped the child into the water. It is impossible to imagine the grief of the poor parents. In their complaints, they addressed especially St. Nicholas with complaint and reproach. Soon the unfortunate people came to their senses and, deciding that, apparently, they had somehow angered God, they turned to the Wonderworker with fervent prayer, asking for forgiveness and consolation in the grief that had befallen them.
The next morning, the sexton of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, arriving at the temple, heard a child crying. Together with the watchman, he entered the choir. Here, in front of the image of St. Nicholas, they saw a baby lying, all wet, as if it had just been taken from the water. The news of the found baby quickly reached the parents. They immediately ran to the church and here they actually recognized their drowned child in the child. Joyful, they returned home, thanking God and His great Wonderworker. The image of the saint, in front of whom the drowned baby was found, is still called “Nicholas the Wet”.

(Based on materials from the book “New Miracles of St. Nicholas.” Author - Vladimir Gubanov, Trim publishing house, Moscow, 1996.)

Help from St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with money

I will remember this incident for the rest of my life. This was in the very first year of my service in the temple. My close friend Mikhail helped me then. In the summer, the village authorities finally evicted the veterinary hospital that had occupied it for a number of years from the house that had already been officially transferred to the church. Former owners left us real ruins, especially in that part of the house that they did not occupy. Repairs had to be done urgently, as autumn was approaching. We soon managed to find workers and come to an agreement with them. All that remained was to get the required amount of money. Very few people went to the temple, but we were lucky again, by the grace of God we soon collected this money. When they reported this to the workers’ foreman, they heard the following from him: “You will pay us one and a half times more, or we will move to another site.”
Mikhail and I had no choice but to enter our church, among the mangled, scorched walls with protruding reinforcement, raise our hands to Heaven and turn to the true abbot: “Father Saint Nicholas, you see everything. As you please, so be it.” We didn't expect anything. Not even five minutes had passed, a man came through the door and, we ourselves were amazed, donated exactly the amount of money we needed.
“Rejoice Nicholas, quick helper and glorious miracle worker.” In the fall we already lived in the Church House.

Priest Alexy Timofeev tells

Tell us how Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker helped you

If Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker helped you, tell visitors to our site about it. Please leave your comment on this page.

  • Miracles through prayers
  • St. Nicholas is a real person of the 3rd century AD. This saint became famous for his determination in serving the Almighty Lord and sincere kindness to others. For his great work he was canonized by the church as a saint. They knew about the incredible achievements of the monk even during his lifetime.

    Help from St. Nicholas

    The modern miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are distinguished by their colossal power and are intended to save people who find themselves in difficult or deadly situations. There is a lot of information from laymen and church ministers who saw with their own eyes divine accomplishments on behalf of this great monk.

    During the Soviet period, famous for its anti-religious persecution of Christians, people were afraid to share stories about incredible incidents of divine nature. Soviet citizens saw how monasteries were closed and bells were removed and then melted down for the needs of the metallurgical industry. Communist authorities prohibited conversations about God and canceled all church holidays.

    Currently, the laity have a wonderful opportunity to share with each other the stories of the miraculous deeds of St. Nicholas (the Wonderworker).

    Worship of believers to the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

    Appearance of the Angel of the Lord

    This incident happened to one woman in 1991. Walking along the shore of the lake, she started a conversation with an old grandmother. The latter began to confess, saying that her family did not love her at all and wished her a speedy death. The pious woman gave her a prayer book and began to talk about God's help and said that salvation must be sought from the Creator or His eternal servants.

    Grandma answered this with her story.

    A week before this acquaintance, she came to the same place with the intention of committing suicide. She was saved from a terrible deed by an elder who pointed out her sins to her grandmother and ordered her to come here in seven days, because here she would learn to ask before the Lord. The elder introduced himself as Nikolai and reminded that suicide brings colossal suffering to the soul.

    The miracles consisted in the fact that the woman gave the old woman a prayer book.

    On a note! The monk has many names because he provides diverse assistance to all people. They called him a miracle worker because he could resurrect the dead and heal terrible illnesses. He is a saint because he devoted his entire life to asceticism and service to the Heavenly Father.

    The monk is rightfully revered throughout the Christian tradition.

    Miracles of St. Nicholas in the form of a cross

    The story took place in 1941. The wife remained in Moscow with the children, and the husband went to the front. It was very difficult for the mother and family. She plunged into despair, seeing the suffering of her offspring, and contemplated suicide. She was not religious, did not know how to read prayers, but at home she found an old icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

    The doomed mother began to impulsively reproach the holy image for the fact that the Lord was not able to save her family from hunger.

    She was about to put her terrible suicide idea into action, but on the way she tripped and found two ten-ruble banknotes folded in the shape of a cross. After a while, she realized that the money was given to her by the grace of the Almighty.

    The incident changed her worldview, she sincerely believed, began going to churches and thanking Nicholas for his wonderful gift.

    Other stories of miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker today

    The Church claims that icons depicting the saint protect the common people, heal people from illnesses and perform pious deeds.

    The power of shrines does not weaken, despite the fact that they can be purchased in different religious places.

    • One day, a three-year-old boy, playing on the bank of a deep and deep river, slipped into the stream and immediately began to drown. A mother standing nearby threw herself into the water, forgetting that she couldn’t swim. At that moment, she remembered St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, his ability to perform miracles, and began to heartbreakingly ask for salvation. Within a few seconds, a strong stream picked up the unfortunate people and pulled them to safety.
    • During the restoration of the St. Nicholas Church, an elderly grandmother came to the aid of the young people and expressed a desire to take part in the construction. No one believed that she would find the strength to lift weights, but she put everyone to shame. The grandmother said that she was prompted to difficult work by the holy saint who appeared in the house. The saint sincerely asked the old woman to help in the construction of the temple.
    • The woman went into premature labor, and she, being a deeply religious believer, took with her images of Christ, the Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas. Future mother I calmed myself down with the thought that the child should not die on the holiday. For a whole week, doctors worried about the life of the fetus, and the woman prayed daily in front of the shrines. The born child was breathing on his own, but the danger remained. The newborn survived many operations and began to recover, and the parents strengthened in their faith and solemnly thanked the Lord.
    On a note! Correct prayer in front of the icon, with pure intentions, is a guarantee of the fulfillment of the most difficult petitions. A believer should not doubt the power and miraculous desire of St. Nicholas the Pleasant.

    Miracles through prayers

    It is difficult to convince atheistically minded people of the real functionality of the holy image.

    Nowadays there is a large number of convincing evidence from the lips of people pleading for something. Some survived accidents, others regained health after for long years terrible illness, and still others found their other half and happiness until their death.

    • One day before going to bed, a woman who rarely turned to the icon of the Wonderworker, which was left by her deceased mother, heard the words “My daughter.” She didn't give this "vision" special significance, but three days later everything happened again. The woman realized that the Monk Nicholas wanted communication. Her mind began to see clearly, her worldview turned towards religion. The woman began to join the church and ask for protection for her family and all humanity.
    • In one rich family, a God-fearing housekeeper worked until old age. When the pension law came out, the owner could not find Required documents, which greatly upset the pious grandmother. She suggested humbly praying in front of the image of St. Nicholas the Pleasant. That same evening, the hostess discovered a paper bundle with the documents necessary for retirement.
    • A small child (2 years old) suffered from severe food poisoning, the temperature rose, and the condition quickly deteriorated. The father was shocked to see the open “fontanel”, and the mother passionately read a prayer in front of the shrine of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Upon the doctor’s arrival, the child’s condition improved somewhat, and the parents hastened to anoint his forehead and stomach with blessed oil, which received power from an earnest request. The boy recovered without even taking ordinary medications.

    The miracles of St. Nicholas the Pleasant presented above are only a small part of the many deeds performed.

    Important! The saint humbly served God and worked for the good of society, his spirit and body are so pure that they continue to help for a long time after death. The Christian world has high hopes for the images of this incredible man.

    Watch a video about the miracles of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker

    "Ambulance to the rescue"

    Our family had a housekeeper for a long time - a pious woman. Her work was formalized by a contract, and we paid insurance premiums for her. When the woman grew old, she went to live with her relatives. When the new law on pensions came out, the old woman came to us to take from us the documents necessary to receive a pension. I carefully took care of these documents, but when I started looking for them, I could not find them.

    I searched for three days, rummaged through all the drawers, all the closets - and could not find it anywhere. When the old lady came again, I bitterly told her about my failure. The old woman was very upset, but said with humility: “Let’s pray to St. Nicholas to help us, and if even then you don’t find it, then apparently I need to reconcile and forget about pensions.” In the evening I fervently prayed to St. Nicholas, and that same evening I noticed some kind of paper parcel under the table near the wall. These were the very documents I was looking for. It turns out that the documents fell behind the desk drawer and fell out of there only after we fervently prayed to St. Nicholas. Everything turned out well, and the old woman began to receive a pension. So Saint Nicholas, who was quick to help, heard our prayer and helped us in trouble.

    “Aren’t you an angel of God?”

    One woman recounted an incident that happened to her in 1991. Her name is Ekaterina and she lives in Solnechnogorsk. One winter she was walking along the shore of Lake Senezh and decided to relax. I sat down on a bench to admire the lake. The grandmother was sitting on the same bench, and they struck up a conversation. We talked about life. The grandmother said that her son doesn’t love her, her daughter-in-law really offends her, and they don’t give her “passage.”

    Catherine is a pious, Orthodox woman, and, naturally, the conversation turned to God’s help, about faith, about Orthodoxy, about life according to the Law of God. Catherine said that we need to turn to God and seek help and support from Him. Grandmother replied that she had never gone to church and did not know the prayers. And in the morning, Catherine, without knowing why, put the Prayer Book in her bag. She remembered this, took the Prayer Book out of her bag and gave it to her grandmother.

    The old woman looked at her in surprise: “Oh, and you, my dear, won’t disappear now?” "What's wrong with you?" - asked Catherine. “Aren’t you an Angel of God?” - The old woman got scared and told what happened to her a week ago. The situation in the house was such that she felt completely unnecessary and decided to commit suicide. She came to the lake and sat down on a bench before throwing herself into the hole. A very handsome-looking old man, gray-haired, with curly hair, with a very kind face, and asks: “Where are you going? Drown yourself? You don’t know how scary it is where you’re going! It’s a thousand times scarier than your life now.” He was silent for a while and asked again: “Why don’t you go to church, why don’t you pray to God?” She replied that she had never gone to church and no one taught her to pray. The old man asks: “Do you have any sins?” She replies: “What are my sins? I don’t have any special sins.” And the old man began to remind her of her sins, bad deeds, and even named those that she had forgotten about, which no one could know about except her. All she could do was be surprised and horrified. Finally she asked: “Well, how can I pray if I don’t know any prayers?” The old man replied: “Come here in a week, and there will be prayers for you. Go to church and pray." The old lady asked: “What is your name?”, and he replied: “Your name is Nikolai.” At that moment she turned away for some reason, and when she turned around, there was no one nearby.

    "An ambulance to those in need"

    The pious working-class family had seven children. They lived near Moscow. It was at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, when bread was issued on ration cards and in very limited quantities. At the same time, monthly cards were not renewed if lost. In this family, the eldest of the children, Kolya, thirteen years old, went to the store to buy bread.

    In winter, on the day of St. Nicholas, he got up early and went for bread, which was enough only for the first buyers. He arrived first and began to wait at the door of the store. He sees four guys coming. Having noticed Kolya, they headed straight towards him. The thought flashed through my head like lightning: “Now they will take away the bread cards.” And this doomed the entire family to starvation. In horror, he mentally cried out: “Saint Nicholas, save me.” Suddenly an old man appeared nearby, approached him and said: “Come with me.” He takes Kolya by the hand and, in front of the guys who are stunned and numb with surprise, leads him to the house. He disappeared near the house. Saint Nicholas remains the same “first aid in trouble.”

    “Why are you sleeping?”

    This is what a participant in the Great Patriotic War named Nikolai told one priest. “I managed to escape from German captivity. I made my way through occupied Ukraine at night and hid somewhere during the day. Once, after wandering around the night, I fell asleep in the rye in the morning. Suddenly someone wakes me up. I see in front of me an old man in priestly attire. The old man says: “Why are you sleeping?” Now the Germans will come here. I got scared and asked: “Where should I run?” The priest says: “You see, there’s a bush there, run there quickly.” I turned to run, but immediately realized that I had not thanked my savior, I turned around... and he was already gone.

    I realized that St. Nicholas himself - my saint - was my savior. With all my might I ran towards the bush. In front of the bush, I see a river flowing, but not wide. I threw myself into the water, got out to the other side and hid in the bushes. I look from the bushes - Germans with a dog are walking along the rye. The dog leads them straight to the place where I was sleeping. She circled there and led the Germans to the river. Then I slowly began to walk away through the bushes, further and further. The river hid my trail from the dog, and I safely escaped pursuit.”

    “Crisscross”

    This story took place at the very beginning of the Great Patriotic War. It was told by a Moscow priest. It happened to one of his close relatives. She lived in Moscow. Her husband was at the front, and she was left alone with small children. They lived very poorly. There was a famine in Moscow at that time. We had to live in difficult conditions for a very long time. The mother did not know what to do with the children; she could not calmly look at their suffering. At some point, she began to fall into a state of complete despair and was about to take her own life. She had an old icon of St. Nicholas, although she did not particularly reverence him and never prayed. She didn't go to church. The icon may have been inherited from her mother.

    And so she approached this icon and began to reproach St. Nicholas, shouting: “How can you look at all this suffering, at how I suffer, I struggle alone? Do you see my children dying of hunger? And you do absolutely nothing to help me!” In desperation, the woman ran out onto the landing, perhaps already heading to the nearest river or planning to do something else to herself. And suddenly she tripped, fell and saw in front of her two ten-ruble bills folded crosswise. The woman was shocked and began to look: maybe someone had dropped it, to see if there was anyone nearby, but she saw: no one was there. And she realized that the Lord had mercy on her, and Saint Nicholas sent her this money.

    It affected her so much strong impression, which became the beginning of her appeal to God, to the Church. Of course, she left all the bad thoughts, returned home to her icon, began to pray, cry, and give thanks. She bought food with the money sent to her. But most importantly, she gained faith that the Lord is near, that He does not leave a person, and that in such difficult moments, when a person needs help, the Lord will definitely give it.

    Then she started going to church. All her children became churchgoers Orthodox people, and one son even became a priest.

    “Saving Mother and Baby”

    The Veletma River flows along the entire village where my grandmother lived. Now the river has become shallow and narrow, the most deep places the children are knee-deep, and before Veletma was deep and full of water. And the banks of the river were marshy and swampy. And this had to happen - her three-year-old son Vanechka slipped from a log into this swamp in front of his mother’s eyes and immediately sank to the bottom. Elizabeth rushed to him, jumped into the swamp, and grabbed her son. And she doesn’t know how to swim. I came to my senses, but it was too late. And they both began to drown. She prayed to Nicholas the Wonderworker, asking for the salvation of the souls of sinners. And a miracle happened. Like a wave, a large strong stream lifted the mother and baby above the swamp and lowered them onto a dry fallen tree that blocked the swampy place like a bridge. My uncle Vanya is still alive, he is now over seventy.

    “Now I need help!”

    When the St. Nicholas Church in Zelenograd was being restored, an old woman of about seventy came to the restoration work and said that she had come to help. They were surprised: “Where can I help you?” She says: “No, put me in some physical work.” They laughed, and then they looked: she really began to carry something, trying to stand on the most difficult places. They asked what prompted her to do this. She said that the other day an old man suddenly came into her room and said: “Listen, you’ve been asking me for help for so long, and now I need help, I need help”... She was surprised. Then she remembered that the door to her room was closed. She recognized Saint Nicholas by the image and realized that it was he who came to her and called her to help. She knew that the St. Nicholas Church was being restored, and so she came...

    Return of the lost

    This happened when my husband worked for the owner in a bread stall. I was then left without work, and we were very poor. The daughter and her family lived in Vorkuta at that time. Literally using her last money, she called me and said that a lot of things were being decided in their fate now, and that she had written about everything in two letters. You can imagine how worried I was about her and waited for these letters! And so they came.

    I was just bringing lunch to my husband and put them unopened in my coat pocket. But when I returned, there were no letters in my pocket. Apparently, I somehow dropped them on the way. What happened to me!.. I ran back, examining every centimeter of the road, but I couldn’t find any letters. I came home, fell to my knees in front of the icons, cried and began to pray and ask Father Nicholas the Wonderworker to help me. I begged him to return the letters to me. I said, sobbing, that they were from my unfortunate child and that they were more valuable to me than any money, that it would be better if I lost money than these letters.

    And at some point, peace entered my soul, as if I had heard an answer to my prayer. And the next day at mailbox both letters were there. Someone's kind hand lifted them and lowered them there. I thanked the Lord and Father Nicholas the Wonderworker with all my heart for their great mercy towards me. But the miracles didn't end there.

    In the evening my husband came home from work - he had no face. It turned out that he accepted a counterfeit fifty-thousand-dollar bill, gave him bread and change from it, and at that time this money almost entirely made up his salary. He was going home and didn’t know how to tell me about this: it meant that we would have to starve for more than one day, and I was already exhausted, saving every penny. But in my soul there was such joy from the letters given to me that I not only was not upset, but once again, together with my husband, I thanked my quick assistant and the great Wonderworker for his mercy to us. After all, everything happened according to my word: I said that these letters are more valuable to me than money. So how could I be annoyed with my husband for this very money?

    And then the second miracle happened: the owner forgave us for this shortfall and paid us our full salary. I say “miracle” because this man never forgave even the slightest damage to himself, and at that time fifty thousand was very a large sum. And I am deeply confident that this miracle would not have happened if I had forgotten my words, uttered in a moment of fervent prayer, had pity on this money and myself, and scolded my husband for his inattention.

    This was a test of our faith, and thank God that He gave us the strength to withstand this test. Blessed be Father Nicholas the Wonderworker! Low bow to him and great gratitude for helping us, sinners and weaklings.

    Tatyana Ilyina, St. Petersburg

    Patron of our family

    Once I bought a tiny icon of St. Nicholas and hung it on the wall. I am a blockade sufferer and my stomach often hurts. At four o’clock in the morning, exhausted from pain, I knelt down and prayed: “If you can hear me, Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, help me - I have no strength.” The pain that had tormented me for several weeks stopped. Healthy, full of strength, six months later I celebrated my anniversary.

    And two years later for my sins - in Lent I went to visit guests, had fun, but got sick again. And again she prayed before the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: “Help, Father Nicholas! I can’t walk, and I can’t overcome my pain on my own. And then in St. Nicholas Cathedral I will put a candle in front of each icon near which there is a candlestick.”

    The pain began to let me go. On the third day I was able to get up and go with my daughter from Sestroretsk, where I live, to St. Petersburg, to St. Nicholas Cathedral. Saint Nicholas helped me there too. I come and see that only expensive candles remain, and there are no candlesticks left. I was afraid that I wouldn’t have enough money. I bought more candles and began to walk around the cathedral and place them in front of the icons. But I feel that my candles will soon run out, and I won’t be able to buy as many of them as I need, I won’t be able to fulfill my promise. Suddenly my daughter calls: “Mom, they brought small inexpensive candles!” That was my joy! I thanked St. Nicholas for the emergency help. I went to the candle maker to buy some candles for home, but they were already gone.

    The third time St. helped me in my illness. Nicholas the Wonderworker, when Easter week I turned to him with a fervent prayer: “Heal me for the sake of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ!”

    Saint Nicholas saved me when he accosted me on the street evil person. I was returning from the store, and he grabbed my hand tightly and started saying nasty things. In such cases I always managed to wriggle out, but here I couldn’t, I even cried out of despair. I think he will drag me into a gateway, in broad daylight, and no one will intercede. What a shame in old age! I raised my head to the sky and said: “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, help me get away from him!” The man let go of his hand, and I ran across the road. I turned around - I felt something was happening to him, and I left quickly.

    Larisa, St. Petersburg

    At the Cross

    I was born into an atheist environment. Family, school, books, television and newspapers completely blocked the path to knowledge of the Truth for our generation. Perestroika and the collapse of old stereotypes led me to a painful search for the meaning of life. Having been demobilized, I discovered that the ideals that seemed clear and unchangeable in the army turned out to be illusory and false in the “civilian” world.

    My spiritual wanderings of those times were akin to the searches of many young people: rock music, informal associations, student skits, finally, Freemasonry - thank God, only a pitiful semblance of it - and sectarianism. In the end, I decided to commit suicide. But the Lord saved me. After the hospital, I began to read a lot of Dostoevsky, then Solovyov, Ilyin and, finally, Metropolitan of St. Petersburg and Ladoga John. But main role St. Nicholas played in my church service.

    This was in 1991. After graduating from college, I was assigned to a distant taiga town. I had to go through the city Mineral water, and I stopped in Kislovodsk for several days. On the last day of my stay there, I walked aimlessly around the city.

    There was some change left in my pocket, and I decided to go to the pastry shop. There was a break. Unexpectedly for myself, I found myself near a small wooden cross, on which hung a sign explaining that St. Nicholas Cathedral would be built on this site. There was a candlestick by the cross. There was a candle holder next to the donation box.

    I was about to leave when two women, a mother and daughter, approached the cross, differing from those around them by an inexplicable natural aristocracy. Involuntarily admiring them, I paused at the cross. They slowly bought candles, put their donations into the box and began to pray. It was something incomprehensible to me, and at the same time uniquely beautiful. Tears were streaming down the girl's face. Their prayers were fervent and sincere. I don’t know why, but I wanted to cry too. The soul was filled with a hitherto unknown tenderness. I suddenly felt with all my heart something important, which my restless soul so longed for.

    Those women left long ago, their candles burned out long ago, the break in the pastry shop ended long ago, and I still stood and stood at the cross - small, unsightly, which overnight became dear to me. Having pulled out all the change from my pocket, I handed it to the candle maker: “Don’t disdain, mother. This is all I have." She smiled and told a parable about a poor widow and her contribution. Since then, this place in Kislovodsk has been especially sacred to me. Now the walls of a majestic temple have risen there. Every time I approach him with trepidation, as if I were going on a date with the saint himself.

    Later St. Nicholas the Wonderworker saved my son. It was to him that I fervently prayed to save the life of the unborn baby. Today it is difficult to imagine what would have happened to me if, on that summer day, God’s saint Nikola had not led me to a small cross, lifting the cover for me for a moment greatest secret of the universe, whose name is Truth.

    Oleg Seledtsov, Maykop

    Thanks to my mother's faith

    Our family comes from the village. Edrovo, Valdai district, Novgorod region. Previously, in the center of the village there were two churches: in honor of the icon Mother of God“Joy of All Who Sorrow” and Nikolskaya. We will talk about the second temple.

    As a five-year-old girl, my mother, along with other children, frolicked near the church. A thunderstorm was approaching, but everyone laughed: copying the adults, they crossed themselves and fell on their knees. Suddenly there was a sound swipe thunder Everyone froze, and my mother saw a huge fiery cross above the church. She ran home in confusion. Since then, throughout her long, very difficult life, Mother revered St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

    She studied at school for only two years: she was sent to be a nanny, then served as a maid in St. Petersburg. I saw the revolution and felt sorry for the young cadets who were grabbed right on the streets and taken away to be shot. She returned to her homeland, got married, and married her husband in St. Nicholas Church. The eldest son, Boris, served in Kronstadt on the destroyer “Strict”. Then he said: “Mom, your prayer always saved me. One day I was on duty with a friend on deck. A shell fell, a comrade died, but I am alive. Bitter for my comrade, happy for myself.”

    During the war we were evacuated to Sverdlovsk region. We arrived in a remote village. Early in the winter morning, my mother went to the regional center to look for work. Mother prayed all the way to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for help. Suddenly a dark spot appeared in the distance. Isn't it a wolf? Coming closer, mom saw unknown man, who told her in detail how to get to the regional center. Thanks to God and St. Nicholas, my mother arrived safely, got a job in a vegetable store and began to bring us delicious vegetables every evening.

    After breaking the blockade of Leningrad, we were allowed to return home to Yedrovo. Within two years, our garden was overgrown with weeds. For several days my mother dug it up by hand and did not go to work on the collective farm. For this, an application was filed against her in the people's court. Valdai judge Shtokman slammed her fist on the table: “You are not Soviet, we will evict you!” Mom didn't cry. After the sentence—six months of “forced labor”—she bowed to the meeting and calmly said: “Thank you, good people.”

    At home I prayed for a long time and wrote a letter to my son in Kronstadt. At night, my mother had a dream: she was sitting on a collective farm field after harvesting flax and saw the sky opening and the Mother of God moving from the depths with the Baby in her arms, smiling at her. Mom shouted: “Look, Mother of God, look!” But everyone was only surprised, and the vision disappeared. A few days later my brother Boris arrived, went to Valdai and restored justice. The court's verdict was overturned.

    So, thanks to my mother’s faith, the Lord protected our family with prayers Holy Mother of God and Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker among many troubles and trials.

    My mother went to the Lord on St. Nicholas of the Winter and was buried on the site of the former St. Nicholas Church in the village of Lokotsko, in front of the altar. Next to her grave there is now a chapel where we pray and thank the Lord for everything, as my dear mother thanked Him.

    And in the St. Nicholas Church of our native village of Edrovo, a tea house was set up, from which the cleaners ran away at midnight, hearing the ringing of bells and church singing. Now the Moscow-St. Petersburg highway passes in its place.

    Zinaida Gadalina, Novgorod region.

    “How can we worthily sing of your miracles?”

    In 1988 I had seizures severe pain ended up in the hospital. I had a difficult operation ahead of me. My husband was in the St. Nicholas Cathedral, praying to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. healer Panteleimon about my recovery. I must say that at that time I was not baptized and rarely went to church, did not understand the services and turned to God only with requests for help. Before the operation, mentally calling out to the Lord Jesus Christ, I promised to be baptized if I remained alive. I asked St. for help. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. healer Panteleimon. And - lo and behold! The most difficult operation, which lasted about three hours, ended successfully. I recovered without complications. After leaving the hospital, she was baptized in St. Nicholas Cathedral. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus Christ, St. Nicholas and St. Panteleimon.

    My daughter was very sad about her childlessness. With faith and hope, I again turned to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I prayed to him miraculous icon in St. Nicholas Cathedral. And a year later the desired, begged for son and grandson was born. Glory to the Lord in His saints!

    The third case of obvious help from St. Nicholas the Pleasant happened to me recently. I love the sea very much, but I was always afraid to swim far. That time the sea was calm, and I, reproaching myself for my indecision, calling on the Guardian Angel for help, swam a long distance. Then it was as if someone ordered me: “Come back!” There was no one around. I slowly swam to the shore.

    The tide has begun. The waves pushed me harder and harder towards the shore. I was glad for their “help”. And suddenly, almost at the very shore, they began to cover my head. I didn’t have time to take in air, catch my breath, I couldn’t reach the bottom. I realized: a little more and I’ll drown. Out of fear of dying without confession, without Holy Communion, I began to mentally cry out to the Lord and the Mother of God for help. The waves seemed to cover me less often. Frantically trying to remember the name of the saint who helps at sea, she exclaimed: “Saint Nicholas! Help me, give me the strength to shout for help, calm the waves!” And... I was able to shout and call my daughter. They heard me and helped me. Saved! Everything happened in a matter of minutes. Glory and thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Mother of God, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Holy Guardian Angel!

    When I feel hard and sad, I pray, read akathists, canons. Thoughts, heart and soul calm down. Joy and strength come to live on.

    Tamara, St. Petersburg

    The day I was born

    I was born on May 22 and had never thought about what a wonderful day it was. I came to the Lord recently, already having a family and two children. I know: I will follow the path of Orthodoxy, and my children will be nearby. I want to tell you about how St. helped me. Nicholas the Wonderworker, having heard my prayers.

    IN kindergarten, in the group where I work as a teacher, government money was kept. Somehow I felt very bad. She asked to go home, but before leaving, she decided to hide the money that was lying in plain sight on the bottom shelf, where no one would look. Having removed other things, in serious condition, I barely made it home. She told the shift worker who called where she put the money.

    The heart attack put me out of action for a long time. And when I returned to work, I found out that my partner didn’t find the money, and she didn’t look very hard. After crying, tearing out all the closets and turning everything upside down, suspecting one person in my soul, I finally pulled myself together and decided to gradually repay the debt. The money was government money, there was nowhere to go.

    A month has passed. With my grief, I went to church, and in confession I told him that I doubted the person. Suddenly it dawned on me! Remembering that on my birthday the memory of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, I came to the Holy Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral, to the image of the saint. I asked Saint Nicholas to help me remove the pain of suspicion from my soul. I prayed to him: “If there is money in the group, tell me where it is. I don’t want to think badly of people!”

    The next day, having again prayed to Saint Nicholas at home, I came to work and immediately, as if by accident, approached the right place. I've looked for money there before, but maybe not as carefully as I should. She opened the closet, took the folder and immediately saw the lost money in it. I never thought I could put them there! How I rejoiced, apologized to the employees, thanked the Lord and St. Nicholas!

    Maybe someone will think that there is nothing surprising in my story, but for me it was a real miracle and deliverance from evil thoughts. And on Trinity Sunday in the church they gave us icons of St. Nicholas. And now I have his icon at home. And in church I always rush to his image, thank him, and ask for his warm intercession before the Lord. My heart opened and turned to St. Nicholas.

    Anna Bolachkova, St. Petersburg

    At the site of a miraculous phenomenon

    On June 11, 1897, a fire swept over the village of Kuyuki, Kazan province. thundercloud, which erupted in terrible hail and an unprecedented downpour in these places. The hail was so strong that it destroyed the crops of many farms and injured farmers. The rain blew down gates and fences. When the Kuyukovka peasants left their houses the next day, they were surprised to discover that their dry Kuyukovka river had turned into a rapid stream that had changed its course. Along the banks of the stream, layers of strong rubble stone appeared. The Kuyuk residents really needed it both for construction and for sale. While mining the stone, the peasants found a small chased image of St. Nicholas.

    An extraordinary find - a copper image floated on top of the water - made the Kuyukovites think: what to do with the image, where to put it? Before the priest arrived, they built something like a lectern out of stones, covered it with a white tablecloth and placed an image of St. on top. Nicholas the Wonderworker. We lit the lamp. The people went to the holy face, prayed in front of it, leaving their labor pennies on a donation plate. Using these donations, local peasants built a stone church in two years, where they transferred the venerable icon.

    The image became famous for many miracles. There were days when up to five thousand pilgrims gathered to venerate St. Nicholas.

    Now the church is desolate. But every year on June 25, at the place where the icon was found, where the cross was placed, a prayer service is served with the blessing of water to St. Nicholas. On this day, the priest blesses the lake. People bathe in it, and there are cases of healing from illnesses.

    Galina, Kazan

    The face of a holy saint

    My mother had an old icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. When the mother died, the icon also disappeared. They wrapped it in a cloth, put it in a chest, and took it to the closet. There was no one to pray in front of the icon: there was no faith in the soul either in Christ or in the saints.

    Time has passed. I was somehow sorting through the things in my chest, and this icon of St. Nicholas caught my eye. I took it in my hands and looked closely - a stern, almost stern face was looking at me. The longer I look, the more I feel great wisdom in this face, as if the saint wants to tell me something very important for my life. My heart suddenly sank and began to speak: some feeling inside me was ashamed. I felt uneasy. How many years has the icon been lying around, and I have never remembered it! I brought it into the room and put it in the corner. No, no, and I’ll look at St. Miracle Worker. Sometimes I cross myself. The soul is callous, unresponsive, empty. No faith, no.

    One late evening I was lying in bed with my eyes closed: there was no sleep, different thoughts were wandering in my head. Suddenly I hear right in my ear: “My daughter!” The words came out clearly and clearly. I didn't attach much importance to this. I forgot. Three days have passed. Everything was repeated, only I heard different words: “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time.” I involuntarily connected these two phrases. I thought about it. What does it mean? Whose voice is this? Undoubtedly: it was from an icon! I realized that Saint Nicholas was waiting for me to turn to him.

    What love for a person, what patience! For many years, the saint of God waited for me to finally see clearly and turn to the Lord, to him. I didn’t know the prayers, but as best I could, I asked the saint for forgiveness. Since then, I began to turn to him with faith and reverence. I understood what God, our Savior, means to us. He settled in my heart for the rest of my life. How much I had lost before, how long my sinful soul had longed for communion with God!

    I began to join the Church, taught my children to pray and believe in God. It is impossible to convey the feelings that settled in me when, through the Sacraments of the Church, I became connected with the Lord. Now you have the strength to live, believe, love and win. I began to look at everything and everyone with different eyes.

    Tamara Ivanova, Saratov

    “My faith has become stronger”

    When I went into premature labor, I took a prayer book and icons of the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos and St. with me to the hospital. Nicholas the Wonderworker. I reassured myself only by the fact that my child would not die on the holiday. For almost a week the baby was on the verge of life and death, and all these days I locked myself in my soul, put icons in front of me and prayed, prayed, prayed...

    On October 20, a son was born. He started breathing on his own - the doctors said it was a miracle. And he breathed on his own for a day: there was no available artificial respiration apparatus in the hospital. They told me to be ready for anything. And I prayed. Then there were ten days of intensive care, a children's clinic, a brain hemorrhage, weak lungs, low weight... I understood that this was a test given to me by God. My faith has become stronger. My husband believed and was baptized. At the hospital they managed to christen their son with the name Nikolai. Soon the child began to recover and we were discharged.

    A month later, an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, written from the one that is located at the relics of the saint, for the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Of course, I took my son to her. The child was predicted to have disability and many chronic diseases. But it’s been a year since he’s been alive and well. With unusual trepidation for a baby, he accepts the Holy Gifts. Becomes serious in front of icons.

    “To Saint Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!”

    Julia, Ekaterinburg

    Healing myrrh

    When my son was not yet two years old, he suffered from severe food poisoning. My wife called me at work and said that he was in serious condition. The temperature is high and constantly rising. The doctor will come after lunch, and if before his arrival the child gets worse, you need to call “ Ambulance" I immediately went home. The son lay in his crib, staring blankly at the ceiling, not recognizing anyone. When I touched his head, my heart went cold with fear: the fontanel* was open, like a newborn’s. The wife was in a pre-stressed state, read “Theotokos the Virgin” and trusted only in God.

    I threw myself on my knees in the holy corner in front of the icons and began to pray fervently. Then he returned to his son and, placing his hand on his stomach, read “Our Father.” We decided not to call an ambulance. When the doctor arrived, the child felt better and his temperature dropped. The doctor said that there was no need to send my son to the intensive care unit, but to give him medications that he would prescribe. After the doctor left, I prayerfully anointed the boy’s forehead and tummy with oil from the shrine of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with the addition of peace from his relics. It was Thursday - the day of remembrance of this saint. The son fell asleep. The wife ran to the pharmacy to get some medicine.

    An hour later the child woke up. The temperature is normal, there is a smile on the face, the fontanelle is closed. We realized that a miracle had happened. The son recovered without having time to take medication. “Did anyone come to you in a dream?” - I asked. “Yes,” he replied. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker healed our child.

    Sergey, Samara

    “Deceiving many from destruction”

    When the war began, our family lived in Gatchina. We had to evacuate part of the Putilov plant, where my father worked, to the Urals. Early in the morning we left the house on horseback. In the evening we reached Aleksandrovka, where we were stopped by a military patrol. We were forced to take vacant house on the edge of the village. There was no light. Mom threw some things on the floor and made a bed for us all in the right corner of the hut.

    At night an intense raid began: the Germans were rushing to Pulkovo. Our anti-aircraft guns responded. There was a loud roar, everything was on fire, and it was very scary. We huddled together and began to pray: “Lord, help!” When another explosion lit up the room, mom screamed and looked at the corner opposite. There, in a strip of light, the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker was clearly visible. We prayed to him.

    When leaving Alexandrovka, my mother took the image with her. He went through the whole war with us, and we had to go through three fascist concentration camps. Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker protected us, and we returned alive.

    Nina Sokolova, St. Petersburg

    “Warming those who are in the filth”

    In 1922, I had to preach in one of the churches behind Taganka, not far from the Rogozhskoye cemetery. He talked about St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and how many miracles he performed and what a quick listener he is.

    I agreed. P-kiy and his wife lived not far from the temple. They were childless; It was clear from the situation and things that they had previously had good means.

    This is what the hospitable host told me: “My father lived in a small provincial town in the Voronezh province. He was engaged in small trade, buying hemp, flax, leather, etc. from the villages. We lived poorly; my father had a large family.

    One day in December, when I was ten years old, my father decided to take me with him, heading to villages located twenty-five miles from the city to buy goods. We had an old horse and a very light sled. It was a beautiful winter day. The sun was already warm, the road was good, and we didn’t notice how we had driven more than ten miles away from the city. The terrain there is steppe, and we didn’t come across a single village along the way.

    Suddenly the wind changed, clouds rolled in and it began to rain. The road turned black. Soon all our clothes were wet, and water began to flow under our collars. Also suddenly the wind switched to the north, frost struck and a blizzard began to roar all around. A snowstorm in that area is a very dangerous thing, and my father, worried, began to urge on the horse, which had difficulty moving along the snow-covered road. The storm was getting stronger. Our wet clothes froze, and we began to suffer from the cold wind that penetrated through our clothes all the way to our bodies. The horse slowed down and finally stood up. Suddenly we felt somehow warm and pleasant, and we began to doze off. Finally I fell asleep.

    Suddenly I saw in the distance some luminous point that was quickly approaching, increasing in volume and gradually taking the form of a light oval, on which the face of an elderly man with a short beard and dark hair, but gray at the ends, soon appeared.

    This man looked at me menacingly and said: “Vasya, wake up your father.” I tried to get up to do this, but all my limbs refused to obey me, and I could not move. Then the elder shouted loudly: “Vasily, they are telling you! Wake up your father, you’re freezing!” I again tried to get up and wake my father, but again to no avail. And suddenly I noticed that my hand was lying on my father’s hand. Then I pressed it with all my might with my nails through the mitten.

    My father woke up, and at that moment a dog barked not far from us. Then he stood up, crossed himself and said: “Thank God, we are saved!” Then he got out of the sleigh and went barking, not paying attention to the snowstorm.

    Soon we came across a fence. The dog barked louder. Walking along the fence, the father came to the hut of a nobleman who lived here on his own plot of land. When he responded to the knock, his father explained to him that we had lost our way and were already starting to freeze.

    Within five minutes I found myself in a hotly heated hut, where they rubbed me with warm vodka and laid me, wrapped in a sheepskin coat, on the stove. The samovar arrived in time. They gave me tea and I fell asleep like the dead. The next day we got up late, but completely healthy and decided to return home.

    I somehow completely forgot about the vision, thinking it was a dream, and didn’t tell anyone anything.

    On the first of January, my mother says to me: “You, Vasya, today is your birthday. Let’s go to mass: you will confess and partake of the Holy Mysteries.” When the service ended, my mother lingered in the church, not finding her memorial anywhere. While she was looking for her, I began to wander around the temple and suddenly, to my amazement, I saw on the right pillar supporting the dome an image of the old man who appeared to me when my father and I were freezing during our unsuccessful trip. It struck me so much that I could not take my eyes off this image, written directly on the plastered wall.

    By the way, the artist depicted something that cannot be: the old man has dark hair on his head, and its ends are gray. This is how I saw the old man when I was freezing. The elder was depicted in full height against a light background of the medallion oval shape, in a cross-shaped phelonion, as I saw him.

    My mother started calling me home. I, excited, began making signs for her to come to me. Then I told her about what happened to me when we were caught in the field by a snowstorm.

    The story made a strong impression on my mother. She told me: “This is an image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. He saved your and your father’s life.” She immediately asked to call a priest from the altar, to whom she conveyed my story and asked to serve a thanksgiving prayer service with an akathist to St. Nicholas.

    Saint Nicholas saved my life many, many years later, when I was already living in Moscow and had a fairly well-known enterprise in the city, sometimes successfully competing with Mendl. This was in 1920.

    It was a hungry time. It was possible to purchase anything edible in the village only in exchange for some things, valuable items, clothes or shoes. At the same time, the peasants valued all this very cheaply, and the supplies they sold were, on the contrary, very expensive.

    In January or February, taking with me pieces of calico, some clothes and similar items for exchange, I went by rail to the Tula province, to an area well known to me, where I knew several wealthy peasants. Getting off the train at one of the stations outside Tula, I came to a neighboring village where a peasant I knew lived. I told him about the purpose for which I had come and asked to borrow a horse to go to one nearby village, where, in response to my request, they promised to give me three bags of potatoes in exchange for textiles and clothing.

    They gave me a horse, and the next day I went to this village. There I quite successfully exchanged chintz and a three-piece jacket for potatoes and, having rested a little, set off on the way back. Halfway through the route I was following, I had to go uphill. The road was lined with birch trees on both sides, and I couldn’t see what was happening behind the trees.

    Suddenly, around the bend, a huge convoy appeared, carrying from the station railway some goods. Recently there had been a lot of snow and the road was very narrow. Wanting to give way to the convoy, I turned the horse to the left and began to make my way closer to the birches, when suddenly, not noticing the slope, I felt that the sleigh first tilted and then fell down, dragging the horse with it.

    I found myself in a ravine filled with loose snow, under an overturned sleigh. The horse was lying on its side, leaning on the shaft. All attempts of the horse to rise failed, since the loose snow was very deep, and it was not able to firmly rest its feet on the ground. For the same reason, even though I had difficulty freeing my head from under the sleigh, I was unable to throw off the sleigh and get to my feet. My feet, finding no support, slid helplessly and got stuck in the snow, loose as sand.

    While I was floundering like this, the wind changed to the north, and the frost began to noticeably intensify. I felt very cold, although at first, when I was still trying to get to my feet, I even began to sweat from the efforts I made. The horse lay obediently.

    Suddenly I felt the same as twenty-five years ago, when I almost froze to death with my late father. My trembling went away, a pleasant warmth spread through my body, and to the sound of the tall fir trees swaying in the wind, I began to feel sleepy. I again began to make desperate movements, trying to get to my feet, but only sank deeper into the snow. Then I raised a loud cry. I screamed so loudly that my voice could probably be heard at a great distance. Soon, above my head, on the high slope where the road passed, I heard the creaking of runners and the voices of passing people. I screamed even louder.

    The creaking of the runners stopped, and soon I began to hear two people with the greatest work making their way towards me, talking to each other. Finally they noticed me. They approached, looked sympathetically, and attempted to raise the horse, trampling the snow around the sleigh. But they failed to do anything, and they left, shouting to me: “There are four of us in the sledge. All the same, dear man, we can’t take you with us, and we don’t know where to take the horse. We are not from here, from afar. Shout, maybe the people here will hear and help you. Goodbye!” Then they left.

    The wind picked up and it began to snow. Soon there was a whirl and noise all around: the wind was carrying whole clouds of dry snow. I realized that I was dying.

    Then I remembered how St. helped me in childhood, when I was in the same trouble. Nicholas the Wonderworker. And, lying in a ravine, covered with snow, I turned to the great saint with a fervent prayer for salvation.

    I remember,” P. continued his story, “that I prayed with tears, like a child, putting together my appeal to St. as best I could. Nicholas: “God's servant! You saved my life when I died as a child with my father, freezing in the steppe twenty-five years ago. Have mercy and now, with your holy prayers, save my life, do not let me die without repentance in a foreign land. You are quick to help those who call you in faith. Save me, I’m dying!”

    I had barely finished the prayer when I heard the creaking of runners and people talking above me. It was clear that a large convoy was moving. I screamed as loud as I could. The creaking of the runners stopped. The convoy stopped, and I saw several peasants who, having rolled down the slope, were walking towards me, falling almost waist-deep into loose snow. There were four or five of them. With difficulty they lifted me and the horse and, taking it by the bridle, led us out onto a side road, along which I climbed back up to the main road.

    Three quarters of an hour later I was already at a friend’s place who had lent me a horse, who, seeing that a strong blizzard had arisen and it was getting dark, began to worry about me.

    I warmly thanked the Lord God and St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for saving my life again,” he finished the story, adding that from that time on he began to especially venerate this great saint of God.

    “Now,” added P., “they say that miracles do not happen, but I believe that the Lord saved me through the prayers of St. Nicholas."

    His story could not help but make a deep impression on me.

    Archpriest Konstantin Rovinsky From the book “Conversations of an Old Priest” M., 1995

    New miracles of St. Nicholas. M., 2000

    1454 0

    Saint Nicholas mastered a lot of secular professions: doctor, engineer, gardener, pilot, veterinarian, postman... The saint still saves lives and performs miracles today.

    I remember the Day of St. Nicholas the Winter in 2008 very well. That day I was doing my usual job at UNIAN, working on topics of politics and economics.

    The UNIAN-Religion project did not yet exist, as they say, at all. But there was a lot of responsible editorial work, which did not allow me to leave. But in my soul that day I was in the church, at the icon of St. Nicholas, mentally lighting a candle, with a prayer for the most important thing.

    In the evening I found some free time and the idea came to create group in honor of St. Nicholas on the popular resource "Odnoklassniki".

    “If the Lord, through a prayer appeal to Nicholas the Wonderworker, accomplished what you asked for, you can leave a detailed record of this, in memory of the modern miracles of St. Nicholas,” she wrote an appeal to the participants of the new group.

    Very soon she became popular. Today the group has 54.8 thousand participants and 12 moderators (priests and students of theological seminaries. - Author).

    Group members say that Saint Nicholas actively participates in their lives, helping even in intractable situations. He mastered a lot of secular professions: doctor, engineer, gardener, pilot, veterinarian, postman...

    The saint protects from offenders, helps to get a job, decides housing issues, saves lives, calls for justice and performs miracles.

    I’ll add that the birthday of the UNIAN-Religions project should probably also be considered December 19th. After all, the idea of ​​its creation came right then, along with a group in honor of St. Nicholas in social network. And through prayers to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the Holy Fathers of Pechersk, within a few months we launched a new project.

    Fatima Alikova (Tsalikova) 35 years old, Moscow-Beslan.

    IN THE LINE OF FIRE

    “In 2004, I was held hostage in Beslan, at school No. 1. I won’t describe how hard it was for all of us in the gym these three days. During the explosion, I flew out of the window, and without realizing anything, I ran about 20 meters at random and hid between the iron garages. A shootout began, I lay down on the ground, covering my ears with my hands. I was very scared. Bullets whistled from all sides. The whole time I was lying there, I prayed to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.

    I just screamed to him in my heart to save me from death. It seemed to me that if my prayer was interrupted for even a second, a bullet would hit me. I lay there like that for an hour and a half, maybe more, I don’t know. At some point, the shooting died down, voices were heard behind the fence, and I called for help. They pulled me out and carried me on a stretcher to the ambulance. There wasn’t even a scratch on me, despite the fact that I was lying in the line of fire. All thanks to prayers to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker!”

    Elena Bestuzheva, 57 years old, Tver, Russia.

    “My dad was born in 1923. When he went to the front, my grandmother prayed to Nikolai Ugodnik for him. One autumn they were transferred to the front line. They walked through the mud, were very tired, when they got to the place, they dug in and fell down to sleep. Dad woke up to an old man in an untucked white shirt tugging at his shoulder. He said: “Vanyushka, run, run!” Dad jumped up and ran. Then I thought: where did the old man come from at the front line? He stopped and looked around... At that time a bomb hit the trench, and everyone who remained there was killed.”

    Tatyana Ivanova-Suvorova, 47 years old, Lukyanov, Russia.

    THE CATCHER

    “My older brother, when he was two years old, got lost in the forest. The whole village searched for him, but to no avail. A day later, after crying, he was found on the edge of a cliff, above the river, on brushwood. The finder wanted to dress him warmly and feed him. But the child said: “I don’t want to and I’m not cold.” He was dressed lightly, and it was freezing at night. “Grey-haired grandfather warmed me up and gave me some bread.” All this happened on May 25th. The grandmother sincerely believed that it was Nikolai the saint who saved her grandson.”

    Natasha Sidorova (Ulogova), 33 years old, Lobnya, Russia.

    HUNGER

    “It was in 1946, during the post-war famine. My mother was 9 years old. A handful of cereal - for the whole day, they ground acorns and made cakes from them, ate roots. Two younger sisters my mother was in the hospital due to exhaustion. It was a sunny summer day, and my mother was sitting on the rubble and playing with the ashes from the stove. Suddenly an old man appeared from around the corner. According to my mother’s story, grandfather was very good-looking: not tall, With blue eyes and in all white. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were completely gray. The suit was also white, the shoes were light.

    In those days when everyone wore rags, it was impossible to see a person in such clothes. Grandfather approached mom and asked if she wanted to eat? And he gave mom two potatoes, bread, and two tomatoes. To celebrate, my mother didn’t even understand where this grandfather had gone. A neighbor came running to my mother and asked what kind of miracle it was? She saw all this from the window. She said that after giving mom the groceries, grandpa walked around the corner and... disappeared!!! They talked about this incident for a long time in the village, they assumed that it was St. Nicholas the Wonderworker himself! My mother often tells this story. She remembers everything, down to the smallest detail. And my mother is already 74 years old.”

    HAPPY MARRIAGE

    Tatiana Stivrinya, 49 years old, Jelgava, Latvia.

    “I have a friend who got married through prayers to St. Nicholas. She is already over 40, she was divorced, but really wanted to find her soul mate. She was told that she should pray to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for marriage. She works in the church, so at every opportunity she began to approach the icon and ask for painful things. One day, when she was wiping the icon, a man her age approached her. “I’m watching you, you’re always at this icon.” She answers him so simply: “I ask the Lord for a husband.” He laughed and said: “Here I am!” It’s already the second year since we got married, and now the Lord has sent a child.”

    Svetlana Lakhina (Chikantseva), 39 years old, Belaya Kalitva Sukhumi, Russia.

    “I really wanted a baby, but I couldn’t carry it for more than 10 weeks. I was asked in Sunday school to embroider an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for the holiday of the Day of Love, Family and Fidelity. While I was embroidering, I asked St. Nicholas the Wonderworker for help. And 9 months later our daughter Juliana was born. Isn't it a miracle?

    Galina Kovalenko 38 years old, Maykop, Russia.

    “I couldn’t give birth for a long time - there were miscarriages. I prayed to Nicholas the Wonderworker. I became pregnant again, but I no longer believed, I thought nothing would work out. And late in the evening I was leaving work, an old man came towards me and said: “Happy holiday!” And it slipped my mind that it was Mother’s Day, I thought he was tipsy and joking. I replied: “And you too!” He laughed and said: “Ehhh! It’s me who congratulates you on Mother’s Day!” I replied: “Thank you!” And she moved on. And for some reason I immediately remembered about Nikolai Ugodnik. I turned around, and the old man was no longer anywhere... I realized that this was a sign, and that this time everything would be fine. My daughter was born!”

    Lyubov Fedoseeva.

    “I didn’t have children for seven years. Everyone I knew knew about infertility. I was advised to go to Turkey, to the temple where St. Nicholas the Wonderworker himself once served. There is still a church there, it is not active, but services are held there twice a year. Saint Nicholas bequeathed: “Whoever comes with good intentions to this temple, everything will be fulfilled.” My husband and I were traveling to ask for children. I cried when I was there, I believed and prayed. I returned from Turkey pregnant, a miracle happened! A daughter was born.

    I wanted a lot of children, but again I couldn’t get pregnant for a long time. And I went to Turkey again. I asked Nikolai for twins. I had a dream: “It will be difficult for you to bear two children at once, since you had a caesarean section. You'll have better weather." After this dream I became pregnant. In the fifth month of pregnancy she fell ill with hepatitis. I couldn’t believe it, because my child was blessed by St. Nicholas the Wonderworker! I had to go to the hospital.

    I prayed all night. Saint Nicholas himself appeared in a dream and said that I was healthy. I woke up and told my mom about it. Mom said that if this comes true, she will believe. I arrived at the hospital, they took tests, and I turned out to be healthy. The doctors were against pregnancy, insisted on an abortion, and scared me that I might die. I believed only Nikolai. A son was born. According to your faith, so be it to you. I know that for sure. I have three children - Lyubov, Maria and Bogdan. Thank God. Thanks to Nicholas the Wonderworker. These were the greatest miracles of my life.”

    Irina Postarnak, 46 years old, Belgorod, Russia.

    HOUSING PROBLEM

    “My husband met another woman, I could no longer live in his lies and debauchery. He said: “If you don’t want to live with me, go wherever you want!” The director offered to move into an apartment with a shared apartment. The neighbor thought that we were having a fictitious divorce in order to get an apartment. The court decided to evict me. I came to church and stood on kneeled in front of the icon of Nikolayushka, and in her own words began to ask for help to send me some housing. I met the mayor of the city in the morning, I was going to work, for some reason I stopped, listened. I saw sympathy in his eyes, he told me to come to such and such an office tomorrow. "The next day I received a warrant. When help comes from above, all doors are open, no connections or money are needed."

    Leonid Kichko, 53 years old, Lipetsk, Russia.

    PLITTERING

    “I am a repairman by profession. technological equipment. After one of the repairs, the unit’s performance did not meet the norm: it was disassembled and reassembled three times, and commissioning was delayed. Frustrated, I went to the temple. Standing at the icon of St. Nicholas the Pleasant, he asked him for help. To be honest, when I returned to the site, I forgot about the request. Having disassembled and reassembled once again, without finding any reason, we made a hopeless decision about a test run. Imagine the surprise of everyone present when the unit began to work. Nobody could explain what was happening. Having visited the temple, I remembered the request and thanked St. Nicholas. Not knowing prayers, I asked in my own words.”

    EMERGENCY DOCTOR

    Irina Vladina, 42 years old, Kostroma, Russia.

    “I was 7-8 years old. My ears hurt very badly, I was screaming in pain! The whole family stood by my bed, not knowing how to help. My great-grandmother Olga had an icon of St. Nicholas - a simple one, on a paper cardboard... I remembered about the icon, and through my tears I shouted: “Grandma, pray to St. Nicholas the Pleasant!” Grandmother quickly went into the room. As soon as she disappeared behind the door, the pain disappeared. Now I am 42 years old, and this miracle is not forgotten. No one had any doubts - St. Nicholas the Wonderworker helped!”

    Irina Kholopova, 52 years old, Moscow, Russia.

    “My relative was cured in Mir. I flew to Turkey with herpes on my back. I warned him about the consequences. But youth... He said: “I’ll anoint you with iodine and everything will pass.” And then - chills, pain. We decided to skip the sea and go on an excursion. This is how they got to the Lycian Worlds. On the way back to the hotel I noticed: no pain, no chills. The skin healed quickly, without marks.”

    Vladimir Altunin, 64 years old, Sevastopol, Ukraine.
    “At work we were repairing an electric motor. My crowbar fell off and I hit my elbow hard. The fingers on my left hand began to go numb. One day we stopped at the Foros Church. I stood near the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and mentally said: “I don’t believe in God, but if you help me with my health, I will believe!” At the same moment, warmth flowed through my hands, as if entering a warm bath from the cold. Five years passed, my hands never went numb again. Everyone at work knows, they saw how I suffered. Believe it if you want! It happened to me."

    Liliya Kozina (Polozhnova), 36 years old, Moscow.
    “About 15 years ago I had an ovarian cyst. The gynecologist prescribed therapy, after which she had to undergo surgery to remove the cyst. For exactly a month I took the prescribed pills, washed down with holy water and praying to St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. On December 19 (!) the cyst came out on its own. The gynecologist, experienced and competent, was very surprised. I spent a long time looking through the ultrasound, but in the end I admitted that the operation was not necessary.”

    Margarita Bozhko (Gusarova), 47 years old, Kursk, Russia.

    ST. NICHOLAS - GARDENER

    “I planted tomatoes on the loggia, they bloomed all summer, but none of them set fruit. In October I look at these barren flowers and think: “At least one tomato has started, for consolation.” And three days later one started. I immediately realized that it was Nikolai Ugodnik who gave me the tomato, since his icon is on the window right next to the tomatoes.”

    Ekaterina Yudkevich, 49 years old, Leningrad region, Russia.

    ICON ON ASPHALT

    “It was at a very difficult moment in my life, when I lost loved one, and came to St. Petersburg for documents. Shel pouring rain, and it seemed to me that I would simply die, I could not stand the grief. Near the Tekhnologichesky Institute metro station there is a very busy place, people walk in a stream, no one notices anyone. I walked in this stream, and my soul was overcome by despair. Suddenly on the sidewalk I saw an icon standing right in the middle of the road. It is not clear how she could stand, and how people did not knock her down. I bent down and picked it up. It was an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, the size of a palm, on a tree. What’s also surprising is that in the pouring rain it was completely dry! I was filled with such unexpected joy, peace, love - all this is difficult to convey in words! My confessor said that it was Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker who consoled me.”

    Alexander Vorobyov 52 years old, Kaliningrad, Russia.

    DEFAMATED ICON

    “The incident took place in the mid-90s. We have a temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Kaliningrad. Above the entrance is an icon of St. Nicholas. One day they discovered that the icon was missing. An empty, broken icon case was found in a flowerbed. A few months later the icon was returned; the eyes of St. Nicholas were dug out. Father told us scary story how the icon came to be and what happened. The woman returned the icon to the temple; she was in tears and told how it all happened.

    That night, her son and a group of teenagers entered the temple territory and removed the icon of St. Nicholas. She was very beautiful and looked rich from afar. When the guys brought the icon home and saw in the light that it was simple, one of the teenagers, out of anger, took a nail and picked out the saint’s eyes. A month later, the teenager who committed the sacrilege had both eyes gouged out. When it became clear that he remained disabled for life, he told his mother about what he had done and where the desecrated icon lay. Then the woman took the icon to the temple and told the priest what grief befell them for her son’s blasphemy. The icon was restored, inserted into the icon case and installed in its original place. There is no information about what happened to the boy and his mother.”

    Irina Sorochan, 49 years old, Astana, Kazakhstan.

    LAW ENFORCEMENT

    In July 2005, my mother died. Less than 40 days had passed, I decided to go to the cemetery alone. A man sat at my mother’s grave, looking scary. He and I looked at each other. I walk and think he will follow me now. And so it happened, he was walking along with a man still under 2 meters tall. It became scary; we had cases where people were attacked in the cemetery. And then grandfather comes out of the bushes, I still thought that he had come to visit someone. He was dressed simply, but I noticed his face: extraordinary, clean, so light that it was impossible to convey, his beard and hair were white. A familiar face, where could I have seen him? He looked at me so sternly and walked past my mother’s grave, and I followed him as if spellbound. Those two men followed us, but did not increase their pace. On the way, I went to my husband’s grave, laid flowers, he slowed down, waited for me, and those two also stopped. We reached the fork, and I saw that he was gone, as if he had sunk into the water. I returned home safely. When she came to our church, she approached the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and gasped, recognizing in that old man the beloved St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, it was him. That is, he helped me, even without turning to him. I thank the Lord for giving me such a miracle - to meet Nikolai Ugodnik."

    Inna Rimskaya 41 years old, Kyiv, Ukraine.

    WIZARD IN A BLUE HELICOPTER

    “In 1998, my friend Olya and I went to Valaam. Money was running short, we all couldn’t leave: either there was no boat, or we didn’t know about its departure. We have already gotten used to the idea that we will use our last money to travel by boat to Sortavala, because the return tickets were bought in Kyiv and we will not receive the money if we return them. Out of grief, we went to the hotel, ate all the porridge taken from the refectory, and then, for consolation, we began to read an akathist to St. Nicholas and sang glorification. When we sang the praise for the third time, a helicopter landed near the hotel and we flew away. Two hours later we were already in St. Petersburg.”

    Tatyana Moskaleva (Ilyasova), 54 years old, Kansk, Russia.

    POSTMAN

    “I read in a magazine how Saint Nicholas helped one husband give away his daughters, and I thought: where can I get Nicholas the Wonderworker for everyone? I was in a difficult situation - I was raising my son alone, he was a freshman. Winter is outside, but he has no warm clothes. The next day I come home from work, there is a notice at the door - money has arrived from my sister. I bought a down jacket for my son. And my sister told me that she suddenly thought that we needed money more than they did.”

    Marina Idadze, Kutaisi, Georgia.

    VET
    “Our puppy got sick. We took his illness hard. For about a week he lay there, did not eat or drink, and breathing was almost inaudible. And suddenly, out of the blue, he shows interest in food, starts running and playing pranks... We were very surprised. And then dad admitted that he asked Nicholas the Wonderworker for the puppy to recover. As it turned out, dad was heard. But the vet refused to treat our dog! What a miracle..."

    Evgeny Polyakov, 51 years old, Moscow, Russia.

    ON VALAAM

    “About 15 years ago, with Abbot Joel, we sailed to Valaam on a small motor boat. As soon as we passed St. Nicholas Monastery, our engine stalled. While the oars were being taken out, a terrible fog fell, only the domes of the St. Nicholas Church were visible. We barely made it on the oars. If the engine had stalled later, no one knows what would have happened to us. Saint Nicholas saved us from death!”

    Svetlana Krykun (Arkhipova), 52 years old, Murmansk.

    "YOU PROMISED"

    “It was in 1988-1989, my daughter was 4 years old. At work she boasted that she had never been to the hospital with a child. That same evening, a child with larigotrachiitis was taken away. I prayed to God to have mercy on my child, and promised to go to church in case of healing and light a candle. My girl recovered, but I never went to church. A year later I had a dream, a man in a long robe was standing in the doorway, his arm was slightly bent, as if pointing to an icon, and he said: “You promised!” I didn’t know who I dreamed about. After 13 years, my daughter entered FINEK in St. Petersburg, I took her there, and I took her to the Kazan Cathedral. I went to inspect the icons, approached one, and immediately started to cry like a river: it’s him - Nikolayushka, from my dream, I’ve just never seen a full-length icon of the Wonderworker before.”

    Olga Gavrilova, 44 years old, Russia, Krasnoyarsk.

    "IF YOU CAN HEAR ME, GIVE SOME SIGN"

    “My daughter graduated from college, received a degree as an artist-designer, went to live in St. Petersburg, and for 4 months could not find a job. And so, when my strength and patience were running out, my legs led me to the Vladimir Cathedral. There is a very old icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. She turned to him with a prayer: “If you hear me, give me some sign!” Suddenly the window opened, the wind blew out all the candles, leaving only the candle in the daughter’s hands burning. On the same day, they brought her a newspaper with advertisements where the company needed a designer. This was 8 years ago. Now my daughter has her own company. She never parts with the icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.”

    Tatyana Shvedova 42 years old, Zaporozhye, Ukraine.

    “WHEN I SEE A TRAFFIC POST, I ASK NICHOLAS THE WONDERWORKER TO COVER US WITH YOUR HANDS”

    “When we drive past the traffic police post, I ask St. Nicholas the Wonderworker to cover us with his hands so that they don’t see us. No one ever dared to stop us."

    Flight engineer Lyudmila Maygurova, 38 years old, Volgograd, Russia.

    “I LOOKED OUT THE PORTHOLE, AND I WAS STUNNED: THE PATTERN OF WINGS WAS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THE GLASS”

    “We flew on a Boeing 737-200, which is the smallest and with which disasters occur more often than others. We took off normally, gained altitude, began serving us drinks and food, people relaxed... Suddenly we entered a zone of turbulence, the plane was throwing in all directions so that glasses, plates, napkins and everything in the world were flying around the cabin. The passengers turned white with horror, the people did not know what to grab with their hands to stay in their seats...

    I had with me an icon with images of Nicholas the Pleasant, the Mother of God, the Guardian Angel and the Lord with the traveler’s prayers to them. She took it out with shaking hands and began to read all the prayers in a row. I finish - and again. I read prayers and out of the corner of my eye I see people looking at me with such hope. And I began to read prayers not to myself, but out loud. Then suddenly everything calmed down as quickly as it started. And some guy, when I finished reading the prayers out loud, shouted to the whole plane: “Hallelujah!” I looked out the porthole and was stunned: the pattern of wings, like an angel’s, was clearly visible on the glass... Probably it was a sign. For some, but for me, it was a miracle. Thank God for everything!"

    Anna Gorpinchenko, UNIAN-Religions.

    If you notice an error, select it with the mouse and press Ctrl+Enter

    At that time I myself was not a churchgoer and not even baptized. And he confused Nicholas the Wonderworker with Stephen of Great Perm. But even so, I and many of my friends, far from the Church, noted that this saint saved people.

    TV report from local TV "Rifey":

    r.B. Christina
    "I, an ordinary girl, dreamed of simple female happiness"

    I am an ordinary girl, I dreamed of simple female happiness, but my personal life did not work out. I waited, asked in prayers, but, as they say, everything has its time. Years passed, but there was still no happiness. I would like to note that I am a pretty girl, I had a lot of fans, but I couldn’t imagine a relationship without love. I met a lot of good guys, but “not my thing,” and that’s all.

    I started building a career, traveling, seeing the world. And this geographical “gourmetism” became for me a kind of substitute for personal life.

    One day I came to the temple and began to ask: help, Saint Nicholas... A few weeks later I met a man with whom I had never even thought of becoming acquainted, he was too “mine” in terms of worldview and type. We really liked each other, started dating... And then the difficulties began. I won’t describe the details, but the relationship was stuck at one stage, the candy-bouquet period was over, and it was necessary to decide where to go next. Even though I am a believer, I was tired of loneliness and made concessions: we began to live together. I can’t describe the feeling, I was brought up in strict traditions, plus the Lord did not leave me without admonition: health problems began. And then I again turned to Saint Nicholas with a fervent prayer: I asked for a blessing, if this is my man, to unite us in marriage, and if not mine, then let him leave my life. I prayed almost every day while my beloved was away. And, you won’t believe it, my beloved comes and proposes to me! That same evening we go shopping for rings. Nikola helped us so much that we bypassed the queues at the registry office, we got the day of registration on the great Orthodox holiday Faith, Hope and Love, everything went like clockwork (those who got married know how troublesome a wedding is).

    Many miracles were connected in my life with St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. For example, when I lost my job, I always turned to St. with prayers. Nikolai. And soon I found new job, which always not only corresponded to my specialty, brought good income, but also helped me gain interesting experience.

    I could talk for a long time about the help that I received at different times through prayers to St. Nicholas. But I want to say the main thing - we must remember that we must help our loved ones and those in need in difficult moments of life. This is precisely what my experience of prayerful communication with the great saint of God, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and this is exactly what the Lord expects from us...

    Eduard Kichigin
    “I asked St. Nicholas for help in finding a job”

    Six months ago I was going through an extremely difficult period in my life, and one day I was standing at an evening service in St. Nicholas Cathedral, praying, my soul was painful and heavy, but by the end of the service I felt some kind of consolation and even joy. I won’t say anything about what I prayed for, but in addition to the main thing, I asked St. Nicholas for help in finding a job. After the service I walked home in the rain, and there was such joy in my soul, flying - “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice!” I sang to myself and aloud a little.

    I came home and immediately called old friend with an offer of a very good job, extremely interesting, useful and promising for me. In order to discuss everything and get my consent, he, despite being extremely busy and worried, came to me that same evening. I got the job, it was difficult, but extremely interesting and useful. I promised Saint Nicholas that from my first salary I would light candles for all the icons in St. Nicholas Cathedral.

    But in the end, everything got so twisted, both with this work and in general, that he fulfilled his promise only halfway and not on time - he only placed candles in one of the churches of the cathedral, and there were two of them, on both floors. Now I don’t understand what was stopping me. And frankly speaking, I didn’t live in the most correct way at that time. Things went badly, in general, in the end, I made the second part of my promise to St. Nicholas from my last salary six months later, after my dismissal. Here's the story.

    Suzanna Farizova
    "I was waiting for you with this finger"

    I went to Bari, working at the Kommersant newspaper, in the then presidential pool. She left in a hurry, having spent Maslenitsa visiting on a grand scale the day before.

    I was constantly in the way of my bag, the keys in my hands, the door.

    It was with this front door that I ended up hitting my finger when I couldn’t handle my keys and bag. Hit hard.

    I had no time. I flew away. In Bari, the finger became swollen, blackened and began to hurt. At first - barely. Then stronger and stronger. But I had to work, and I tried not to think that it hurt.

    The program included a visit to the Basilica. The same one where the relics of St. Nicholas lie. They rest behind bars - heavy ones - which are opened on major holidays. I kissed the bars and asked for some global things for myself and my family. And at the end she asked for the finger to go through.

    Views