#saint nicholas of bari

[kacperabolik]

Saint Nicholas of Bari

20x30in. Acrylic, graphite, and ink on canvas

Kacper Abolik, 2023

[livehorsesartpage]

The prompt is Saint Nicholas.

Saint Nicholas is one of my favorite saints. There's something so special around his person that I can't explain. Maybe is all the legends that surround him, or the things he's patron of, like being patron of children. It moves me a lot how he was a saint dedicated to spread love and give to the poorest, who were his main preference. His will of iron in the times of Christian persecution. I prefer him a lot more than the distorted version they made of him later.

Made with pencil colors and markers at December 6 of 2022

[howamidrivinginlimbo]

Basilica di San Nicola, Bari

[postcard-from-the-past]

Medieval bull sculpture by the main door of the Basilica of Saint Nicholas in the Old Town of Bari, Puglia region of Italy

Italian vintage postcard

[wandering-italy]

The Basilica di San Nicola in Bari, the final resting place of the St. Nicholas of Christmas fame.

March 9, 2024

[gunhilde]

Norman carvings from the Basilica of Saint Nicholas, Bari

[hzaidan]

08 works, Today, August 21st, is the Forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob's day, his story illustrated #233

Abel PannAbraham, Isaac, and JacobPastel on paper25 3/4 by 34 in. 65 by 86.5 cmPrivate collection Abraham is known as the patriarch of the Israelite people through Isaac, the son born to him and Sarah in their old age and the patriarch of Arabs through his son Ishmael, born to Abraham and Hagar-his wife Sarah’s Egyptian slave-girl… Please follow link for full post

[cruger2984]

THE DESCRIPTION OF SAINT NICHOLAS The Bishop Known as Santa Claus Feast Day: December 6

"The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic God’s giving by grace through faith, and this is not for ourselves."

If you believe in Santa when you are a kid a long time ago, you believe in Santa. But this bishop loves to give cheer to the kids and puts names onto the Nice List, we are talking about Nicholas of Myra, aka Nicholas the Wonderworker. Nicholas is considered primarily as the patron saint of children, Nicholas is also invoked by sailors, merchants, bakers, travelers and pawnbrokers, and with Saint Andrew is honored as the co-patron of Russia.

Nicholas was traditionally born on March 15, 270 AD in Patara, Roman Empire (modern-day Gelemiş, Kaş, Antalya, Turkey) to a weathy family of Greek Christians. His parents were named Epiphanius and Johanna, but, according to others, they were named Theophanes and Nonna. Nicholas's uncle was the bishop of the city of Myra, also in Lycia. Recognizing his nephew's calling, Nicholas's uncle ordained him as a priest. After visiting the Holy Land, Nicholas returned to Myra. The bishop of Myra, who had succeeded Nicholas's uncle, had recently died, and the priests in the city had decided that the first priest to enter the church that morning would be made bishop. He went to the church to pray and was therefore proclaimed the new bishop. He is said to have been imprisoned and tortured during the Great Persecution under the Emperor Diocletian, but was released under the orders of the Emperor Constantine the Great.

One of the earliest attested stories of Saint Nicholas is one in which he saves three innocent men from execution. According to Michael the Archimandrite, three innocent men were condemned to death by the governor Eustathius. As they were about to be executed, Nicholas appeared, pushed the executioner's sword to the ground, released them from their chains, and angrily chastised a juror who had accepted a bribe. Michael tells another story in which the consul Ablabius accepted a bribe to put three famous generals to death, in spite of their actual innocence. Nicholas appeared to Constantine and Ablabius in dreams, informing Constantine of the truth and frightening Ablabius into releasing the generals, for fear of Hell.

Nicholas is said to have attended the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD, where he is said to have been a staunch opponent of Arianism and devoted supporter of Trinitarianism, and one of the bishops who signed the Nicene Creed. His attendance at the Council of Nicaea is attested early by Theodore the Lector's list of attendees, which records him as the 151st attendee. However, he is conspicuously never mentioned by Athanasius of Alexandria, the foremost defender of Trinitarianism at the council, who knew all the notable bishops of the period, nor is he mentioned by the historian Eusebius, who was also present at the council. A later legend, first attested in the fourteenth century, over 1,000 years after Nicholas's death, holds that, during the Council of Nicaea, Nicholas lost his temper and slapped 'a certain Arian' across the face. On account of this, Constantine revoked Nicholas's miter and pallium. 

Later versions of the legend embellish it, making the heretic Arius himself and having Nicholas punch him rather than merely slapping him with his open hand. In these versions of the story, Nicholas is also imprisoned, but Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary appear to him in his cell. He tells them he is imprisoned 'for loving you' and they free him from his chains and restore his vestments.

There were other reputed miracles associated with him, but there is one. Unable to support his three daughters, who could not find husbands because of their poverty, he was determined to give them over to prostitution. Then Nicholas, under the cover of darkness, took a bag of gold and threw it at the open window of their house. Here was a dowry for the eldest girl, who was soon duly married. At intervals, Nicholas did the same second and the third daughter. At the last time, the father, who was on the watch, recognized his benefactor and overwhelmed him with gratitude.

Traditionally, Nicholas departed from the world on December 6, 343 AD in Myra, Roman Empire (modern-day Demre, Antalya, Turkey) at the age of 73. Ultimately, his kindness and generosity became known worldwide. His body was buried in the cathedral at Myra. It remained there until 1087, when seamen of Bari, an Italian coastal town, seized the relics of the saint and transferred them to their own city. Veneration for Nicholas had already spread throughout Europe as well as Asia, but this occurrence led to a renewal of devotion in the West. Countless miracles were attributed to the saint's intercession. His relics are still preserved in the church of San Nicola in Bari; an oily substance, known as Manna di S. Nicola, which is highly valued for its medicinal powers, is said to flow from them.

In the 19th Century, some Dutch Protestants contracted his name into 'Santa Claus', and made him the jolly and popular bringer of Christmas gifts. His red suit trimmed with white fur originated in the bishop's miter and cape. His association with reindeer from the North Pole, and the climbing down of chimneys to leave presents under the Christmas tree, were popularized by some Americans writers. Santa Claus symbolizes the true meaning of Christmas, that of love and generosity for all the poor of the world. Many countries and locations honor St. Nicholas as patron: Greece, Russia, the Kingdom of Naples, Sicily, Lorraine, and many cities in Italy, Germany, Austria, and Belgium.

[thepastisalreadywritten]

SAINT OF THE DAY (December 6)

On December 6, the faithful commemorate a bishop in the early church who was known for generosity and love of children.

Born on 15 March 270 in Lycia, in Asia Minor, St. Nicholas of Myra is more than just the inspiration for the modern day Santa.

His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.

Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.

As a young man, he is said to have made a pilgrimage to Palestine and Egypt in order to study in the school of the Desert Fathers.

On returning some years later, he was almost immediately ordained Bishop of Myra, which is now Demre, on the coast of modern day Turkey.

The bishop was imprisoned during the Diocletian persecution. He was only released when Constantine the Great came to power and made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

After his release, Nicholas attended the Council of Nicaea in AD 325.

One of the most famous stories of the generosity of St. Nicholas was when he threw bags of gold through an open window in the house of a poor man to serve as dowry for the man’s daughters, who otherwise would have been forced into prostitution.

The gold was said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry. This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes, eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.

St. Nicholas is associated with Christmas because of the tradition that he had in giving secret gifts to children.

It was also conjectured that the saint, who was known to wear red robes and have a long white beard, was culturally converted into the large man with a reindeer-drawn sled full of toys because in German, his name is “San Nikolaus,” which almost sounds like “Santa Claus.”

In the East, he is known as St. Nicholas of Myra for the town in which he was bishop.

In the West, he is called St. Nicholas of Bari because, during the Muslim conquest of Turkey in 1087, his relics were taken to Bari by the Italians.

St Nicholas is the patron of children and sailors. His intercession is sought by the shipwrecked, by those in difficult economic circumstances, and for those affected by fires.

He died on 6 December 343. He was buried in his cathedral church, where a unique relic called manna formed in his grave.

This liquid substance, said to have healing powers, fostered the growth of devotion to Nicholas.

[twobrothersatwork]

Bicci Di Lorenzo (Italian, 1373-1452) The Birth of St Nicholas Of Bari

[howamidrivinginlimbo]

Bari, Puglia

[koredzas]

Grifo di Tancredi - The Crucifixion with Mary and Saint John; Saint Nicholas of Bari; Saint John the Baptist. 1300 - 1310

[talkativeobserver]

Bari, Puglia (Apulia region), Italy.

In the first photo, the writing on the structure reads: «San Nicola proteggici da le rizz vacand» that is to say «Saint Nicholas¹ protect us from empty sea urchins²».

_____________ 1. Saint Nicholas is the saint patron of the city of Bari. 2. Sea urchins are considered a delicacy by baresi (citizens of Bari).

Bari sei bella e incasinata

[davidstanleytravel]

The Basilica San Nicola (1087-1197) in Bari, Italy, contains relics of Saint Nicholas brought here from Turkey in 1087.

[orthodoxydaily]

Saints&Reading: Sunday, April 28, 2024

april 15_april 24

The Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem.

THE HOLY WOMEN MARTYRS BASILISSA AND ANASTASIA DISCIPLE OF THE HOLY APOSTLES ST PETER AND PAUL (1st C.)

The Holy Women Martyrs Basilissa (Vasilissa) and Anastasia lived in Rome and were converted to Christianity by the holy Apostles Peter and Paul. They devoted themselves to the service of the Lord.

When the emperor Nero (54-68) persecuted Christians and gave them over to torture and execution, Saints Basilissa and Anastasia took the bodies of the holy martyrs and gave them reverent burial. Rumors of this reached Nero, so Saints Basilissa and Anastasia were imprisoned. They subjected them to cruel tortures: they scourged them with whips, scraped their skin with hooks, and burned them with fire. However, the holy martyrs remained unyielding and bravely confessed their faith in Christ the Savior. By Nero’s command, they were beheaded with the sword (+ ca. 68).

HOLY NOBLEBORN GREAT PRINCE MSTISLAV VLADIMIROVICH OF KIEV (1132)

Holy Nobleborn GreatPrince Mstislav Vladimirovich (in Holy Baptism Theodore, or  Feodor) was born on 1 June 1076. When he was 12 years old, his grandfather, the Kiev Great Prince Vsevolod (1078-1093), sent his grandson to be prince of Novgorod. The Novgorod people loved the young prince. In 1995, they expelled Prince David, who withdrew to Smolensk, and they went to Rostov specifically to seek Prince Mstislav.

 After his grandfather’s death, Saint Mstislav occupied his appanage-land, the Rostov throne. At 19 years of age the young prince gained a brilliant victory over his uncle, the Chernigov prince Oleg. Prince Oleg had killed his brother Izyaslav and attacked Rostov and Suzdal', which belonged to Prince Mstislav.

 The saint did not want to shed innocent blood. He wanted to make peace with his uncle and besought him to be satisfied with the rights to the city of Ryazan'. But Oleg had already gathered forces on a campaign against Novgorod. Prince Mstislav thereupon defeated him in a battle (1096), and Oleg, having lost out at Suzdal' and Rostov, barely managed to hold on at Murom. 

Saint Mstislav again offered peace and asked only for the return of captives. Oleg agreed under a ruse, so Prince Mstislav dispersed his army. On the feast day of the GreatMartyr Theodore of Tyre, on Saturday of the 1st Week of Great Lent, he was quietly sitting down at Suzdal’ to eat when messengers brought him a word that Prince Oleg stood at the Klyaz'ma with an army. 

In one mere day, Prince Mstislav regathered his army, and when his brother arrived 4 days later, he gave a new battle. Oleg, in fear, fled to Ryazan’, and Saint Mstislav set free the captives, went through the Murom lands, and he then reconciled Oleg with GreatPrince Svyatopolk (1093-1114) and with his own father, Vladimir Monomakh.

Thankful for the mercy of God, the saint in 1099 pledged to build a temple in honor of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Mother of God at Gorodischa near Novgorod. And especially just for this church was written the reknown Mstislavovo Gospel, the precious adornments of which were wrought at Constantinople. 

In 1114, the saint pledged at Novgorod, a church in the name of Saint Nicholas. This temple was in gratitude to Saint Nicholas for his healing. During a grievous illness, the prince called out for help to Saint Nicholas, whose relics had been transferred to Bari shortly before this in Italy (1087, Comm. 9 May). Saint Nicholas, in a vision, gave orders to send to Kiev for his icon, indicating its form and measure. The people sent to bring back the icon were detained on the Island of Lipna by a storm raging there on Lake Il'men. 

But on the 4th day, they found that same circular icon in the water, as indicated in the vision. The sick prince gave a kiss to the icon and received healing. And afterward, at the place of the icon’s appearance, on the Island of Lipna, a monastery with a stone church was built in the name of Saint Nicholas.

 In 1116, the holy prince again campaigned against the Chud people. After a victory, he restored Novgorod the fortress – "he made a guarantee of Novgorod the Great" – and extensively built out the lodgings for the Novgorod principality. Then at his orders, the posadnik-mayor Pavel situated a fortress at Lake Ladoga, where a stone church was built in honor of the great martyr George.

In 1117, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh (1114-1125) summoned his son to him as an assistant and transferred him to Belgorod. In 1123, holy Prince Mstislav confronted the Volynian prince Yaroslav, who was attempting to seize the Kyiv principality by leading against Rus’s Polish and Hungarian army.

In 1125, Great Prince Vladimir Monomakh died, and holy Prince Mstislav occupied the Kiev throne. During this time he gained a brilliant victory over the old enemies of Rus' – the Polovetsians, driving them beyond the Volga. Those of the Polovetsian princes, who refused to ally with Mstislav, were dispatched to Greece. 

In 1127, Saint Mstislav swore to defend the Chernigov prince Yaroslav, who was banished by a nephew. The clergy and all the people besought him not to spill Christian blood. The holy prince obeyed, but until the end of his life, he bewailed that he had violated his kissing of the cross in this oath.

In 1128, GreatPrince Mstislav set the foundations of a stone church in the name of the GreatMartyr Theodore of Tyre (his patron saint) in memory of a victory gained over the Chernihiv prince Oleg. And in 1131, after a successful campaign against Lithuania, Saint Mstislav laid the foundations of a temple in honour of the Pirogoschsk Icon of the Mother of God.       Holy Prince Mstislav died on 14 April 1132 during the Paschal Week, and he was buried in the temple of the Great Martyr Theodore, which he had built.

The holy prince was venerated even during his earthly life. The copyist of the Mstislavovo Gospel called him noble and a lover of Christ. The preparer of the settings of the Mstislavovo Gospel, Naslav, wrote about him: "Much toil and tribulation I experienced. But God did comfort me through the prayer of the good prince... God grant his prayer for all Christians". The vita-life of the holy prince was set under 15 April in the Serbian Divine-service Prologue of the XIII-XIV Centuries. 

This Prologue was transcribed from the much earlier Bulgarian, the source for which was the Russian original. Likewise, under 15 April, Prince Mstislav’s vita-life appears in the Bulgarian Synaxarion of 1340. (Investigations have shown that the source of this synaxarion was likewise Russian). 

In these Prologues, the memory of holy Prince Mstislav was placed alongside such reknown Russian commemorations as that of holy Equal-to-the-Apostles GreatPrincess Ol'ga (Comm. 11 July), and the holy Passion-Bearer Princes Boris and Gleb (Comm. 24 July). These facts testify to the wide veneration of holy Prince Mstislav in the Slavic lands.  

© 1996-2001 by translator Fr. S. Janos.

PHILIPPIANS 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things. 9 The things you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

JOHN 12:1-18

1 Then, six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was who had been dead, whom He had raised from the dead. 2 There they made Him a supper; and Martha served, but Lazarus was one of those who sat at the table with Him. 3 Then Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. 4 But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, who would betray Him, said, 5 Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor? 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. 7 But Jesus said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. 8 For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always. 9 Now a great many of the Jews knew that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus' sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus. 12 The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, 13 took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' The King of Israel!" 14 Then Jesus, when He had found a young donkey, sat on it; as it is written: 15 Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold, your King is coming, Sitting on a donkey's colt." 16 His disciples did not understand these things at first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about Him and that they had done these things to Him. 17 Therefore the people, who were with Him when He called Lazarus out of his tomb and raised him from the dead, bore witness. 18 For this reason the people also met Him, because they heard that He had done this sign.

[hzaidan]

1 Religious Icon, Luca Signorelli's Saint Nicholas of Bari saving three knights, with footnotes #11

Luca SignorelliSaint Nicholas of Bari saving three knights from execution, Cortona circa 1450 – 1523Oil on panel10 5/8 by 8 3/4 in.; 27 by 22.2 cm.Private collection Sold for 176,400 USD in January 2022 The reign of Constantine The Great was not always stable. Borders had to be protected, laws enforced and if unrest broke out or even a sniff of conspiracy surfaced, Constantine also dealt with…