Translation of the Relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, icon of 1682
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!
Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, today we are celebrating the translation of the miracle-working relics of a great saint, Nicholas the Wonderworker, from Myra in Lycia to Bari. This event is ambiguous. What happened over nine centuries ago?
The people of Bari were quite pious Christians. Their city was founded as early as 3000 years before the Birth of Christ. These people, who engaged in fishing and greatly venerated St. Nicholas of Myra, prayed fervently to him. But the inhabitants of Bari had to defend their city, as it was a seaport and many wanted to capture it. And they hoped very much that they, too, would have the miraculous relics of St. Nicholas. And one day they ventured to prepare a ship, filling it not only with goods, but also with a huge amount of weapons, and set off to trade in various cities, intending to visit Myra in Lycia—in order to steal the wonder-working relics.
At that time, Myra in Lycia was already under the rule of the Seljuk Turks, with many shrines being desecrated, churches and holy icons being destroyed, and the Church was under the yoke, so the inhabitants of Bari hoped that the relics had not yet been destroyed and they would take them away. At the very moment they arrived in the city, the Turks were burying their military commander and the city was crowded. The Bari residents realized that it was not the right moment to look for the relics, because the monks were hiding them.
After a while, they returned. The city was already deserted, and there were only a handful of monks at the church where St. Nicholas used to serve. They began to ask these monks where the relics were. Of course, the monks did not want to give them the relics, which would deprive the inhabitants of Myra of Lycia of them. Then the Bari citizens began to demand and even used force against them. And then the monks showed them a place in the church where the relics were hidden under the floor. Having dismantled a section of the floor, the Bari people smelled a subtle fragrance of myrrh, and one of the sailors, whose name was Matthew, jumped into this void, but was very careless and accidentally damaged several of St. Nicholas’s bones. Matthew began to take out the saint’s relics very quickly.
Having collected all the holy bones of St. Nicholas, the sailors immediately headed for their ship, because the city residents had already begun to gather in pursuit of them. But the sailors managed to board the ship and embark for home. However, seeing the sorrow and sobs of the inhabitants of Myra in Lycia, they took pity on them, returned and gave them back the wonderworking icon of St. Nicholas, which they had stolen along with the relics from the church where the saint had been buried. From that time on, the precious relics have been kept in the Italian city of Bari. The people of Bari also buried the saint’s bones several feet deep so that no one could steal them. But the story didn’t end there.
Hieromonk Laurus (Arkhipov)
Eight years after those events, the First Crusade was launched. Its objective was to liberate Jerusalem—the greatest holy site of Christendom—from the Turks. The Venetians, who had initiated this campaign, also wanted to save the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. You may wonder: “How is that? After all, the people of Bari had already moved the relics from Myra in Lycia.” But there was a legend that the monks had divided the relics of St. Nicholas and a portion of them was still at the church in Myra of Lycia where the saint used to serve.
Having sailed there, the Venetians caught the poor monks, started torturing them until they pointed to another place within the church. On dismantling the floor, the Venetians took out a precious casket with an inscription: “Here rest the relics of St. Nicholas.” So they took the casket with the last portion of his relics with them.
These relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker are now in Venice. In the twentieth century, a bishop began to investigate the saint’s relics, as there were disputes between the Venetians and Bari residents as to where the authentic relics of St. Nicholas were. And a study of the twentieth century showed that both Venice and Bari had the holy body of St. Nicholas: it had simply been divided into two parts.
It is very difficult for us Christians of the twenty-first century to understand the morals of people of that age. And we probably should not reflect too much on this, because St. Nicholas himself did not prevent those events. I repeat: the Byzantine Empire had already fallen, and the Seljuk Turks were scattering holy shrines, demolishing churches, and killing Christians; and perhaps the events that the Lord allowed were needed, among other things, for us—Christians of the twenty-first century—to travel to Bari or Venice and venerate the precious remains of St. Nicholas.
Shrine with the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Ikona-radoneg.ru
You and I are well aware that the veneration of the saints not only consists in kissing their relics, but also in imitating their lives. In Russia, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker has always been one of the most beloved saints. Each one of us knows his Life perfectly well; we know how much he loved God, how purely he lived and fulfilled God’s commandments, and how much he loved people, donating huge sums of money. He wholly devoted himself to the service of the Church and God. By imitating the life of our beloved St. Nicholas, let us also improve our lives and be faithful to God.
Through the prayers of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us. Amen.
