Nicholas the Wonderworker

Nicholas, archbishop of Myra in Lycia, is among the most beloved of all saints, celebrated for his secret generosity, such as the dowries he provided to save three impoverished sisters, his defense of the innocent from unjust execution, and his zeal for the Orthodox faith in the age of the Council of Nicaea. Innumerable miracles of protection, especially of sailors, travelers, and children, are attributed to his intercession, earning him the title Wonderworker. The feast of May 9 commemorates the translation of his relics in 1087, when sailors from Bari carried his myrrh-streaming remains from Myra, then under Seljuk threat, to their city in southern Italy, where they rest to this day in the basilica built to receive them. The translation feast became especially cherished in Russia, where devotion to St Nicholas is second only to that of the Theotokos.