Orthodox icon | Saint Nicholas of Myra | 24959

The image before us is a representation of the Orthodox icon | Saint Nicholas of Myra.

Dressed in liturgical robes and a miter, Saint Nicholas of Myra embodies the stature of a bishop. He holds the Gospel in his arm.

Saint Nicholas was born around 283 in what is now the ruins near Kalkan in Turkey, originally Patara. His life ended around 348 in Myra (Lycia), known today as Demre in Turkey.

Saint Nicholas holds high reverence in the Eastern and Latin Churches. His feast days, observed on December 6, May 9, and July 29, carry various customs.

In the early half of the 4th century, Nicholas held the position of Bishop in Myra, a region in Lycia, Asia Minor. This area was part of the Roman Empire and later, the Byzantine Empire (now modern-day Turkey). His Greek name, Nikólaos, translates to “victory of the people,” and was a name used even in pre-Christian eras.

Saint Nicholas actively provides patronage to a diverse range of individuals and causes. Russia, children, women yearning for children, women in childbirth, the elderly, travellers, seafarers, judges, lawyers, notaries, pharmacists, and landlords all fall under his protective mantle. Moreover, people invoke him for blessings on marriages and retrieving stolen items.

Adorned with a metal oklad, the icon radiates in gilded silver. Exceptional craftsmanship is evident in the intricate engravings on the oklad.

Source: Orthodox icon | Saint Nicholas of Myra | 24959 © Ikonen Mautner. Typing errors, other errors or changes reserved. For more information: “Das Synaxarion. Die Leben der Heiligen der Orthodoxen Kirche.” (http://www.prodromos-verlag.de/buecher.html) and Joachim Schäfer: Das Ökumenische Heiligenlexikon – https://www.heiligenlexikon.de