Saint Nicholas, bishop of Myra, is the most revered saint in the Russian Orthodox Christian tradition. Together with St George, he is the patron saint of Russia.
St Nicholas: the Most Popular Saint in Russian History
The popularity of this most revered saint started in the 12th century when handwritten copies of The Life of St Nicholas became the first "bestseller" in Russia. Since then, common people and nobility alike relied on his help and protection. The Russian people firmly believe that the saint is able to right all wrongs, so they turn to him in times of tribulations and injustice. Common poor folk used to say, "Tell your troubles to Nikola, and he'll tell Jesus."
In his book The Travels in the Seventeenth-Century Russia, German traveler and businessman Adam Olearius wrote,
"In their churches, Russians have a great many images hanging on the walls, of which the most important ones are those of Jesus Christ, Virgin Mary, and St Nicholas the Miracle Worker who is their main patron saint."
In the 18th century, another celebrity traveler, Casanova, agreed:
"Everywhere you go, you can see his image: I saw icons of St Nicholas in dining rooms as well as in kitchens; you name it -- there was his icon there."
St Nicholas Cult in Russia: Nothing to do with the Spirit of Christmas
Unlike Santa Claus of the Anglo Saxon tradition, in Russia St Nicholas was never associated with the spirit of Christmas. One of the reasons behind it is that the Russians have their own winter spirit -- Father Frost, an ancient Slavic god of winter. The Orthodox church frowned upon all allusions to paganism, let alone associations between a pagan idol and a Christian saint.
Another reason Russian people couldn't associate St Nicholas with Christmas was because St Nicholas had his own celebration on December 6 (Nicholmas). This was the day to honor the saint and pray to him. Similarly, in today's Netherlands, December 6 is Sinterklaas, the day when the saint brings gifts to the Dutch children.
Russian Orthodox Christians Believe St Nicholas Saved Them from Napoleon and Hitler
Still, there is at least one reason for Russian Christians to associate St Nicholas with the powerful winter spirit. Twice in the country's history its desperate people turned to St Nicholas for help when everything else seemed to have failed them: during Napoleon's invasion of 1812-1813 and once again, during Hitler's invasion of 1941-1942. Those years saw a remarkable worship of St Nicholas, when hundreds of thousands of people wouldn't leave churches all day praying to the saint and begging him to protect their homeland from the foreign aggressors.
In both cases, the winters in question were unprecedentedly severe, to the point when Hitler himself admitted that he'd lost the war to General Frost. All around the country, Christians still believe St Nicholas must have helped them in the hour of trials: after all, mathematically the possibility of the two direst (by far!) winters within just over a hundred years, both coinciding with foreign invasions by an overpowering enemy, is one in ten thousand.
St Nicholas: Patron Saint of Travelers, Merchants and Children
These days, St Nicholas remains the most popular saint in Russia, both in churches and in people's hearts. Nearly every long-haul truck driver has a small icon of the saint attached to his dashboard, hoping for the saint's protection from deadly accidents. He is a patron saint of all travelers, sailors and children, as well as merchants, students and fishermen.
The Russian Orthodox church celebrates Nicholmas twice: on December 6 (Julian calendar) and also on May 9: the day when the saint's relics were translated to the city of Bari in 1087.
Sources:
St Nicholas of Myra in Lycia (in Russian; last accessed Nov 6, 2010)
Nicholas the Miracle Worker Helps to Rid Russia of Foreign Invaders (in Russian; last accessed Nov 6, 2010)
St Nicholas Center (in English; last accessed Nov 6, 2010)
Irene Woodhead - Irene Woodhead is a bilingual English/Russian freelance writer and translator. After years of working as a professional opera/jazz singer, ...
Join the Conversation