St. Nicholas was born during the reign of Emperors Diocletian (284-305) and Maximian (286-305), in Asia Minor, in the city of Patara. His parents, Theophanous and Nona, died during an epidemic, when St. Nicholas was a child, and therefore he was raised by an uncle named Nicholas, the city bishop. He taught his nephew good habits and the Christian faith and at the right age, introduced him among the clergy of the Church and ordained him as a priest.
St. Nicholas was a model through his abstinence, prayers, charity, justice and zeal for holy wisdom. Therefore, by untold virtues, he was elected and consecrated bishop of the city of Myra, in Lycia. Being God-fearing man and boldly preaching the true faith, he was captured by pagan rulers of the city and he was given to torment, locked in a prison with other Christians. As St. Constantine the Great (306-337), by will of God, became king of the Romans, the ones who were imprisoned were released and along with them, St. Nicholas was released.
While he sat at Mira, he proved himself very merciful to the poor people and defender of the oppressed ones. In 325, St. Nicholas attended the first Ecumenical Council of Nicaea where he rebuked Arie for his ideas. Then the high hierarch received the great gift of miracles. He released from prison three innocent people who had called the Saint for their help, asking for redemption as those as from Lycia were saved. Therefore, St. Nicholas, as one who was quick helpfully, appeared to the Emperor Constantine and to the eparch Avlavie in a dream. In front of the emperor, he reprimanded the eparch Avlavie for the injustice done to the three people, and he disclosed to the emperor in a detailed manner, that the three people were innocent and they were accused because of the envy. Thus, St. Nicholas delivered them from death and he did many other wonders.
He shepherd divinely the pious people, he reached the old age and he moved by the Lord in the year 345. Even after his death, he did not forget about his people, offering them with abbundance every day blessings of all kind and deliver them from all sorts of dangers and needs. St. Nicholas relics, which were myrrh-streamers, produced many wonders in Mira of Lycia. The relics are now in Bari, southern Italy, where they were brought at 9th of May 1087, in order to protect them against pagans’ invasions. . Orthodox Church commemorates St. Nicholas on 6 December.
With the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, the paper “Life and Akathist of Saint Hierarch Nicholas” was published by the Bible and Orthodox Mission Institute of the Romanian Patriarchy in the new collection titled “Akathist and Lives of Saints”, y, , The book can be purchased from “Church Books” Bookshop (Miron Cristea Street, no. 6, access from 11th of June Street), “Orthodoxy” Bookshop (Calea Victoriei, no. 45, near Kretulescu Church) as well as purchasing it from the churches and monasteries shops from Bucharest Archdiocese or by ordering it on the Internet at the following e-mail: magazin@editurapatriarhiei.ro