TRANSLATION OF THE RELICS OF SAINT NICOLAS FROM MYRA TO BARI

On May 22 (9), the Church celebrates the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas from Myra in Lycia to Bari. This happened in 1087. There are two points of view on the event of the translation of the relics of St. Nicholas.

The first point of view is that it is a great holiday. Because the relics were transferred from territories that fell under Muslim rule. At the end of August 1071, Byzantium was defeated by the Turkish armies in the Battle of Manzikert. Today, this is the city of Malazgirt in Eastern Turkey. Historical Armenia and Cappadocia were lost to Christian rulers forever, and the Islamization of all of Asia Minor began. Most likely, over time, these relics would have been destroyed, sold, or at least they would have disappeared.

The second point of view is theft. Therefore, some Orthodox Churches, usually of the Greek tradition, do not celebrate this event at all. According to those who adhere to this view, the relics should have remained in Myra in Lycia. In our time, this is a small seaside town of Demre. The ancient city of Myra, the cathedral and the tomb of St. Nicholas lie in ruins. There is no Christian population in the city.

It is obvious to Orthodox Christians that God is the Master of History. Such global events with such global shrines do not happen just like that. There must have been a blessing Will of God for this. God uses circumstances and people in hopeless situations as He needs and pleases. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart,” says the Epistle to the Hebrews (Heb. 4:12). The point of view that the greatest events in the history of Christianity are simply an accident is deeply Protestant. It is based on the negation of the sacraments as a possibility of the real presence of God in the material world of men, of the presence here and now, in the Eucharist, and of the constant presence in the visible Church.

On this wonderful feast day, let us imagine that one day, almost a thousand years ago, the inhabitants of Lycia, that historic region in southern Asia Minor, where Saint Nicholas was bishop, wondered how it was that, with the help of human hands, he had left his native land and traveled to southern Italy, to Bari. Why were the relics moved to such a distant place? Were they not, the local Christians, the ones to blame? Such reflection on God’s destiny is an important exercise in virtue and a sign of piety. Was the great transfer of the relics God’s will? Let us recall two possible perspectives on this event.

In addition, such a translation of the relics of great saints was not the only one at that time. In a similar way, the relics of the Evangelist Mark and St. Augustine, St. Spyridon, and other saints, whom we simply do not remember or do not know at all, were taken. These relics are preserved and venerated. Thanks to the signs, wonders and healings from these relics, many are converted to faith.

The Church really celebrates the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas, and this is sung in the kontakion for the feast: “Your relics have moved like a star from the East to the West, O Hierarch Nicholas; and the sea has been sanctified by your passage. The city of Bari receives grace through you, for you have shone forth for us as a wonderworker, illustrious, most wondrous, and merciful.” In the liturgical texts of this day, the Church, as the People of God, wandering in history, marvels at the destinies of God, as children marvel at a fairy tale, and as adults should marvel at the pictures of such a distant translation of relics, like the images of the Book of Apocalypse.