At the birthplace of St. Nicholas

As soon as we got out of the cool car, the air conditioner of which bravely fought the forty-degree heat during the two-hour drive from Antalya, the hot air took us in its arms. It was like being thrown from a cold shower to a steam room. We hurried to hide in the shade of a nearby palm tree. At that moment, I couldn't help but think of the kind Grandfather Frost, rushing with gifts on New Year's Eve. Snow creaks merrily under his felt boots, and a sleigh drawn by a couple of reindeer is waiting nearby.

The impression of this imaginary picture did not leave us all the way. We were driving to the small town of Demre, located in the Antalya vilayet, which is well known to many Russian tourists. Here, according to Turkish scientists, this favorite of children spent most of his life. Yes, St. Nicholas, whom we remember every year under the name of Santa Claus, does not come from cold Lapland, but according to the Turks, from the warm sunny coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

Despite the fact that there is very little documentary evidence about the life of St. Nicholas, researchers consider him a very real figure. It was born in the 3rd century in the town of Patara (near Fethiye), famous today for its 22-kilometer sandy beach and known as a favorite destination for surfers. When Nicholas grew up, his uncle, the bishop of Patara, noticed that his nephew was very pious, shunning frivolous people and worldly pleasures, and advised his parents to give Nicholas to the service of God. They agreed, and soon the bishop elevated the young man first to the diaconate, and then to the priesthood. After the pilgrimage to Palestine, Nicholas did not return to his native city, where everyone knew and revered him, but decided to settle down at some temple as a beggar. Being the sole heir of his rich parents, while still living in Patara, he donated his entire fortune to the needs of the church and the poor. After a short period of wandering, he came to the city of Mira (now Demre, which was the center of the Roman province of Lycia), where at that time the election of an archbishop was taking place. One of the bishops had a vision of the chosen one of God-Saint Nicholas, who became Archbishop of Myra. During the brutal persecution of Christians under Diocletian (284-305), St. Nicholas was imprisoned, and when the Byzantine throne was succeeded by the Christian emperor Constantine (306-337), he was released from prison. In 325, the archbishop participated in the meeting of the highest Christian clergy - the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea (now Iznik near Bursa), where the first Symbol of faith was adopted and where St. John the Baptist was born. Nicholas, a zealous defender of the Orthodox faith, slapped the heretic Arius, an Alexandrian presbyter, who claimed that Jesus Christ was a creation of God the Father and therefore not consubstantial with the Father. Shortly after the council, St. Nicholas died and was recognized as a saint.

There are many legends associated with the name of the Saint, which clearly trace the main features of his character - he is merciful to sinful but repentant people; he always helps the suffering and those who are in trouble. St. Nicholas is a strict pastor-mentor, ready to follow the path of God.-

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go against the orders of powerful secular rulers to save those who have been unjustly persecuted. Bulent, a Turkish friend from Antalya, told us a few legends when he learned that we were going to go to Demre. At one time, he worked as a guide and is now keenly interested in the ancient history of his country, the myths and legends created on its land. He said: when St. Nicholas went by sea to the Holy Land, the ship was caught in a severe storm. One of the sailors fell from the mast and crashed. But thanks to the prayers of St. However, the storm soon subsided, and the sailor was resurrected. And once, during a famine, the Saint appeared in a dream to an Italian merchant and asked him to bring a ship with bread to the World. As a deposit, he gave the merchant gold coins, which did not disappear when he woke up.

However, perhaps the most famous legend is that of St. John the Baptist. Nicolae, thanks to which this name is firmly connected in our minds with the image of Santa Claus, is as follows. There was a poor man in Patara who could not marry off his three daughters because he had no money for a dowry. One of them, out of desperation, said to her father: "Sell me in the slave market, and give the money you receive to your sisters as a dowry."

Nicholas, who found out about this, crept up to the poor man's house in the evening and threw a bundle of gold coins through the open window. A day later, he did the same. On the third evening, the windows were closed. Then the priest climbed up on the roof and threw the bag through the chimney. And the day before, the girls washed their socks and hung them to dry near the fireplace. One of them got the gold. Thus, all three daughters were happily married. And in many countries, children still hang Christmas stockings by the fireplace on New Year's Eve, believing that Santa Claus or Santa Claus will come, come down the chimney and put a gift there.

During the Middle Ages, the Saint's fame spread through Greece and the Balkans throughout Europe. And now the people of Holland and Germany represent him as their bishop. They called it Cinte Klaas. And in the New World, where are the legends of St. John the Baptist? Nicholas was brought by the first settlers from Holland, and they began to call him Santa Claus.

.. We found salvation from the heat only inside the Church of St. John the Baptist. It is located in the center of Demre (another modern name for this town is Calais, which is most often found on road maps in Turkey). Ancient buildings, whether they are churches of the first Christians in Cappadocia or the Church of St. John the Baptist. Sofia in Istanbul, have an amazing property - even on hot days it is cool here. At the entrance to the church, in addition to tickets, we were offered to buy beautiful handmade bags filled with holy land, which are in great demand among tourists who take home such a kind of souvenir from the homeland of Santa Claus. The extant walls of the church were built in the VIII century, that is, almost 400 years after the death of the legendary archbishop. In 1862, the church was restored with the money of a prominent Russian nobleman. The guide showed the main sights of the church: two tombs, one of which contained the relics of St. John the Baptist. St. Nicholas to the XI century. The healing power of the relics was known far beyond the borders of Asia Minor. Among the sailors whose ships anchored in the harbor of the city of Mira Andriake, the following custom spread: they poured wine on the tomb in which the relics of the Saint exuding myrrh rested. It seeped through the tomb and absorbed the healing power of the relics. The collected wine was bottled again. It was believed that this wine heals the sick, casts out demons and helps sailors on the voyage. The latter, according to legend, left alone with the raging sea element, ready to swallow their helpless ship, more than once called on the Holy Spirit. Nicholas came to the rescue, believing that only he could tame the elements and save them from certain death.

As the patron saint of seafarers and all those in distress, the Saint is also known in Russia. Nicholas the Wonderworker has always been one of the most beloved and revered Saints in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the memory of the Saint every Thursday, and especially on May 9 (according to the new style, 22) (the day when the Saint's relics were transported from Turkey to Italy) and on December 6 (19) - the day of the death of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Many believers who put a candle in the church in front of his icon these days do not even suspect that it is to the incredible kindness and mercy of the Saint, his love for children, that we owe the appearance of the myth of Santa Claus. It is noteworthy that on December 6, many European countries also celebrate St. Peter's Day. Nicholas. As if foreshadowing the imminent arrival of Santa Claus (although, as we can see, St. Nicholas and Santa Claus are "one and the same person"), he solemnly passes through the streets of cities, generously distributing toys and sweets to children.

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.. In 1087, Genoese pirates (according to another version, merchants) opened the tomb and transported the remains of the Saint to the Italian city of Bari, where they are still preserved, attracting pilgrims from all over the world. Pilgrims do not forget the Saint's homeland-Turkey. The museum in Antalya houses part of his relics - the Genoese in a hurry did not have time to transport all the remains of the Archbishop of Myra to Italy. And the Church of St. St. Nicholas is one of the main Christian cultural monuments, where pilgrimage tours are organized for Christians from all over the world.

In addition, every year in December, Demre hosts a kind of international Santa Claus Festival. The first ceremony in memory of St. John the Baptist. St. Nicholas was established in 1981 by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism with the help of private entrepreneurs and with the assistance of the Vatican. Since 1983, the festival has become an annual event. It is organized by the Antalya-based Santa Claus Foundation. As part of the festival, lectures are held, archaeological and art exhibitions are organized, designed to introduce residents and visitors of Turkey to the rich history of the country, one of the entertaining pages of which is the life of St. John the Baptist. Nicholas. Since 1993, festivals have been held under the motto "Santa Claus and World Peace". The Santa Claus Foundation also conducts environmental activities. In 1995, a campaign was launched to draw children's attention to environmental issues. The usual red robe of St. John the Baptist. It was replaced with green, the color of the wild.

In the Church of St. St. Nicholas - beautiful frescoes and mosaics, which is laid out on the floor. Near the church - a statue of St. Nicholas, very similar to our Santa Claus - with a bag on his back, surrounded by children. The pedestal depicts the national flags of many countries, including Russia.

In the church, despite the fact that there is a noisy street nearby, it is always quiet, stately, calm. The silence is not broken even by the guide's story and camera flashes. The salesman Ahmet from the souvenir shop, who was surprised to learn that we speak Turkish, asked us to write the following words in Russian: "all proceeds from the sale of souvenirs go to the restoration of the church" (the sign immediately took its place next to the same ones in English and German). The church really needs careful care. In addition to regular restoration work, the temple and the surrounding area need thorough drainage works, as underground water annually floods the ancient structure. These works require significant financial costs, which cannot be covered only by selling souvenirs. The funds allocated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture are not always sufficient. But here they try to take care of historical monuments, and there are a great many of them on the territory of the Republic of Turkey. Therefore, the possibility of holding negotiations with the Russian Orthodox Church on the possible participation of Russian believers in the fate of the Church of St. Nicholas is not rejected now. Nicholas. "Maybe some famous rich Russian will help the temple again?" - the caretakers of the church speak with hope.

Ancient Mira is a fine example of Lycian funerary culture. Not far from the church is an impressive ensemble of Lycian rock tombs. Crypts have been carved into the rock for many centuries. Some lower tombs allow tourists to enter, but not everyone decides to go there. We took heart and plunged into the cold darkness of the ancient tomb, feeling like real pioneers. I was alerted, however, by the dark corners, from which I heard the rustle of running insects; the low ceiling is covered with cobwebs..." The chaos of death embodied in architectural forms " - this is what guidebooks call the rock necropolis.

But the hot sun, the blue sky above your head, and the orange aroma in the air mixed with the unique smell of the sea do not allow you to think about death. The orange trees here come right up to the half-ruined wall of the Roman amphitheater, where we sat down to rest. The theater, designed for more than five thousand spectators, was built at the turn of the old and new eras. The theater is designed so that some tombs are almost above its rows. Everyone should have seen the show, both the living and the dead.

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.. Finally, we return to the car. Along the road there are traditional shops full of souvenirs for every taste in places of mass gathering of tourists, and cafes where the owners offered to relax and quench their thirst. We noticed an advertising poster hanging on a tree, from which a kind, ' all-knowing, always smiling grandfather with a snow-white beard, in a red robe and in a red cap trimmed with white fur, handed us a bottle of the famous soft drink. The image, created in 1931 specifically for the Coca-Cola company by artist Haddon Sandblom based on a drawing by American cartoonist Thomas Nast in Xapnep's Weekly for 1870 and Clement Moore's famous poem about Santa Claus, was loved by children all over the world. But what should we call this good-natured old man? Ded Moroz, Santa Claus, Tomten (Swedish version) or Yuletomte (as it is called in Denmark)? What a difference! But where was he born? The right to call it "our"is disputed not only by Turkey, but also by Russia (the" new " homeland of Santa Claus is Veliky Ustyug, in the Vologda region), Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, and the United States. "What does it matter?" - we thought. It is important that it is there. It is important that he never forgets about all of us, came to us on New Year's Eve and always with gifts.

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