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St Nicholas and the Luckless Sailor After surviving a terrible storm, a crew-member on St Nicholas’s ship met with a tragic accident.
300-320
The Age of Constantine 313-337
Music: John Field

© Norbert Nagel, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0. Source

About this picture …

Fishing boats set off from the old harbour of Fira, on the Greek island of Santorini.

St Nicholas and the Luckless Sailor
St Nicholas (d. 343), who became Bishop of Myra in Asia Minor, is known as the patron of seamen, and it is a pity that a sea-faring nation such as Britain should have largely forgotten about him. Here is one of many miracles attributed to him.

INTENDING to visit the Holy Sepulchre, Nicholas boarded an Egyptian ship headed for Jerusalem. One night during his voyage, he dreamt that the ship was caught in a terrible storm, and that Satan had cut the rigging and broken the wheel.

Next day, he told the ship’s captain that should a storm arise, he must not be afraid, because it was the devil’s work and God would help them.

Sure enough, a great storm arose and his fellow-passengers, who were expecting to be drowned at any moment, clustered helplessly around Nicholas. He took to his knees, and soon the raging wind dropped, and the sea grew calm.

But an unlucky sailor who had climbed the mast to mend the sail slipped, and fell to his death on the deck far below.

Rushing to his side, Nicholas called on God once again, and before their astonished eyes the passengers saw him wake as if from a refreshing sleep, and return to work.

Miracles of St Nicholas Next: St Nicholas and the Empty Granary

Précis

Nicholas was on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem when his ship was struck by a savage storm. At his prayers, the storm subsided, but as repairs were beginning one unlucky sailor was killed in a tragic accident. St Nicholas’s prayers restored him to life, just as if nothing had happened. (49 / 60 words)

Source

Based on The Life and Miracles of St Nicholas, on the website of the Parish church of St Nicholas in Kato Polemidion, Cyprus.

Suggested Music

Piano Concerto No. 5 in C Major (‘Fire Through Storm’)

1: Allegro moderato

John Field (1782-1837)

Performed by Mícéal O’Rourke with the London Mozart Players conducted by Matthias Bamert.

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