§ 1  The Life and Conduct of our Father Nicholas, Dwelling Among the Saints, the Late Archimandrite [of Holy Sion, and Bishop of the City of Pinara].
In those days it pleased God to gather together in one what the Scriptures had proclaimed through the Prophets concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. For the sayings of the holy Prophets also foreshadow the holy summons and designations of the righteous, which run: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you” in Heaven. For by the will of the good Lord, in the district of the Traglassians, in the hamlet of Pharroa, there was a wondrous man, holy before God, whose name was Nicholas. He was the elect of the Lord, Who was well-pleased with him. And it pleased Nicholas to dwell together with his spiritual father and archimandrite Sabbatios; and while they were dwelling in the holy and glorious Monastery of Akalissos, Nicholas decided to found, according to God’s wish, [and] through a revelation [that came from] Christ the Founder and the Lord of all things, the glorious and enduring shrine of glorious Holy Sion, as a memorial and for the propitiation of his sins.

§ 2  And when (the site of such] a [shrine] had been consecrated, it pleased the Lord of all that a fine child, goodly in the eyes of God, was conceived on the piece of property neighboring that which had been consecrated for glorious Holy Sion. He was related to the aforementioned holy man Nicholas, his father being Epiphanios and his mother Nonna. And when they saw that the newborn child was very pleasing to God and goodly, they called his name Nicholas. For at the time of his birth while he was still in the washbasin, by the power of God he stood upright on his feet for about two hours. And awestruck, his parents praised God. And they went to the Monastery of Akalissos, to the holy man Nicholas, the uncle of the child, and told him about the birth of the child, and how he stood upright in the basin for as much as two hours. And when the uncle had offered prayers, he said “Glory be to Thee, O God, for a servant of God has been born to us.” And he enjoined them to speak of it to no one. “For he was born by the will of God and he shall glorify God in this [very] place.”

§ 3  And when the child was seven years old, they resolved, in accordance with God’s will, to hand him over to learn his letters. Assisted by the Holy Spirit (his teacher of that time being inexperienced), the child Nicholas indicated (?) the words to his own teacher, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, so that he would write [these words] for him syllable by syllable [?]. And once, when he was on his way to his lessons, a woman from the village came up to him, Nonnine by name, who had a withered foot. And he made the sign of the cross over her, and by the power of the Holy Spirit she walked away made whole, glorifying our Lord Jesus Christ.

§ 4  When the holy Nicholas, his uncle, saw the strivings and earnestness of the child with respect to God the Founder of all things, he directed a request to the most holy and blessed Archbishop Nicholas that he consecrate the site of a shrine in Pharroa. At this request, the aforementioned most holy archbishop agreed to consecrate the site of a shrine in that place, which shrine the most holy Archimandrite Nicholas could name as he wished. And arriving at the place, he gave the foundation the name of Holy and glorious Sion, and he began by tracing the outlines of the apses. Just as the Holy Spirit says in Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heaven” and after the heaven. He laid the ground, that is, “the foundation of the earth,” so also in the foundation of glorious Holy Sion did the Holy Spirit speak forth.

§ 5  While the child Nicholas was growing up, guided by the [Holy] Spirit, the church was being completed by the grace of God. Nicholas’ most holy uncle, the Archimandrite Nicholas, joined to him the priest Konon, the overseer for the construction of the Church of Holy Sion, and took him to the blessed and most holy Archbishop Nicholas, so that the latter would ordain him reader. When the most holy Archbishop saw the features of the child, which were full of grace, he recognized in spirit that the child was to become the "chosen vessel” of the Lord, and he took and blessed him and ordained him to the rank of the readers without receiving of him anything at all for the act of ordination.

§ 6  On his way back from the metropolis of Myra, the child came to the martyrium of St. John, to his uncle. And he bowed to the ground before him and was blessed by him. And the uncle gave him the book, which contained the Divine Liturgy and other prayers, for him to study. The youth bowed deeply again, and requested that his uncle pray on his behalf, "So that through your holy prayers,” he said, "Christ the Lord may deem me, too, worthy of His Kingdom." When his holy uncle and spiritual father Nicholas heard this from the youth, he shed tears and prayed to God saying: "O our God, Thou Who art faithful in promises, steadfast in Thy gifts of grace and infinite in Thy love of man. Who hast summoned Thy handiwork through [Thy] summons, and hast gathered Thy servants for this angelic and heavenly life, give him the becoming life and virtuous and blameless ways, and may he be pleasing to Thee in all his works; so that, after a life of holiness, he may become worthy of the splendor of the saints and of the Kingdom of Thy Christ." Having thus prayed for him, he said to the child, "My child, strive to take up the struggle of the (monastic] profession, since it has pleased God that you should rule over the glorious shrine of Holy Sion in prayers; and through you many will come to believe in Him.”

§ 7  When the most holy Archimandrite Nicholas saw that the work on the glorious shrine of Holy Sion was completed by the grace of God and the assistance of the youth, he had him consecrated priest. The youth was then nineteen years old. Afterwards came the dedication of Holy Sion and his uncle entrusted him with the glorious shrine. There being no clerics, God, Lover of mankind. Maker of heaven and earth, made him the gift of the faith to strive for Him; and having received hope from God, he joined to himself his brothers Artemas and Hermaios as disciples, for the ministry and carrying out of the rituals in the holy Church of Sion. He appointed his brother Artemas to be presbyter and deuterarios and to rule over Holy Sion.

§ 8  One day he was seized by a desire to go down to the Holy City, to adore the venerable wood of the Holy Cross, and all the Holy Places. And going down to the metropolis of Myra, he went off to the martyrium of the glorious Saint Nicholas. And by the will of God, there was there a certain skipper from Askalon, by the name of Menas. And hearing reports about the holy man Nicholas, he came to meet him in Myra, in the martyrium of Saint Nicholas, and said to him; “I have heard that Your Holiness is about to sail on a pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem to reap benefit from the power of the Venerable Cross. And if it pleases Your Holiness, come aboard my little boat and bless us (by your presence).” The servant of God Nicholas said: “If you [thus] implement God’s love towards men, I’ll come aboard with great joy.” And he prayed, saying: “‘O eternal God, Who knowest the hidden things,' Who hast understood everything before creation. Lord Jesus Christ, hear me the sinner, and give us in Thy name a favorable wind, so that we may cross the open sea, and glorify Thy name forever. Amen.”

§ 9  By the will of God, we went down to the harbor called Andriake. We boarded the ship and there being a favorable wind by the grace of God, we got down to Askalon within five days. We then went up to the Holy City of Christ, and adored the Venerable Cross and all the Holy Places; we [even] went as far as the venerable Jordan. We fulfilled the vow of worshiping the Venerable Cross and the Church of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the will of God we sailed home, and came to Lycia to the village of Traglassos.

§ 10  And after this, the blessed and holy Nicholas showed signs of great preoccupation. He said to his brethren and to all the people: “This is the place which God showed me to settle and build. So take courage, and pray that the Lord in His compassion shall make us worthy of serving Him.” He began to build the glorious shrine. For he loved this spot as greatly as if it were God's paradise. For there had appeared to him an angel of the Lord, saying: “This spot is a counterpart of Holy Sion in Jerusalem.”

§ 11  And the servant of the Lord Nicholas gave thanks every day, saying to us: “I know in truth, my children, that this spot will be the place of my final rest. For even from the beginning, I loved this spot, since the Lord had been showing many signs to his servants. For the light of Holy Sion shone forth in that spot both by day and by night. For there had been a certain servant of God, Sabbatios by name, in the Akalissos [Monastery], and it was to him that the light of this place was first manifested. For he told to all men what was appearing to him in this place, before I, Nicholas the sinner, was ever born. And no one believed him. He said to them: ‘I see, as it were, a burning light, and a structure made all of stone and the whole mountain shining like the sun.’”

§ 12  Many other signs as well did the servants of God Sabbatios and Nicholas [the Elder] witness in visions, and Holy Sion appeared to them before their very eyes. After some time, the aforementioned most holy Sabbatios passed away. His deuterarios, the servant of God Nicholas, prayed each day to the Lord God, that the Lord Jesus Christ would reveal the sign which had been seen by holy Sabbatios. For having the flame of the Holy Spirit in him, he prayed and besought God, that the object of his desire should be revealed to him, namely, the things concerning the holy and glorious Sion.

§ 13  And the Lord God dispatched Michael, the archangel of the Covenant, who appeared face to face to the servant of God Nicholas [the Elder] and said: “Do you wish to set eyes upon the delightful shrine of Holy Sion?” And he said to him: “Yea, Lord.” The leader of the Lord’s hosts said to him; “Here, follow me, and you will see the shrine of God built.” “And he led me to this mountain, and said to me: ‘Look at the mountain.’ And looking up, I saw the shrine of God built in all seemliness, and a great light shone on this mountain. And the angel who was guiding me said: ‘There is a child here, by the name of Nicholas, son of Epiphanios, his mother being Nonna, who will dwell in this place, and glorify our Father which is in Heaven. For from his mother's womb was he chosen by God.’ And the angel vanished from my sight.” So spoke the servant of God, Nicholas, the archimandrite of the Monastery of Saint John in Akalissos, prophesying about the holy child. And he was laid to rest in Akalissos, within the [Monastery) of Saint John.

§ 14  The holy child grew up, and was entrusted by the Holy Spirit with the glorious shrine of Holy Sion; he received boldness from the Holy Spirit, and produced many [miraculous] signs and cures for those who believed through him in Holy Sion.

§ 15  One day there came men from the village of Plakoma, who fell down before holy Nicholas and said: ”O servant of God, on our land there is a sacred tree in which dwells the spirit of an unclean idol, that destroys both men and fields. It is also . . . .to the district and we are unable to go unhindered about our business [?] on account of it. May Your Holiness yield to our entreaties and deign to come with us and fell it, so that God, Lover of mankind, may through your prayers drive out the unclean spirit dwelling in that tree, and the fields and the district may be at peace and find respite.”

§ 16  Being so strongly urged by the inhabitants of the village of Plakoma, Nicholas, the servant of God, offered prayers, and came to the spot where the tree stood. Seeing the tree, holy Nicholas said: “Is this the sacred tree?” In response, the men of the aforementioned fields said to him: “Yes, Lord.” And Nicholas the servant of God said: “What are those gashes in the tree?” They said to him: “Some man of old came to fell the tree with two hatchets, and an axe. And as he began to fell it, the unclean spirit snatched away the blades, and slaughtered the man, so that his grave was found at the roots of the tree.” Offering prayers, the servant of God Nicholas—there being a crowd of nearly three hundred men, women and children to watch the workings of God, for none believed that such a tree, being sacred, was about to be felled—then the servant of God Nicholas knelt and prayed for two hours. And rising, he enjoined the men around saying: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and of Holy Sion, come here, try and cut it down.”

§ 17  A shiver ran through all those who were standing around holy Nicholas, and no one dared so much as to look at the tree. Then the servant of God Nicholas said: “Give me the blade and I will cut it down myself in the name of my Lord.” Taking the blade, the servant of God Nicholas made the sign of the cross over it and struck the sacred tree seven times. The unclean spirit saw that the servant of God Nicholas had power from God, and when the tree was struck by Nicholas’ holy hands, the unclean spirit cried out, saying: “Woe be unto me: I made for myself an ever-expanding dwelling in this cypress tree and have never been overcome by anyone; and now the servant of God Nicholas is putting me to flight, and no longer will I be seen in this place. For not only has he expelled me from my dwelling in the tree, but he is driving me from the confines of Lycia, with the help of Holy Sion.”

§ 18  When he was about to fell this sacred tree, the servant of God said: “Assemble with one accord up the slope on the North side.” For it was expected that the tree would fall to the West. The unclean spirit thought at that moment to frighten the crowd. And he made the tree lean toward the North, up the slope where the crowd stood watching, so that they all screamed with fear in one voice, saying: “Servant of God, the tree is coming down on top of us, and we will perish." The servant of God Nicholas made the sign of the cross over the tree, pushed it back with his two hands, and said to the sacred tree: “In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ I command you: turn back (in the other direction] and go down where God has ordained you.” Forthwith, the tree swayed back by the will of God and moved toward the West, where it crashed. From that time on, the unclean spirit was no longer seen within those parts. And they al) glorified God, saying: “One is God, who gave power to his servant against the unclean spirits.”

§ 19  The sacred tree having been felled, the servant of God gave instructions in the metropolis of Myra that workmen be found to saw up the tree. When the workmen heard of the size of the tree, that not only was its stump the thickness of three and a half cubits but that its height was forty cubits, they were afraid, saying: “We will not be able to cope with such a tree.” So the servant of God Nicholas made it known that he was seeking workmen from any city. And finding none, he was forced to make his announcement in the village of Karkabo. And workmen were found, five in number, and by the power of God and the prayers of holy Nicholas, they sawed up the tree. When the whole surrounding district of Arneai and Myra saw that the tree had been sawed up by the prayers of holy Nicholas, they obtained his permission [?] and came to drag it away. It was dragged to the holy and glorious shrine of Holy Sion, and all glorified God, who had given such power unto His servant Nicholas.

§ 20  And when the villagers of Arnabanda heard of the faith of Father Nicholas, they said to each other: “Look here, let us all go down and worship him and recount to him everything that has happened to our spring of water.’’ So the clerics of the village of Arnabanda came to the holy Monastery of Holy Sion, fell down before Nicholas, the servant of God, and said: “We beg you, would it please Your Holiness, come to our village and pray for us, since the Devil has tried us sorely. For we had an old spring, and a woman went there to draw water, and the unclean spirit threw' her into the spring and she died. And we arc all in danger, along with our animals. For from that very hour the water was troubled and turned muddy. And we were overcome with fear, and no one still has gone near that spring, and we and our animals are dying.” The servant of God Nicholas said: “if you believe in my Lord Jesus Christ, I will go up with you, and we will go out to the spring, and my Lord Jesus Christ, through the intercession of the saints, will bless the water.” The men of that district said: “We believe in God and in Your Holiness that, whenever you will call upon the Lord God, whatever you may ask from God, God will listen to you. For God has granted you great faith and grace. And as you did with respect to the sacred tree, when you put to flight the unclean spirit, and set the sacred [tree] free for sanctification, and for a protection for men, so also do unto us sinners, too, since the envious Devil, the hater of good, is trying us sorely.”

§ 21  And so Nicholas, the servant of God, went out by the power of God and set out for the village of Arnabanda. The men of that village gathered together, young and old, and they took up the Gospel Book and the venerable crosses, and came to meet Nicholas, the servant of God, saying to him: “Welcome, servant of God, have mercy upon us.” And the servant of God said: “Do you have faith that I am able to save you or help in some way?" They said to him: “Yea, Lord.” The servant of God said to them: “Let us go first to the holy church, and let there be a service, and the Lord will reveal to me things concerning you.” They went to the holy church, and all of them gathered of one accord. After the holy service, the servant of God Nicholas came outside and sat down by the door of the holy church. And he said to all the people: “I, brothers, am a lowly and sinful man. But my Lord Jesus Christ, who loves mankind, may He reveal His power to you.”

§ 22  Then a man fell down before him and said to the servant of God: “Have mercy on me, O holy man of God, and do not bring about my undoing according to my lack of faith. For I was in Kabaleia, in Akarassos, and there came a certain man from my neighborhood, who said to me: ‘Some clerics from our village are going down to the just Nicholas, the servant of God, to Holy Sion, in order to beseech him to come and have mercy on us.’ And I lacked faith, and said to him: ‘Who is the servant of God? God the Lord lives, and I would not believe in any man on earth.’ God saw my lack of faith, and that night there appeared to me a river filled with mire, drowning me for my lack of faith. I cried with a loud voice and said: ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, and extract me from this mire.’ A voice came to me from on high, saving: ‘The servant of God Nicholas will come to you, and he will lead you out of this mire.’ And straightway you appeared to me, O holy man of God, that very moment, and extended your hand and took hold of me, and led me out of the mire, saying: ‘My child, be believing, not faithless. For such is the sentence for faithless men.’” So spoke the man who had been overcome by lack of faith.

§ 23  Then the clerics of the village of Arnabanda said to the servant of God Nicholas: “O Lord, there is in our vicinity, on Mount Kaisar, a hidden source of water.” And the servant of God said: “Do you remember at all [hearing] from your fathers that water had been seen on that mountain?” They said to him: “We [only] heard reports, and it has been mentioned that there is water in that mountain, for no one of our kindred knows or has found out.” And the servant of God said: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, gather all of you, young and old, and let us take in our hands God’s Gospel, with the venerable crosses, and let us go eagerly to the spot and perform the feat which lies before us, and Lord God will reveal what you have requested.”

§ 24  So they all went out with the servant of God Nicholas, and reached the spot called Kaisar. When the servant of God saw the place, he said to them: "Have faith in God, and let us toil a little, and the Lord God will fulfil your request.” And the saint stood on the spot and knelt and prayed to God, saying: "My Master, Lord Jesus Christ, Who livest and abidest forever, send down Thy word and Thy Holy Spirit to this spot, and open for us the hidden treasure of water for the life and enjoyment of Thy creatures, so that, as Thy all-holy and awe-inspiring name is glorified in all the saints, so also in me, the sinner, may be glorified Thy exalted name, of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.” When he had finished the prayer, and everyone had heard the Amen, the men doubted, saying: “Will we find the water in this place, rather than in another?” The servant of God Nicholas said: “On this very spot on which I knelt, did God reveal to me the blessing of water.” And taking a hoe, he dug a little, and then gave the hoe to one of the clerics standing nearby, saying: “Here is the blessing, go to work.” And they dug in the eanh, to the depth of one and one half cubits. And at that moment the blessing of the water burst forth. And they all glorified God, that through the prayer of the servant of God Nicholas, the running water had been revealed, and they fell down at his feet and besought him to pray for them. And they all glorified God, who gave the revelation of truth to His servant Nicholas.

§ 25  One day, the clerics gathered in the glorious Church of Holy Sion, and the clerics said to the servant of God Nicholas: “Today we wish to receive a blessing from you and to make merry'.” He answered them, saying: “The wish of God be done.” And after the dismissal of the holy congregation, the clerics came to the benches in the refectory to have a meal. When the servant of God Nicholas saw the clerics reclining on the benches, he went to the storeroom, and took three blessed loaves and a small pitcher containing three pints of wine, and blessed them, and gave them to his deuterarios saying: “Go and serve these to the clerics, so that they make merry' today.” The deuterarios did the bidding of the saint, and went out and served these things at the benches, the three blessed loaves and the pitcher. When the clerics saw that the pitcher held about three pints, they grumbled, saying: “We will not find in it enough to rinse our mouths.” When the servant of God Nicholas became aware of the grumbling of the clergy, he went out to them, saying: “Today, my children, it is my turn to pour for you.” And he took the pitcher from the table, and requested that three cups be given to him, and he poured for everyone, as much as they wished, and they made merry. When they had made merry, the clerics said to each other: “Glory be to God, who gave such grace to the servant of God Nicholas. Let no one disbelieve him from this day on. For God does many signs and miracles through him.”

§ 26  One day three men came from Presbaion in the district called Andronikos, with a man in fetters by the name of Nicholas, who was possesed by an unclean spirit. And they said to the servant of God Nicholas: “The Devil visited many afflictions upon us, so that we have brought him to Your Holiness." And the servant of God Nicholas said to them: "Untie God’s creature, and my Lord Jesus Christ will help." Then the men said to the servant of God: "O, no, Lord. Sec, he will run away, and no one will be able to find him.” The servant of God Nicholas said to them: "The Lord hath a long arm, and He will lay hold of him.” .And he took oil from the lamp and made the sign of the cross over him, and stood and prayed over him, and released him. And by the will of God and the prayers of the saint, after a few days the Devil went out of him. And he recovered his senses, and went off to his house glorifying and thanking God and the servant of God Nicholas.

§ 27  By God’s will, Father Nicholas made a second journey to the Holy City of Jerusalem, to adore the venerable wood of the Cross and all the Holy Places and the venerable fathers. And his attendants busied themselves and found an Egyptian ship at Tristomon, which was about to sail for Askalon. And they said to the servant of God Nicholas: “In accordance with the desire of your soul, your (guardian) angel has made ready an Egyptian ship, about to sail for Askalon.” And the servant of God Nicholas said: “The Lord hath a long arm, and He provides whatever He wishes for those who love him.” And he stood and prayed for a long time, and when the prayer was over, they responded to him with the “Amen.” And he took two of his attendants, and on the very day of Mid-pentecost • • • and the day after we boarded the ship. And the sailors received us with joy and the Lord gave us a favorable wind.

§ 28  And when we were in mid-sea, the servant of God Nicholas said: "Pray, all of you, children, for great wrath is coming upon us and we are about to face danger at sea.’’ Then his attendants fell at his feet, saying to him: "Father, God listens rather to you. You pray for us.’’ And when the sailors heard the words of holy Nicholas, they all fell at his feet, wailing and saying: “Father, who made it known to you that wrath is approaching us, and that we are about to perish?’’ The servant of God Nicholas said to them: “My children, I saw the Devil circling the ship; he is about to throw us off our straight course. For he is present at the ship with a two-edged knife in such a way as to bring down all the rigging which holds the ship together and to hurl us out into the deep, (hat we may perish.’’ The day was Friday, at the ninth hour, when the servant of God Nicholas spoke these things.

§ 29  And he rose around the twelfth hour and with bitter wailing he prayed to the Lord, saying: “Lord Jesus Christ, let Thy face shine on all of us and give heed to our distress. And hear us who hope in Thee; do not put us to shame, but show us mercy and take care of us, and be a haven unto us sinners, for we have been brought very low. Let Thy tender mercies speedily go before us. O Lord, give us victory against the adversary, that despiser of the good, the Devil, for I saw how he is coming upon us to tempt us and to corrupt our faith. But do Thou come ahead [of himj, Lord Jesus Christ and blunt his sting, and give us the power and the strength, that we may trample upon him and glorify Thy name for ever and ever. Amen.” And when the prayer was over, they all responded with the “Amen.”

§ 30  And that night a great storm arose at sea, and the ship was about to be engulfed by the waves. When the sailors saw that they were in jeopardy, they fell down before the servant of God, pleading and saying to him: “Lord Father, rise and pray for us, since we are in danger. For the wind and the waves are against us.” And the servant of God Nicholas said: “The Lord hath a long arm, and will take care of his servants. Let us but have faith in Him, that if God wishes, He can save us.” And bending his knee once again, the servant of God Nicholas prayed for long hours. And at the end of the prayer they all responded to him with the “Amen.” And the wind and the waves stilled, and there was a great calm at sea.

§ 31  The spar of the mast had come unfastened by the fierceness of the wind and hung up there from the beam. There was a certain young man, Ammonios by name, who was very gentle and obedient, and this young man was loved by everyone. But the Alien was envious of him, and kept an eye out for means of destroying him. But the prayers of the blessed Father Nicholas were interceding with our Lord Jesus Christ. The next day, when the youth saw the spar hanging high up from the beam, he climbed up the mast. And when he had fixed the spar fast, the Devil, who was envious of him, threw the youth down from on high, and he landed on the couch where the servant of God Nicholas lay resting; and he was like unto a silent corpse. And the sailors stood around him weeping and wailing: “Our mate Ammonios is dead; the unfortunate one has died!” The servant of God Nicholas said to the sailors: “Weep not, but rather let us beseech God our Master. My Lord Jesus Christ will raise him, even though he be dead.” The blessed servant of God Nicholas drew near to the bruised corpse, prayed over it, made the sign of the cross over it, and said to the sailors: “Calm down, for I have hope in my Lord Jesus Christ that He will raise him; and he will journey with us to Egypt.” For the lad was an Egyptian. And the servant of God approached the corpse, prayed over it, took the lad by the hand, and raised him saying: "Receive your shipmate safe and sound and grieve not.” When they beheld this strange wonder, they glorified God and Saint Nicholas.

§ 32  And the next day, we arrived in sight of the Egyptian Delta. And the ship anchored on the shore of Egypt. The sailors said to the servant of God Nicholas: "If you please, Lord Father, let us get in the dinghy and betake ourselves to the soil of Egypt, to the village called Diolko. And you shall adore all the saints, and bless our houses, for God gave you the power and you have found grace with Him. For God resurrected our shipmate Ammonios through your prayers, and he w'ill come with us, since his [native] land is here in Egypt.” The servant of God Nicholas said: “If this be the will of God, let us go.” And we entered the village called Diolko. And word went around about Father Nicholas that he was a good man, and the servant of God. And they came to meet him, in order to be blessed by him. Then said the servant of God Nicholas to those who had come to meet him: "I, brothers, am a sinful man. But the Lord Jesus Christ will bless you.” And the servant of God entered the village called Diolko, and took up lodging in the Church of Saint Theodore. And he prayed to God without interruption at all hours, since the Lord Jesus Christ had resurrected the man and brought him back to life, and he stood before him whole. And he spent four days [?]' in the Church of St. Theodore.

§ 33  There was a blind man, named Anthony, who dwelt in the holy church, unable to see anything at all. And when the servant of God Nicholas saw him, he said to him: "How many years have you been without your sight?” And the blind man said to him: "It is now three years since I saw the sun. And I spent much money on doctors so that they would restore my sight. But it has been all of no avail, though I spent on them all that I had.” The servant of God Nicholas said to him: "And why did you not put your faith in the saints? You would have been cured free of charge.” And the blind man said to him: “Now that I have been found to be without faith, what should I do?” The servant of God Saint Nicholas said to him: “Will you believe from now on that the saints have the power to cure you?” The blind man said to him: “1 put my faith in God and in your holy prayers, that you can persuade God to have mercy on me.” Moved with compassion, the servant of God stood praying over him. And he took oil from the lamp of Saint Theodore, and made the sign of the cross upon his eyes, and said to him: “1 have faith in God that tomorrow you will see the glory of God with your own eyes.” And the following day the eyes of the blind man were opened, and he walked around seeing, and glorified God that he had recovered his sight through the prayer of the servant of God.

§ 34  Right away another man, who had seen that the blind man had regained his sight through the prayers of holy Nicholas, fell before the servant of God saying: "Lord Father, I have been rolling along the ground for four months, suffering in my insides. And I have body tremors, and am unable to sit to do my natural need and to relieve myself; I no longer go to have a meal, but am as good as dead, carrying around the excrement of my belly. And I spent much on doctors, and it has been all of no avail, but I spent all that I had in vain.” And the servant of God Nicholas said to him: "I am going to take you to a doctor who can cure you free of charge.” The man said: “And who is he, that he may have pity on me right away?” And the servant of God Nicholas said: “He is here right among us.” And the sick man looked around right and left to find the doctor, and said to the blessed father: “1 don’t see anyone. Lord Father.” The servant of God said to him: “If you have faith in my doctor, I will beseech Him to cure you in soul as well as in body.” The man said to him: “I have faith in God and in Your Holiness.” The servant of God Nicholas prayed and made the sign of the cross over him, and said to him: “In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, be cured from this moment on.” And the man believed with all his heart in God, and in His servant Nicholas, and he was cured from then on. And he went off to his house, praising God, for after four months he [was able] to eat and drink and he no longer felt any discomfort.

§ 35  The servant of God Nicholas left the village called Diolko, and he boarded the ship, and went by sea to Askalon. And he went up to the Holy City on a Monday, and went into the Holy Church of Christ’s Resurrection, and he prayed at Holy Golgotha and adored it. And when he reached (the place] wherein lay the much desired wood of the Venerable Cross, by the will of God the portals of the church opened, and received the servant of God Nicholas, and he adored the Venerable Cross on (that] Monday. And he spent eight days in the Holy City, adoring all the holy places and the venerable fathers as far away as the Jordan. And an angel of the Lord (appeared and] stood by him saying: “Make haste and proceed to Lycia, to your country.”

§ 36  And he left and went down to Askalon, and found a Rhodian ship, for it had been made ready by the angel who had appeared to him in the Holy City and had said: “Make haste for Lycia.” And the servant of God said to the skipper: “Truly, skipper, where are you bound?” And the skipper said to him: “God willing, we will (go] to Constantinople. But we were about to sail three days ago, and are (still] held up in this city, and whenever we set out to sail back, we encounter the same impediment. So we do not know who among us is impeding us. For all the ships have sailed away, but we ourselves are (still] here.” And the servant of God Nicholas said: “Take me in your boat, and the Lord will help you.” And the sailors said to him: “You are welcome on board. Father. Perhaps the Lord will free us from impediment through your prayers.” The servant of God Nicholas boarded the ship, said a prayer, and they sailed away.

§ 37  By the will of God in ten days they sailed up to Lycia, to the Chelidon Mountains, near a place called Phoinix. And the servant of God Nicholas said to the skipper: “Here is our place, where we should disembark and go up to our monastery.” The sailors said to the Father: “God willing, we have a favorable wind. Lord Father, and cannot put in here at the place you call Phoinix.” And he said to them: “Then at least at Andriake?” The skipper said, “Not at Andriake either, nor at Tristomon, but at Rhodes.” And the servant of God said: "Did you not agree with me that you would put in here, so that we could disembark?” And the skipper said: “I did, Lord Father, but the ship holds firmly to this wind. And who can stop it, so that we may put you ashore here?” The servant of God Nicholas broke into tears and said to his brethren: “It is the twelfth hour. Here, let us all pray." And they prayed in accordance with the faith given them by the Great Ruler. And after the prayer, he said to them: “Here, let us partake of supper, and not worry at all. For David, the singer of hymns, said: ‘Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.’ Here, then, let us also cast our care upon the Lord our God, and the Lord will help.” And they listened to his words, and they supped, and after the meal they offered thanks to God. And the servant of God said: “Let us restore ourselves with a little sleep; let us rest.” The servant of God prayed: “O, Lord, do not afflict us here in this open sea, but help us.”

§ 38  The ship was about to pass by Tristomon, when suddenly the Lord God raised a wind from the West, and turned the ship around and tossed it back and forth, and it was in peril. The skipper thought: “This storm can only come from the disobedience we showed toward the servant of God Nicholas.” And he said to the sailors: “Throw the ship’s anchor to the bottom, and tie up our boat and fetch the dinghy. Let the Father and the brethren get off at this place. For I know that his prayers have great power with God. And God did this to us, so that the Father would not be distressed.” Then the skipper said: “Come, Lord Father. Disembark according to your words, go to your monastery, and pray for us, so that by your prayers the Lord may give us a favorable wind and we may sail on and give thanks to God through your holy prayers.” And the servant of God Nicholas said: “The will of God be done.” And he boarded the dinghy and arrived at Andriake. And they all gave thanks to God and to His servant Nicholas, that it had to come to pass exactly according to the words which he uttered: “Cast thy care upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee.” And he went to the Monastery of Holy Sion up the mountain. And a large crowd gathered in order to adore the servant of God Nicholas. And there was great exultation and joy and everyone praised God.

§ 39  In those days, when the hill in front of the apse was being quarried, the servant of God Nicholas said to the brethren: “I yearn to go off to the Holy Places, to adore the Venerable Cross and the Holy [Church of the] Resurrection of Christ. And if you agree, let us dismiss the craftsmen, the stone-masons." And his brother Artemas said to him, "How so? Can't I direct the craftsmen?" And he said to him, "No! God granted me this grace, the stone obeys me, and I do as I wish.” And they said to him: "Dismiss whomever you wish." And he dismissed them. And while the servant of God was gone to the Holy Places, his brother Artemas had usurped authority; he sent for and summoned the craftsmen to Arneai, and they came to the mountain and began to quarry. And they wanted to turn over a block. And his brother Artemas sent [word] throughout the village, and collected men, around seventy-five in number, not counting the craftsmen. And all day long they struggled with that block, but they could not turn it over, so that the word of the servant of God might be fulfilled, when he said: "No!" since not a single block was turned in his absence. And after the servant of God returned from the Holy Places, he summoned twelve people from among the brethren, and went [with them] and turned the block over. And God was praised by all those who had seen and heard that the power of the Lord was upon him, and that not only men obeyed him, but stones as well.

§ 40  Again, one day a couple came from Zenoupolis to the monastery. And they fell at the feet of the servant of God Nicholas, and said to him: "Have mercy on us, servant of God, for thirty years have passed since we were married, and we have produced no child. And we heard about your holy prayer and we came to entreat God and Your Holiness. And pray for us, so that God will be moved with compassion for us and grant us fruit.” And the servant of God Nicholas said to them: “If you believe with all your heart in my Lord Jesus Christ, he will grant [it] to you.” And they said to him: "We trust in God, that through your prayers God can grant (it] to us.” And he stood and prayed for a long time, and taking oil from the lamp, he marked them with the sign of the cross, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and he sent them away. And a year later they returned with a male child. And the servant of God Nicholas took him, and baptized him in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and became his godfather. And they went away thanking God. Who had given them a child after thirty years through the prayers of the servant of God.

§ 41  Then again a married couple came to the servant of God Nicholas from the district of Sabandos, from the hamlet Damasci. And they carried with them and brought into the monastery an unmarried woman who was withered and unable to move the limbs of her body at all. And her name was Kyriake. And they cast her down at the feet of the servant of God Nicholas saying to him: "We beseech Your Holiness, have mercy on this wretch, since the Devil is tormenting her grievously and has made her wither away altogether. See, for seven years she has been unable to move the limbs of her body at all.” And the servant of God Nicholas said: "If you believe with all your heart in our Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of Holy Sion, the Lord will cure her in soul and in body." And they said to him: "We trust in God and in Your Holiness that, if you so wish, you can raise her forthwith. For lo, for seven years she has been wholly withered and tormented by the Devil."

§ 42  The servant of God Nicholas, when he heard these things from her parents, was moved with compassion for her, and stood and prayed saying: “O eternal God, ‘Who knowest things hidden,’ Thou art He Who lighteth the eyes of the blind and openeth the ears of the deaf, and leadeth the tongues of the dumb to sound, and looseneth all bonds of the Evil One. Even now, Thou art He Who hath restored the paralytic limbs, Lord Jesus Christ, and there is no other than Thou. Come. Lord, to this Thy creature, and lighten her soul which has been darkened by the Alien, and drive out every mean and evil devil from her, and open her mouth and restore every limb of her body, so that she may glorify Thee, the only true and living God and our Lord Jesus Christ, for Whom there is glory for ever and ever. Amen.” When he had finished his prayer, by the will of God the young woman was cured from that very hour, and she departed to her home glorifying God.

§ 43  Then one day, a demon entered the cell in which the blessed Nicholas lived, and stood in the middle, transformed into an angel of God. When the servant of God Nicholas saw him, he said to him: “Who are you, and why did you come in here?” And the demon answered, saying to him: “I am an angel of the Lord, and the Lord sent me to look and see what you are doing.” The blessed Nicholas, God’s holy man, recognizing the scheming intent of the demon, the hater of good, crossed himself and said to him: “I know who you are, O wretch. Be gone from the cell forthwith.” And the demon answered, saying to him: “But what (harm] am I doing to you? Let me stay for a bit under your roof, so that I may rest and explain to you my design.” But the servant of God rebuked him, saying: “In the name of my Lord Jesus Christ, go out right away, O accursed demon.” And the demon cried out, saying: “Even though you throw me out of here, I will not leave you.” And he vanished from sight from that very hour.

§ 44  But, again, shortly afterwards he entered the kitchen. And he found the brother of the saint doing his service, and he said to him: “You, there, why are you wearing yourself out here with so much work, and not resting inside the cell along with your brother? For he is resting while you are wearing yourself out. For you are more advanced in years, and you should not have to endure so much or submit to this wear and tear.” And he filled the innocent servant of God Artemas with rage. And a short while later the servant of God Nicholas had to attend to a piece of business, and he came into the kitchen to discuss with his brother whether the latter had anything ready for the visitors’ morning meal. And his brother, riled up by the Devil, said to him: "I can no longer put up with these ways of yours, that you relax inside and I toil and wear myself out every single day.” The servant of God Nicholas, recognizing the scheming intent of the Devil, said to himself: “That one who stood before me in the cell and said to me: ‘I will never leave you, but will show you many things,’ he is the same as the one who has filled my brother with rage.” And he stood praying. When the servant of God Nicholas finished the prayer, the demon was inflamed, and left the kitchen crying out and cursing, saying: “O away from Nicholas, who drives me out from everywhere, and does not let me go about my business. For I thought that I at least would be able to enter into his brother, and [instead] I have become a laughing stock everywhere.” The servant of God Nicholas, when he heard these things from the Devil, rebuked him. And the Devil vanished from sight from that very hour.

§ 45  Again, one day, when many craftsmen were working on the shrine, the servant of God Nicholas came up to his brother the deuterarios saying to him: “How many loaves of bread do you have that we can serve to the working craftsmen for supper?’’ His brother said to him: “There is only one loaf and what is that among so many?’’ For they numbered eighty-thrcc in all. The servant of God Nicholas stood in prayer and said: “Bring me the loaf which you have in here.’’ And he took and blessed it, broke it, and served it to the crowd. And when everyone had eaten enough, there remained fragments of the one loaf left over, and they collected three baskets from the nine tables. When his brother the deuterarios saw the glory of God, how everyone was filled out of the one loaf, with some still left over, he was awestruck and could no longer gainsay the servant of God.

§ 46  Again, a few days later, when the servant of God Nicholas was praying at the hour of the midnight service, he came into the cell and rested a moment with his brother the deuterarios Artemas. There came an unclean demon, hoping, (asj he said [to himself], to delude the servants of God. For he took the form of a fearsome man and he started down the stairs from the floor above. His brother the deuterarios said to Father Nicholas: “Who is that coming down the stairs, father?” And the servant of God Nicholas said: “Can you make out who it is?" And he answered, saying: “Not at all, Lord, I only hear his footsteps." And the servant of God said: “Be not afraid, child. For this is not a man, but the Devil, he who from the beginning has been laying in wait for the servants of God."

§ 47  “So one day when I was resting in the cell, I had a vision of an angel of the Lord seated on horseback and saying to me: ‘Come here, O minister of Christ, behold what shall come to pass to the whole world, for the lime of harvest is at hand, by the command of the Lord God; and He sent me to you, to give you tools for the harvest.' I myself began to tremble when I heard the angel [speaking] thus, and I said to him: ‘Lord, who art thou, that thou hast been sent down to me the sinner, to speak to me and to assist me regarding the harvest?’ And he said to me: ‘I am the angel who wields the sickles for the harvest. And the Lord God sent me to give you one of these sickles, since the time of harvest is at hand for the whole world, and you must have a tool and seal up the harvest and give it over.’ And I drew near to the angel, to see the tools. And I saw, as it were, three sickles, five cubits in width, and fifteen cubits in length and I touched the three sickles. And I said to my brother: ‘Come here, brother, let us give him three blessed loaves.' And he said to me: ‘Why do you want us to give him three blessed loaves?’ And he grumbled.” And the servant of God said to him: “You do not want us to give him three loaves? Truly, he will take two doves as well, and so be on his way.” “And the angel rose up, or so it seemed, noble soldier that he was, and he mounted his horse and rode away.”

§ 48  “I began to tremble and awoke out of fear. And having awakened, I said to my brother: ‘Come here, brother, today let us sing more Psalms at Matins, for I saw something mighty terrifying last night, and my soul is trembling.’ And he said to me: ‘What did you see, Father?’ And I said to him: ‘I saw the world about to end, and that this be sealed up by my hand.’” And his brother did not give thought (to the fact] that he spoke the truth about this. But Father Nicholas went to Matins in tears, beseeching God that the Lord God would clarify to him the meaning of his vision.

§ 49  “And a few days later, I saw the high altar truncated and tilting over toward the right. And I drew near, to worship the altar. And I looked up into the conch, and it was open to the sky. And I turned around to the main nave [?], and (water] was dripping in the whole nave (?]. And the water, so it seemed, collected at the great porch and flowed out from the porch. And I was aroused as though from sleep by the fear and agony, and I said to my attendant: ‘The Lord shows me great signs in visions, and what they are, I know not. Therefore, let us give praise to God and beseech our Lord Jesus Christ.’”

§ 50  And seven days later the angel of the Lord came down and appeared to the servant of God Nicholas in the garb of a soldier and said to him: “Since the Lord God has granted to you that you should contemplate the works of God through a revelation, come here, I will make visions of the angels manifest to you." And Nicholas said to him: “But who art thou?" And he said to him: “I am .Michael the archangel, who ministers unto you every day. And the Lord God commanded me to reveal to you what shall come to pass to the whole world. Now, I am persuaded that you yourself have faith in God. But you must teach all your brethren as well, and expound to them the future through the Scriptures. I was sent to reveal to you the terror of God that is to come later. The one whom you saw coming on horseback and carrying sickles, is an angel of the Lord. And he was sent to reveal to you what is about to come to the world, and how the souls of men will be given over to the holy men, and how the holy men will offer them to God. And it was given to you to pray for these souls that will be given over from Lycia.”

§ 51  When the servant of God Nicholas heard these things from the angel, he said to him: “I am a sinful man, and how can I do these things?” And the angel answered him, saying: “The sickles which you saw are the power and the seal of the Lord. And it was granted to you that through your hands the souls of men would be given to these [sickles], since the plague has arrived like unto a harvest. For the harvest is the plague coming to the race of men before the end of the world.” Having said this to the servant of God Nicholas, the angel departed from him.

§ 52  And the plague came to people within forty days. It had its first beginning in the metropolis of Myra, and there was exceeding great affliction over the deaths of men. When the neighboring farmers living in the district saw the power of God, they feared to go into the city, saying: “If we give the city wide berth, we will not die of this disease.” For the disease was bubonic and people were expiring right away, that is, within a single day. And the farmers were withdrawing from the city, and the survivors in the city had no means of livelihood. For the farmers brought down into the city neither grain, nor flour, nor wine, nor wood, nor anything else needed for sustenance. And there was hardship and exceeding great affliction over the provisions.

§ 53  A rumor spread in the metropolis of Myra, and they said: “The Abbot of Holy Sion does not let any of the farmers go down to the city.” When he heard these things, Philip, the most blessed archbishop of that time reported to the then governor of the province, and to the chief magistrates [of the city], that the servant of God Nicholas had done this. They grew angry and sent two clerics to the Monastery of Holy Sion to the servant of God Nicholas, with the command to make haste and have the servant of God brought in chains. The attendants of the archbishop arrived at the monastery and said to the servant of God Nicholas: “There have been serious denunciations [made] against Your Angelic Self before the archbishop and the governor of the city . And they sent us to have you brought down to the city in chains.” And the servant of God said: “I know and am convinced that it was the Devil who sowed all these [slanders) among the people. But I have faith in God that the Devil will be trampled upon by us, the most lowly ones.” So it became known in the village of the Traglassians, that the servant of God had been slandered in the city and that some city clerics had come up from Archbishop Philip and the governor, in order to have him brought down from the Monastery in chains. So they all gathered together, saying to the servant of God Nicholas: “Would you please not go down to the city, for there is much wrath in the city on your account.”

§ 54  When, therefore, it pleased God to honor his servant Nicholas, he journeyed to the shrine of the renowned Archangel [?] in Traglassos, and slaughtered a pair of oxen, and called together all the people. And there was feasting, and a great joy. And they made merry, and gave thanks to God, Who honors them that honor Him. And from there he journeyed to the Monastery of Saint John, and of the holy fathers Sabbatios and Nicholas and Leo, the late archimandrites in Akalissos. And he slaughtered five oxen and called together all the people, and they ate and were filled, and God was glorified through His servant Nicholas. Furthermore, by the grace of [God] and by the boldness that the Holy Spirit [granted to him] he went to all the holy churches nearby, and gave thanks to God and offered up sixteen oxen, fulfilling the prophecy of holy David, which ran: “I will pay thee my vows, which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken in my trouble.”

§ 55  And in those days the servant of God Nicholas journeyed to the shrine of Saint George in Plenion. And the clerics from Plenion came along with their Christ-loving flock, singing litanies and carrying venerable crosses, and met the servant of God at the renowned Saint’s [?] [shrine]. And he went along with them from there, along with seven oxen. And they went to the shrine of Saint George, where the servant of God slaughtered the seven oxen. And crowds gathered, so that there were two hundred place settings. The servant of God carried with him one hundred measures of wine and forty modii of bread as provisions. And they all ate and were filled, and they glorified God, Who gave grace to His servant Nicholas. And there were sixty measures of wine left over, as well as one hundred loaves of bread and four measures of olive oil. And after they were filled, they all glorified God through His servant.

§ 56  Two years later, the Holy Spirit appeared to the servant of God Nicholas, [telling him) to visit the holy shrines nearby, and at each sanctuary to make a sacrificial offering of a pair of oxen and to glorify God. So on the very day on which the Holy Spirit appeared to him about the offerings, he said to his brother, the deuterarios Artemas, and to all the brethren: "Today by God's will I shall go as far as the shrine of Saint Gabriel in Karkabo, to do the will of God." He took from the monastery... .nomismata, seventy measures of wine, and thirty modii of grain. And he went off to the aforementioned glorious shrine of the holy Archangel Gabriel, and slaughtered three oxen, and summoned all the people of the place. And they ate and were well-filled, and they all glorified God and His servant Nicholas. And plenty of blessed bread was left over, so that Nicholas, the servant of God, left Karkabo rejoicing, and went to the shrine of Saint Theodore at Kausai. And there he slaughtered a pair of oxen, and called together all the people who were there. And when they were filled, they glorified the Lord God. And because so much of the loaves was left over at Saint Theodore, he went from there to the shrine of the holy Archangel in Nea Kome. And there he slaughtered one pair of oxen and called together all the people who were there, both young and old. And they were all filled, and glorified God, and God's gifts were in overabundance.

§ 57  And when the servant of God Nicholas saw that what had been left over was considerable, he understood that the Holy Spirit, who had appeared to him, was with him; and he went from Nea Kome to the shrine of Saint Apphianos in Partaessos. And there he slaughtered one pair of oxen and called together all the people. And they ate, and were filled, and praised God. And there was much blessed bread left over, so that the servant of God praised God even more. And from there he came down to the shrine of the Archangel and of Saint Demetrios in Symbolon. And he slaughtered two oxen and called together all the people and, making merry, they glorified God through the faith of the servant of God Nicholas. And as provisions grew in abundance, he gave thanks to the Holy Spirit and journeyed from there to the shrine of the Virgin in Nauten. And there, too, he slaughtered a pair of oxen, and called together all the people of the place, and they made merry', and gave praise to God. And from there he journeyed to the shrine of Saint Irene (?) in Serine. And there he slaughtered a pair of oxen and called together all the local people, and they made merry and gave praise to God. And from there he journeyed to the shrine of the Archangel at Trebendai. And there he slaughtered one pair of oxen and gave a great feast, glorifying God. And from there he journeyed to Kastellon, to the shrine of Saint Nicholas. And there he slaughtered two oxen, and all the Christ-loving people made merry, and glorified God through the holy man. And from there he journeyed to the shrine of Melissa in Hemalissoi. And there he slaughtered two oxen, and called together all the people, and they made merry and gave glory to God and to His servant Nicholas. And then, having fulfilled the command (?] of the Holy Spirit, and rejoicing together with the brethren who had been with him, he arrived at his monastery at Holy Sion after twenty-five days.

§ 58  And in those days, the sanctuary [agiasma] of Saint Daniel in Sabandos was about to collapse on account of old age. And on his way from his monastery to the splendid metropolis of Myra, the blessed and holy man Nicholas turned off to Kastellon in order to pray. And as he entered the shrine of Saint Daniel the Prophet, and saw that the holy house of God was about to collapse, he summoned one of the clerics, by the name of Nicholas, from the hamlet of Damasei, together with a man by the name of Theotimos, who at that time was the master builder. Taking leave of them, and giving them his blessing, be gave to the deacon Nicholas at that very time eighty and a half nomismata for the completion of the work [of restoration). And he gave orders that the provisions be supplied from his venerable monastery. And the holy shrine was completed, and they all gave thanks to God through his servant Nicholas.

§ 59  And after this, a married man from the district of Arneai came to the servant of God Nicholas to pray at the Monastery of Holy Sion: [a man) whose name was John, with his spouse. And they fell down before the servant of God, saying: “As of today, we have lived on our piece of land for twenty years. And this land requires twenty-five large modii of seed grain and never yet have we gotten more than twenty-five modii in return. And we have come to worship God, and Holy Sion and Your Holiness, so that you may beseech God for us, the humble ones, that we may find mercy through your blessed prayers. For we have been brought very low, have lost our income, and are wasting away with hunger, living on that piece of land; we are working ourselves to death, and are no longer able to eke out our livelihood.” And the servant of God Nicholas said, “I, too, am a sinful man. But if you have faith in God, the Lord will recompense you for [all] those years of toil." And they made reverence, saying to him, “O servant of God, we believe in God and in your Angelic Self.” And the servant of God stood praying for two hours, then said to them: “Go now, and what God wishes will come to pass."

§ 60  And in the following year they sowed the same piece of land, and they put in the same number of modii. And when the sowing was over, and the crops harvested from the land, they gathered one hundred and twenty-five large modii. And they gave thanks to God and to the prayer of the holy man Nicholas, for it was through it that they received such a blessing. The farmer John, recognizing that he had been deemed worthy of such a blessing through the prayers of the servant of God Nicholas, said to his wife: “Here, let us go and fall at the feet of the servant of God Nicholas, since through his holy prayer God deemed us worthy of such a great blessing.” So they came to the servant of God Nicholas, and threw themselves at his feet, and after giving thanks they described all the wonders that had come to pass through his holy prayers, and how God had increased the produce of their land. And the servant of God said: “Go now, give thanks to God. For when God wishes He can increase what is small [in number] and diminish what is large.” And he sent them away and they glorified God.

§ 61  And a certain man by the name of Kosmas, who was a reader in the district of Eneanda, and [was] from the hamlet of Oualo, came to the Monastery of Holy Sion; he had an unclean spirit. And he was being escorted by two men, for he was out of his mind. And they fell before the servant of God Nicholas saying: “We beg you, venerable Father, have mercy on God’s creature, and pray for him, that the unclean spirit may depart from him and he may glorify God and be [again] of use [once he is freed] from his affliction.” The servant of God prayed, then sent the two men away, and kept the ailing man for forty days. And through God’s love of mankind and the prayer of the holy man, after forty days Kosmas was sent away healed, and glorified and praised God.

§ 62  And a short time later, there came a man from the same area: his name was Paul; he was a shepherd. And while he was with his flock on the mountain he became possessed by an unclean spirit. And since he had heard from the reader Kosmas of the power of Holy Sion and of the faith of the holy man, he came to the monastery, paid him reverence, and said: “O venerable Father and servant of God, make my wretched soul free. Entreat God, then, that through your entreaty I, too, may experience God’s love toward men, the way Kosmas the reader did; and that I, too, the humble one, may bring glory to your holy prayers.” And the servant of God Nicholas stood up and took hold of him and pressed his head and prayed over him and let him go. And that unclean spirit threw him down and cried out: “The servant of God Nicholas is persecuting me, and what shall I do?” The servant of God stood over him and prayed, and the unclean spirit departed from him. And the man arose healed, and reverenced Nicholas, and praised God and quickly journeyed home.

§ 63  One day there came a man by the name of Zeno from the district of the Arnabandians; he, too, had a spirit of an unclean devil. And he came to the monastery with another man who escorted him. The servant of God Nicholas was not in the monastery, but was with the brethren planting the vineyard. When the man possessed by the unclean spirit heard this, he went down to the place where the servant of God Nicholas was working, and reverenced him. And Nicholas took hold of him, blessed him with the sign of the cross by the power of the Holy Spirit, gave him the hoe and bade him to work. And at that very moment the man regained his senses, praised God and went on working. It was the ninth hour of prayer.

§ 64  And some days later there came a party from the village of the Seroiatians, with a man by the name of Paul, who was a reader, and who had an evil spirit. He was as good as dead and was being carried. And they came and cast him down at the feet of the servant of God Nicholas, saying: “O holy Father, have mercy on God’s creature.” When the servant of God saw him, he prayed over him and the unclean spirit was put to flight. And Paul regained his senses and, remaining at Holy Sion, performed the functions of reader at Matins and Vespers, and sang Psalms and recited the readings, giving thanks to God. And he journeyed to his home healed.

§ 65  And some days later there came a certain man by the name of Kyriakos, from the same village of the Seroiatians; he, too, had an evil spirit. And when he saw the servant of God Nicholas, he fell at his feet, beseeching him, and saying: “O Father, holy man of God, pray for me the sinner, too, as you do for them all, so that through your prayer I may be released from the devil’s snare, and may glorify God and Your Holiness.” And the servant of God Nicholas stood and prayed over him, and drove away the unclean spirit, and after thirty days he sent him away, thanking and praising God.

§ 66  One day there came a man with his father from the village of Plenion, from the hamlet called Rhabbamousa. And the name of the sick man was Hermes; he had an evil spirit. And he fell down at Nicholas’ feet and besought the holy man to pray for him. And the servant of God Nicholas made the sign of the cross over him and sent him away after fifteen days. And he departed to his home healed, glorifying God.

§ 67  After all these gifts of the Holy Spirit, previously granted and described above, the Holy Spirit appeared to the aforesaid holy Nicholas in a dream, pointing to a scat of honor and a garb of priesthood, bidding him to be seated in that seat, and showing him an altar of glory. And the servant of God Nicholas awoke and debated within himself, saying: “What might such a vision mean?” And rising at that moment, he stood in prayer in the shrine of his venerable monastery. And he grew more and more anxious about the overshadowing that had come upon him, and he kept the dream [to himself] all the time, explaining it to no one, not until such a glorious overseer’s office and God’s blessing came upon him.

§ 68  Three months later, Philip, the most holy archbishop of the metropolis of Myra, sent word to him that he should come down to the episcopal residence. The day was Saturday. And on the following holy Sunday, the most holy archbishop revealed to him that he would ordain him bishop. So during the Entrance of the service held in God’s holy cathedral and apostolic church of (God’s) Peace, he endowed him with the garb of priesthood, proclaimed him bishop of the city of Pinara, and sent him to the aforesaid city. And everyone marvelled over the holy man Nicholas, how God had glorified him.

§ 69  Some three years after his accession, the glorious and Ever-virgin and Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him, indicating to him the emplacement and measurements of a shrine to be named after herself, that he might erect the Church of Holy Mary. And he arose, reached the spot which the glorious Mother of Christ had shown him, and measured off that spot. When the magistrates living there learned about this, they opposed (him], together with the clergy, and attempted to prevent him from doing the building and fulfilling (the terms of] the Godly vision. But as the Holy Spirit did not allow it to happen, but rather gave strength to the servant of God Nicholas, after vigorous litigation, Nicholas neither yielded [to them] nor was allowed to build, and was obliged to purchase the hallowed spot that had been indicated to him. Beginning then, he built, completed, and inaugurated the glorious holy shrine of the Theotokos. And giving thanks to God he went to his venerable and glorious monastery. And when he added up the (cost of] completing and building the holy shrine of the Theotokos, it came to four hundred nomismata.

§ 70  And a few days later the servant of God went down to the holy shrine of the Archangel in Kroba. And a certain woman from the hamlet of Kyparissos had a son who was vexed with a foul and unclean demon and chewed the clothes which he wore. And his mother brought him to the servant of God. And God’s servant took hold of him, and breathed into his mouth. And by the power of God he was cleansed, and no longer did anything harmful. And his parents glorified God and the faith of the holy man.

§ 71  And again, one day, (there came] a certain woman from the hamlet of Nikapo who was withered from the unclean spirit, and her husband carried her and brought her to the monastery, and he cast her down at the feet of the holy man. The servant of God prayed to God, and the evil spirit withdrew from her, and she was made whole. And from that very hour she went home on her own feet giving thanks to God and to Holy Sion.

§ 72  It was the time of the Holy Fast and there came a man from the village of Sibinos by the name of Nicholas; he was riding on an animal, for he was withered. And they (sic) fell down before Holy Sion and the servant of God Nicholas, the bishop most beloved of God, saying: “O servant of God, pray for this humble man, that through your holy prayers God may be moved with compassion for him.” The servant of God Nicholas made the sign of the cross over him [with oil] from the lamp of the Lord, and prayed, and a few days later the man was restored whole, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.

§ 73  And again, a man by the name of Timothy, from the village of Kendemoi, came to the Monastery of Holy Sion to the servant of God Nicholas; he had an evil spirit. And since he beat his head because of the spirit, his head had worms. He came held down by three men. And they came and reverenced Holy Sion and the man most beloved of God, saying: "O servant of God, behold the affliction of this man, and pray to God that through your prayer he will find mercy.” And he took oil from the lamp of the Lord, and made the sign of the cross over him; and by the power of God, a few days later the man was released from his holy hands healed, and departed to his own house, praising God.

§ 74  in those days a man by the name of Leo, from the village of Arnabanda, came to the monastery; he had an unclean spirit. And he was held by three men, stripped of his clothes, having ripped apart even what was girdling him. And they reverenced the holy man, saying to him: “O servant of God, pray for this wretch.” And he took oil from the lamp, and made the sign of the cross over him. And forty days later the man departed to his own house, praising God.

§ 75  And a certain woman from Edrasa came with her husband, wishing to reverence the servant of God, and beseech him to pray for her, that God might give her a child. For she had spent twenty-eight years with her husband, and could not produce a child. The servant of God was in the metropolis of Myra. And they waited in the monastery for three days. As the servant of God still tarried in Myra, they were obliged to go down to Myra, having shown faith in God and reverenced Him. They started off, and the servant of God met them on his way up (?) coming to the so-called Stratiotes. And they reverenced him and explained everything to him. And he made the sign of the cross over them, and said: “Go now, have faith in God and Holy Sion, and God will give you a male offspring. I myself, though a sinner, will be his godfather." And they reverenced him and went back home. And the following year, on the feast of Holy Easter, they came to reverence Holy Sion with a male child. And the servant of God Nicholas, most beloved of God, blessed them, baptized the child, entertained them, bestowed generous blessings upon them, and sent them away.

§ 76  When the time of the Rossalia of our forefather Saint Nicholas came, the servant of God Nicholas went down to the metropolis of Myra, to take part in the Synod. And he prayed, and, having enjoyed the (company of) the holy men (?) and of the venerable fathers, who were his concelebrants at the holy Synod in Christ, he embraced them all, gave [the kiss of) peace to all, went back up to his venerable monastery, and was seized by illness.

§ 77  While he was bedridden and ailing, there came a certain woman by the name of Eugeneia, from the village of Sokla, who had a spirit of lunacy. And she fell down before him, and he made the sign of the cross over her. And having prayed over her, bedridden as he was and about to hand over that which had been committed to him (that is, his soul], the servant of God Nicholas healed her. And the woman who was cured stayed in Holy Sion, giving thanks to God.

§ 78  When the most holy and most blessed servant of God Nicholas beheld the inexorable decree of death, he began to pray and to sing Psalms and to beseech God that He give favorable orders to the [host of] angels that were being sent to him to receive his soul from him. And beholding the holy angels, these glorious protectors and intercessors, coming toward him, he bowed his head and crossed himself in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and prostrated himself and said: “‘In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed. Deliver me in Thy righteousness and rescue me,’” and so on until “‘Lord, into Thine hands I will commit my spirit.’” And when he finished the prayer, he gave up the ghost with glory, having given praise to God. And at his side were his very own brothers, [Hermaios] and Artemas the most devout priest, [who also was] his assistant, that is, deuterarios. And having embraced him, he yielded up his soul in peace into the hands of the holy archangels who had appeared to him. Nicholas the most devout archdeacon shrouded his holy remains and (closed] his eyelids and tied the honorable base (?] of his face, along with Artemas the most devout priest and archimandrite. Also present were Nicholas the deacon and cellarer and all the brethren living in his venerable monastery'.

§ 79  And there were grief and wailing and lamentation and great mourning. And Paul [son] of Hermaios, the most devout deacon from the hamlet of Oumbe, arrived himself (?) for that [?] honorable wake. Having consoled all the holy fathers and brethren, he went down to Myra to meet Philip, God’s most beloved bishop of the city of the Phellites, that Philip might bury Nicholas. And the aforementioned bishop, most beloved of God, came up and performed the psalmody and readings, as the holy fathers have appointed it in the Canons.

§ 80  The servant of God and most holy Bishop Nicholas died, by [the will of] God, Lover of mankind, on Wednesday, the tenth of the month of December, in the thirteenth Indiction, in the thirty-eighth year of our God-loving Emperor Justinian, at the time of the most holy Archbishop . . . and of Patriarch Makarios. And his holy remains, beloved of God, were buried inside Holy and glorious Sion, where are deposited the remains of the glorious, victorious, triumphant, and holy martyrs, Saint John the Forerunner and Baptist, Saint Stephen the Protomartyr, and Saint Theodore and Saints Sergios and Bakchos and the Holy Forty [Martyrs]. He was buried in the right part of the right section for women. He fulfilled his life, and is interceding for all who believe in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as always, so now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.