Nicholas the Wonderworker or Saint Nicholas is one of the most revered personage in Christianity. The Sanctifier was born in Asia Minor in the 3rd century A.D. — today the town of Patara is in the Turkish territory. In his childhood, he assisted his uncle, the bishop, during church services. After being ordained as a priest, Nicholas gave away the wealth he had received from his parents to the needy. Later on, the Sanctifier became the archbishop of the ancient Lycian city of Myra and became famous due to his decency, gentle spirit and wonders. He used payers to relieve the city from fierce hunger; he saved wrongfully convicted from execution; and he forecasted the future many times.
An unknown author created the icon Saint Nicholas of Mozhaysk in the 18th-19th centuries. Most likely, the author was an old-believer — this conclusion is based on the Not-Made-By-Hand Image of Our Savior on the top. The painters used the same manner to depict St. Nicholas of Myra and later on — St. Nicholas of Zaraysk.
