Lido island in Venice Monastery of St. Nicholas. Description of the Church of St. Nicholas, Lido Island, Venice. At the place where the relics were laid, they found an inscription in Greek that read: “Here rests the great Bishop Nicholas, famous for his miracles on earth and on earth.”
The Venetian Lido (Lidodi Venezia) is also called the “Golden Island”. From above it looks like a saber (or a golf club - by the way, there are golf courses on the Lido), protecting the lagoon from the rest of the Mediterranean Sea. During the heat of summer, almost all of Venice flocks here for the weekend.
But this island is not only interesting for its beaches.
It only takes 15-20 minutes to get here from Piazza San Marco by vapporetto and about the same along the main street Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta by any bus (about 1 km) or on foot to 12 km of beaches on the other side of the island.
But if you want to freshen up between walks in Venice, keep in mind that you will lose at least 3 hours for this activity (including vapporetto, bus (waterbus tickets are valid for buses to Lido and Mestre), changing clothes and return journey).
In a straight line, the distance between Venice and Lido is 3 kilometers. And from the nearest stop near San Marco (San Zaccaria) lines 1, 2, 8, 51, 52, 61, 62, 82, LN, B, R, N (night) go here.
Attractions Lido
To the left of the vaporetto pier, the memorial church of Santa Maria della Vittoria with a green dome, almost always closed, immediately catches your eye. If you go in the same direction to the northeast of the village, you can walk (or take a bus) to the Church of San Nicolo.
Note the two Vineto-Byzantine capitals from the 11th century church that preceded it. The temple contains parts of the remains of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. When we asked the local priest what about the “same thing” in Bari, he diplomatically replied that the holy bones were divided between two temples...
By the way, keep in mind that, unlike the handsome and talkative priest, the local minister is very aggressive and, enraged by the sight of the camera, literally strives to knock it out of your hands.
Disputes over the location of the relics led to the discovery of the tomb of St. Nicholas in Bari on the night of May 5–6, 1953. In the presence of a commission from the Vatican and the Archbishop of Bari, the crayfish was opened, which had not been opened for 866 years, since the sailors brought the crayfish from Myra Lycia.
The relics in the shrine were in a liquid at a level of approximately 2 cm, reminiscent of water from a mountain spring. The “honest bones” of the saint were in a scattered position.”
The relics were placed in a glass urn and kept on the throne for four years.
On the night of May 7-8, 1957, anatomical and anthropological analyzes were made, which... showed that the relics belonged to St. Nicholas. Images of St. Nicholas were made, according to his honest remains.
The saint reposed in Bose at the age of 75 on December 6, 350. The relics were brought to Bari in 1087; for 737 years they rested in Myra Lycia and then they were already fragile, and when the sailors from Bari hastily fled with them, no one cared about their safety. After the analyzes and comparisons were made, a drawing of the relics was made, from which it was determined which part of the relics of St. Nicholas is located in Bari, and which part is on the Lido.
Here are the remains of the forts of the fortress of the same name, which, together with the structures on the island of Certosa, Fort Sant'Andrea (at one time Casanova sat here) protected the main sea entrance to the lagoon. And it was here that the famous ceremony of the Doge’s betrothal to the sea took place, which continues to this day (performed by the mayor of Venice).
From San Marco to Porto di Lido the Doge set off on the pompous Bucentaur, throwing from the side gold ring. The celebration ended with a mass in the Church of San Nicolò.
Behind the church is a private airport with a tower in the style of fascist modernism from 1934.
In the area of the hotel Londra and the Bridge of Sighs (near San Zaccaria) they offer a sightseeing helicopter tour around Venice. The price also includes a water taxi (by water taxi to Lido and then to Lido Airport and back to San Marco). The small circle over Venice costs 49 euros, the large circle costs 99 euros.
In the same part of the island, to the south along Cipro Street, there is a Protestant cemetery. English consuls arriving in Venice on a diplomatic mission were buried there. There is also a Jewish cemetery surrounded by cypress trees, which has existed since the 14th century (the cemetery has been completely restored and is open to the public).
The cheerful servant, when we entered the “place of the dead,” exclaimed with a characteristic gesture (crossing his arms on his chest and closing his eyes) something like the following: “What have you lost here among the dead people, go in this heat rather to the beach, where there is sand, girls and the sea "…
Cinema and beaches
The main beach sand strip of Lido is located between the iconic Les Bains hotels (at the end of Gran Viale Santa Maria Elisabetta, on the right) and the Excelsior hotel (its dark red bulk with a “minaret” can be seen from afar). The beach cabanas of these iconic hotel monsters have changed little since Death in Venice (the famous Visconti film based on the novel by Thomas Mann was filmed at Les Bains).
Next to the Excelsior is the Palazzo del Cinema, 1937, where the famous Venice Film Festival takes place here and in several additional temporary cinemas for 12 days, usually starting on the last Thursday of August.
A beach strip of 9 meters along the water, where you can sit on towels and bedding, as elsewhere in Italy, is legally “free”, but further along the fence are the private beaches of expensive hotels. And all along there are cabins that Italians book back in April, they have beach equipment, and when they arrive, they put it in front of the cabins, and they have a view of the sea. For the rest - part of the beach between the fence and the cabins, the sea is not visible, you can only take a sunbed in the morning, closer to 11 there are only “seats” and 2 sun loungers + an umbrella cost 20.25 euros during the season. The sea is “usual” – a little cloudy (sand).
If you want to have a snack along the way, there is Bill's chain supermarket and good pizzerias with inexpensive (6 euros) wine from the refrigerator (if you want to save money, choose seats from the Chinese - they do not charge for a seat at a table on the street).
Buses A, B, and C run from the vaporetto stop. The best way to get there is by B.
Try to return to Venice before 17:00, otherwise you will find yourself in a situation reminiscent of the usual one for a Moscow metro car during rush hour.
The Lido ends at Alberoni, where there is a golf club, a lighthouse and a more deserted beach with dunes.
Igor Silenko
Venice is located on 118 islands. Its basis is made up of “fused” pieces of land, connected by 400 bridges and forming a city of six sestiere districts. Even on the “main island” there are still place names that remind us that it was once not united. Such are, for example, the islands of Saint Helena and Olivolo, still surrounded by water, but long ago firmly “moored” to Venice with the help of bridges.
Giudecca and San Giorgio are also practically included in the core of Venice, as its integral parts.
The large islands - Burano, Murano, Lido, Giudecca - have their own characteristics, from the types of crafts common on different islands to the manner of building and decorating houses. Peculiarities are manifested even in the dialect, which, for example, on the island of Burano differs from the usual Venetian.
Lido - Lido di Venezia
The length of the Lido is about 12 kilometers, while the width ranges from one kilometer to three hundred meters. Inhabited since ancient times by people from Padua, this narrow strip of land serves natural protection bay from sea disturbances. Since 742, the residence of the Doges was located in the southern part of the island, called Malamocco. In 810, a battle took place here between the inhabitants of the island confederation and the army of Charlemagne's son, King Pepin, in which the Venetians defended their independence and the right of autonomous governance under the high (and very remote) protectorate of Byzantium. After this battle, however, Doge Agnello Partecipazio chose to move his residence to the safer island of Rivo Alto.
Church of St. Nicholas on the island of Lido – chiesa San Nicolò a Lido
The founding of the church and Benedictine monastery in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker took place in 1053 on the initiative and donations of Doge Domenico I Contarini (1043–1071). It was here, and not in the Basilica of St. Mark, after the death of the said Contarini, his successor Domenico Selvo (1071) was elevated to the dignity of Doge. The reason for this was the grandiose reconstruction of the main temple of the republic, which made it the majestic sanctuary that we know today. So Doge Domenico I, who became the first Doge of the Contarini family, turned out to be the builder of two most important Venetian churches, storing the relics of the patrons of the city - the Basilica of St. Mark and the Church of St. Nicholas on the Lido, which became his final resting place.
The church is single-nave, spacious, with rows of side chapels separated from each other by massive internal partitions. Religious painting is represented by Palma the Elder (“Madonna and Child”) and Palma the Younger (“St. John the Baptist-Youth”).
The Baroque altar of the main altar and the shrine with the relics of Lycian saints, decorated with polychrome marble, were made by the sculptor and architect Cosimo Fanzago in 1630. The shrine rises above the altar. On it are cypress statues of three saints: Hieromartyr Theodore, St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and St. Nicholas “Uncle.”
Torcello Island - Torcello
Former Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - Basilica già Cattedrale S. Maria Assunta
"Mother of Venetian churches"- Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, the only material evidence that has come down to us from the times when the island of Torcello, the ancient Roman Turicellum, was a flourishing city, a port strategic importance, which connected the mouths of the Sile and Deze rivers with the Adriatic Sea. In 639, it already towered over the island, recalling that this part of the land was an integral part of the Byzantine Empire.
The Church of the Assumption was reconstructed in 864 and 1008. The Romanesque façade is simple and majestic. Its 12 high arches symbolize the apostles of Christ.
18 columns of Greek marble with Corinthian capitals divide the basilica along its entire length into three naves. There is one more internal border: immediately at the entrance, an ancient (11th century) iconostasis of wondrous beauty with marble columns at the top and bas-reliefs of peacocks, birds and lions at the bottom, separating the altar part from the rest of the temple, attracts attention. The iconostasis is decorated with icons by Venetian artists of the 15th century.
In the middle of the altar is a marble throne resting on four columns. Behind it rises the episcopal see - the High Place, surrounded on the right and left by places for presbyters. The conch of the altar apse, decorated dating back to the 13th century. mosaic depicting the Most Holy Theotokos with the Eternal Child. Below are images of the 12 apostles. On the outer arch of the apse there is a mosaic icon of the Annunciation.
The entire western wall is occupied by the famous mosaic “The Last Judgment” (the turn of the 11th–12th centuries).
SANCTUARY: the relics of Saint Iliodor (commemorated in the Western Church on July 4), the hieromartyr Theonist and the martyrs Fabra and Fabrata (commemorated in the Western Church on October 30).
During his flight from the hordes of King Rotari (635), Bishop Paul brought with him to Torcello the relics of St. Iliodor, first bishop of Altino. Relics of St. Iliodorus rests in a marble shrine under the main altar of the cathedral; The saint's face is covered with a gilded mask. To the left of the throne is a marble shrine, where his relics were previously kept, and here, on the wall, is the famous inscription from 639: a message about the construction of the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary - the first written monument of Venice.
Relics of St. Fabres and Fabrates rest above the altar of the first side aisle of the northern (left) side of the church.
Church of St. Fosca – chiesa di Santa Fosca
Church of the 12th century constitutes a single temple complex With cathedral, bell tower and baptistery of the 7th century, the ruins of which are still visible in front of the entrance to the Basilica of the Assumption of the Virgin.
Around the 10th century (but perhaps earlier) the transfer of the relics of St. martyrs Fosca and Mavra, and the first mention of the church in the name of St. dates back to 1020. Foschi, who appeared, apparently, soon after the transfer of the shrines to Torcello. The current church of the 12th century, cross-domed at the base, has the shape of an unfinished octagon, reminiscent of ancient baptisteries. The unfinished hexagon is interrupted on the east side by a projecting altar apse.
Relics of St. The martyrs reside under the main altar in a marble shrine. The side walls of the tomb are made of glass and protected metal grille, behind which the holy relics are clearly visible, resting, apparently, in the original wooden shrine.
Burano Island - Burano
Church of St. Martin of Tours and the oratorio of Saint Barbara – chiesa di San Martino Vescovo e oratorio di Santa Barbara
| Burano, Piazza Galuppi, 20 | |
| Schedule | daily: 8.00–12.00, 15.00–18.00 |
| How to get there | Vaporetto Fondamente Nove – Burano (LN – Laguna Nord) |
Shrines
Relics of St. Alban, Dominic and Orso (Ursa) (local celebration on June 21), relics of St. Great Martyr Barbara (December 4/17), relics of St. Sisinnius, Bishop of Theos in Asia Minor (local celebration on February 12).
The temple also venerates Russian icon of Kazan Mother of God (XIX century), located in the right aisle adjacent to the main altar.
Near the entrance to the church there is a door leading to the oratory of St. Barbarians (oratorio Santa Barbara).
Relics Holy Great Martyr Barbara Emperor Vasily II of the Bulgarian Slayer (976–1025) gave it to Giovanni Orseolo, the son of Doge Pietro II (991–1009), who then arrived in Constantinople to marry the niece of the Emperor Maria Argyropoule. During the wedding, performed by the patriarch himself, the co-emperor emperors - Vasily II and Constantine VIII - held crowns over the heads of the newlyweds. The young man was awarded the title of patrician, and Maria received the relics of St. as a gift from her uncle. Barbarians.
During the examination of the relics (1991), the bones belonging to the woman were separated from the remains of the man mixed with them, and thus it became clear that from the relics now in the silver ark, St. Varvara owns only the head and a few other bones.
Most of the relics of St. The barbarians were transferred to Rus' at the beginning of the 12th century. Princess Varvara, daughter of Emperor Alexy I Komnenos, and is currently kept in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kyiv.
Murano
Murano, the ancient Amuranum, the center of the production of world-famous glassware, is famous, like other islands in the north of the lagoon, for its centuries-old history. Like Torcello, it was settled in the 5th century. by the inhabitants of Altino, who fled the invasion of the Huns, and then the invasion of the Lombards in 635.
Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Donata – chiesa dei Santi Maria e Donato
| Murano, Campo San Donato, 11 | |
| Schedule | daily 7.30–19.00 |
| How to get there | Vaporetto stop Murano-Museo |
Church history Holy Mother of God dates back to the distant seventh century, when Bishop Maurus, the founder of the episcopal see on Torcello, founded this basilica. Nothing is known documentary about its existence until 999, when the local abbot, judging by the inscription that has survived since that time, took an oath of obedience to Bishop Altino. In subsequent centuries, the rulers of the island and the doges confirmed its primacy among the other churches of the island.
A real masterpiece of the interior is the mosaic floor of the church, dating back to 1141. The preserved brightness of colors, ornamental patterns, images of mythical animals and birds - all this leaves an unforgettable impression. Among the images there is also the famous “Solomon’s knot”, found in the mosaics of the Aquileia Basilica (1st quarter of the 4th century) and which is a symbol of eternity, having neither beginning nor end...)
In the conch of the altar apse is the semantic center of the entire architectural and artistic composition of the temple - the mosaic icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Oranta” (XII century). The Lady is depicted in the act of Her intercession for the believers, and the eyes of all those entering the house of God are directed to Her.
Shrines
Relics of St. Donatus the Wonderworker, Bishop of Eury (April 30/May 13), St. Gerard Sagredo, enlightener of Hungary (commemorated in the Western Church on September 24).
Relics of Saint Donatus were taken from Evria to the island of Kerkyra (Corfu) at the end of the 6th century. Greek refugees led by Bishop John of Epirus, fleeing the invasion of the Avars and Slavs. They were then transferred to the island of Cephalonia, where they remained until 1125, until at the end of the Palestinian military campaign of 1122–1125, on the way back of the Crusaders from the Holy Land, they were taken to Venice. Doge Domenico Mikel personally led the campaign, and, being in conflict with the then emperor John II Comnenos (1118–1143), sought to “take tribute” not only from the infidels, but also from Byzantium. Upon arrival at the lagoon, the Doge ordered that the relics of St. Donata on the island of Murano, which belonged to the diocese of Torcello, in the ancient Basilica of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The relics of the saint, according to chroniclers Pietro Calo and Andrea Dandolo (14th century), were myrrh-streaming in their time. Nowadays they are kept in a reliquary above the main altar, dressed in episcopal robes. The head of the saint is placed in a plaster reliquary.
In the main altar of the church rest relics of Saint Gerard, enlightener of Hungary.
St. Michael's Island. Cemetery - Isola San Michele. Cimitero
The island of San Michele, closest to Venice, has its own special history. Converted in the 19th century. in the cemetery, this small piece of land has been monastic land since time immemorial. The first temple stood here back in the 10th century, when the island served as a haven for sailors who came with their ships to Murano. Since the XIII century. the island belonged to the Camaldulian congregation, through whose efforts the monastery was built, and the monastery church, erected at the turn of the 15th–16th centuries. Mauro Codussi, became the first example of Renaissance architecture in the Venetian Bay. Church of St. Archangel Michael now belongs to the complex of the Franciscan monastery.
In the Greek section of the cemetery (Reparto greco) there is an Orthodox chapel in the name of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, belonging to the Cathedral of St. George the Victorious (Patriarchate of Constantinople). Divine services are held four times a year on Great Parental Saturdays.
The Orthodox section, like the cemetery itself, appeared only in 1816, whereas before the Greeks buried their dead near the church of St. George. Of the 163 tombstones, about 50 are related to Russia. Among the graves are names Apraksina, Bagrationov, Potemkina, Trubetskoy…
Artists and cultural figures are also buried here. S. Diaghilev And I. Stravinsky. Buried in the Protestant section of the cemetery I. Brodsky.
Venice is an amazing city to which it is impossible to be indifferent. This is a unique and unusual city, in which even the toponymy is special. For example, ruga or salizada are the main streets with sidewalks, and calle are small narrow streets, streets that stretch along canals are called fondamenta, and campo is the square in front of the church, and the square among the houses will already be campiello, narrow streets open onto such a square streets-calle, rio - canal.
Here are some more interesting facts about the wonderful, unique Venice:
1. There are about 150 canals in Venice connected by 409 bridges. The widest canal is the Grand Canal, which divides the city into two parts. Its length is 2 km and its depth is over 4 m. Historical center located on 118 islands of the Venetian Lagoon.
2. Venice is a city free of cars and buses. By regular transport you can only get to Piazzale Roma. The main transport here is vaporettos (water buses) and, of course, gondolas.
3. Pigeons are only allowed to be fed in St. Mark's Square. If you do this anywhere else in Venice, you will face a large fine.
4. Isola di San Michele is a former prison in Venice, which today is used as a cemetery. Every 7-10 years, the remains are exhumed and placed in a columbarium. This frees up space for other bodies.
5. The number of gondoliers in Venice remains unchanged - there are always exactly 425 of them. This does not depend on whether the gondoliers are retiring or newcomers are joining the guild. In 2009, the first and so far only female gondolier appeared - Alexandra High. She sought this right for 10 years.
6. On many old buildings in this city you can find the symbol of St. Mark in the form of a lion holding a book. If the book is open, then during the construction of the building in Venice it was peacetime. If closed, then Venice was at war.
7. Venice, in terms of the number of Christian shrines, is the second city in Italy after Rome.
There are several such churches in Venice, where the relics of Orthodox saints rest:
1. Cathedral of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark (Basilica di San Marco (Sacrestia dei Canonici) Palazzo S. Marco): relics Holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark.
2. Church of the Holy Prophet Zechariah (Chiesa di San Zaccaria Castello, 4693): relics Holy Prophet Zechariah And Saint Athanasius, Patriarch of Alexandria.
3. Church of Christ the Savior San Salvator (Chiesa di San Salvador San Marco, Campo San Salvador): relics of the saint Martyr Theodore Tiron.
4. Church of Our Lady of Formosa (Chiesa di Santa Maria Formosa, Castello, Campo Santa Maria Formosa): relics of the saint Venerable Mary Vithynskaya.
5. Church of the Holy Prophet Jeremiah (Chiesa dei SS. Geremia e Lucia Cannaregio, Campo San Geremia): relics Holy Martyr Lucia.
6. Church of the Holy Martyr Julian (Chiesa di San Zulian, San Marco, Campo San Zulian): relics Venerable Paul of Thebes.
7. Church of St. John the Baptist in Bragora (Chiesa di San Giovanni in Bragora Castello, 3790): relics Saint John the Merciful.
8. Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on Lido Island: relics St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Nicholas(uncle of Saint Nicholas) and Saint Theodore.
9. Oratory of the Holy Great Martyr Barbara near the Church of St. Martin on the island of Burano (Chiesa di San Martino Burano - Piazza Galuppi): relics Holy Great Martyr Barbara.
10. Monastery of St. George the Victorious on the island of San Giorgio Maggiore (Isola di San Giorgio): particles of relics Holy Great Martyr George, Holy Protomartyr Stephen, holy unmercenaries and wonderworkers Cosmas and Damian.
On Lido Island in the Church of St. Nicholas (Chiesa San Niccolo a Lido) contains 1/3 of the relics of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. The following story is connected with their appearance.
The Venetians arrived in the Lycian Worlds 10 years after the Barians captured the relics of St. Nicholas. They began to interrogate those who were assigned to the relics, but the latter, even under torture, claimed that the Barians had arrived and taken the relics. One of the temple guards could not stand it and prayed for an end to the torment, and when his prayer was heeded, he, in gratitude, showed where the relics of two other saints were located - the bishops of Myra in Lycia, the predecessors of St. Nicholas: Hieromartyr Theodore and St. Nicholas the uncle.
The assumption that Saint Nicholas the Uncle is the uncle of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker is unfounded, as has been shown on the basis of various studies. We are talking about a confusion of two persons: St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in the Middle Ages was confused with St. Nicholas of Pinar, who lived in the 6th century, two centuries after St. Nicholas. So, Saint Nicholas, called “Uncle” in Venice, is the uncle of St. Nikolai Pinarsky.
Finally, the Venetians decided to leave the church. However, several soldiers who slowed down in the temple felt a wonderful fragrance in one of the church aisles. Having caught up with his comrades, who had already loaded the relics of St. Nicholas the uncle and holy martyr. Theodore to the ship, they reported this amazing sign. Having returned, the Venetians found the myrrh-streaming and fragrant remains of the relics of St., carefully hidden by the inhabitants of Mir from desecration. Nicholas, and brought them to Venice with great triumph. There is evidence that for some time, from this part of the saint’s relics, a miraculous flow of myrrh remained, which to this day does not stop in the city of Bari. The relics were placed, in accordance with the vow made by the participants of the campaign themselves, in the ancient church of St. Nicholas on the island Lido.
The Lido Island is a natural barrier protecting the Venetian Gulf from winds, floods and enemy attacks. The Church of San Niccolo is located at the very entrance to the bay next to the fort that blocked the path to the lagoon, and St. Nicholas, being at the gates of the city, seems to protect its inhabitants.
The Venetians, eternal travelers, greatly revered St. Nicholas. Ships arriving in the Venetian harbor stopped at the first church of the city - the Church of St. Nicholas - and thanked him for giving them the opportunity to return home safe and sound.
The relics of the three saints were taken from Myra Lycia on May 30 (old style), and brought to Venice on December 6 (old style) on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas.
Extract from the conclusion of the commission for the examination of the relics of St. Nicholas, located in Venice: “The bones of St. Nicholas, consisting of large quantity wreckage white, correspond to parts of the saint's skeleton that are missing in Bari. Unfortunately, the bones were crushed into small pieces by a Barian sailor during his escape."
On May 22, on the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated on the relics of St. Nicholas in the Church of San Niccolo in Venice on the Lido Island, according to the website of the parish in the name of the Holy Myrrh-Bearing Women in Venice.
The history of the transfer of the relics of St. Nicholas
The Republic of Venice took a direct part in the first crusades, of which the infamous Fourth, directed exclusively against Byzantium and Orthodoxy, was organized and paid for by the Venetians. This partly explains the fact that a great many relics of Orthodox saints remain in Venice to this day: they were among the trophies captured in Constantinople.In 1096, Pope Urban II declared the First Crusade against the Saracens, in which Western rulers took part, gathering troops and calling themselves crusaders.
Venice did not remain aloof from the First Crusade, however, she took part in it in her own special style. Before setting off on the campaign, Pietro Badoaro, Patriarch of Grado, and Bishop Enrico of Venice, son of Doge Domenico Contarini, bade farewell to the Venetian troops and fleet in the church of San Niccolo on the island of Lido (chiesa San Niccolo a Lido). Pietro Badoaro turned with a prayer to Saint Nicholas so that he would help the Venetian weapons in the battles against the infidels and would be worthy to receive the relics of the patron saint of Venice. The fact is that Venice, in addition to the holy Apostle and Evangelist Mark, has two more patrons - the holy Great Martyr Theodore Stratilates and St. Nicholas. Bishop Enrico Contarini went on a campaign with the army.
The Venetians made their way to Jerusalem through Dalmatia and Rhodes, where they skirmished with their enemies, the Pisans, whom they defeated and captured many of. When they reached the Lycian shores, Bishop Contarini wished to take the relics of St. Nicholas in order, as the chronicler says, “to increase the patrons of his homeland.”
Spies were sent from the ships to the city, who reported that the city of Myra was located 6 miles from the seashore and that after the Turkish devastation there were almost no inhabitants left in it. In the basilica itself, due to the impoverishment of the faithful, services were performed only once a month. The Venetians set up an ambush and waited for the right moment.
When the crusaders entered the Basilica of St. Nicholas, they found it empty. There were only four guards assigned to guard her. The guards showed the broken reliquary of the saint's relics and said that the Barians came and took away part of the saint's relics (in 1088, a decade earlier). They said: “This is a tomb from which the Barians took part of the relics and left the other part.” There was also part of the relics, which, according to them, Emperor Basil had taken even earlier to transport to Constantinople; where they were placed subsequently is unknown.
The Venetians did not believe the Greeks and dismantled the tomb, where they found only water and “oil” (perhaps this is what the author of the chronicle calls myrrh), and then searched the entire church, according to the chronicler, turning everything upside down. In parallel with the search, the guards were tortured, one of whom could not stand the torture and asked to be allowed to talk to the bishop. The bishop called on him to tell him where the relics lay, but the guard only began to beg to spare him from needless torment. Contarini withdrew from helping the unfortunate man, and the soldiers began to torture him again. Then he again cried out to the bishop, who finally ordered the torment to stop, and the guard, in gratitude, showed him the relics of two other saints - the predecessors of St. Nicholas: the Hieromartyr Theodore and St. Nicholas' uncle - both were bishops of Mir.
They loaded the relics onto the ship and were about to set sail when some of their comrades who had slowed down in the church said that they felt a wonderful fragrance in one of the church chapels.
Then some residents remembered that on major holidays the bishop did not perform services in the chapel of St. Nicholas, but went to a room located nearby. A portable throne was installed there, on which he served. On the ceiling of the room, in addition, there was a fresco depicting St. Nicholas. Thus, the incense exuding from that place and the icon told the crusaders where to look for the relics of the saint.
Then the Venetians returned to the church, broke the floor of the altar, began to dig and discovered another floor, under a layer of earth. They broke it too and, having removed the large stones that supported it, found a certain thick layer of glassy substance, in the middle of which there was a mass of petrified asphalt. When they opened it, they saw inside, as the chronicler says, another sintered mixture of metal and asphalt, and inside it were the holy relics of the wonderworker Nicholas. A wonderful fragrance spread throughout the church.
Enrico Contarini wrapped the saint's relics in his bishop's robe. Here the first miracle took place at the relics of St. Nicholas - a palm branch, brought by the saint from Jerusalem and placed with him in the tomb, sprouted. The Venetians took the branch with them as evidence of the power of God.
At the place where the relics were placed, they found an inscription in Greek that read: “Here rests the great Bishop Nicholas, famous for his miracles on earth and at sea.”
The chronicler refers to unnamed Greek sources (in his words, "the annals") to explain the reason why the relics were buried so deeply and so carefully hidden. Emperor Basil I the Macedonian (867-886) wanted to transport these relics to Constantinople, but miraculously prevented from doing so, he wanted to make sure that no one else could take what he could not take, and therefore ordered them to be sealed and buried in one of the church rooms.
This attempt is also indirectly mentioned by both Barian chronicles, which we will talk about in a little more detail below: the chronicle of Nicephorus narrates that the inhabitants of Myra Lycia, seeing that they were deprived of their shrine, exclaimed: “behold, according to our Greek chronicler, 775 years have passed, during which neither the emperor nor anyone else could commit such an act." Another Bari chronicler, John the Archdeacon, trying to justify in this way God’s will for the removal of relics from Mir to Bari, says that many rulers and the mighty of the world In previous centuries they tried to remove the relics, but in vain.When the relics were taken, there were Pisans and Barians who could confirm the authenticity of the sacred find.
The delighted Venetians released some of the captured Pisans and gave the local archbishop one hundred coins to restore the damage they had done to the church.
The crusaders collected all the fragments of the alloy that contained the relics and took them to the ship, where they built a special church in honor of St. Nicholas, and instructed the priests to pray day and night and glorify the holy Archbishop Mir.
Then they moved to the Holy Land and arrived in Jerusalem on the feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist. We stayed in the Holy Land for some time and sailed to Venice. From the chronicle it can be understood that the Venetians did not directly participate in the war, which at that time was already almost over, but were mostly involved in treaties and contracts for ships, sailors and food.
Upon returning home, the participants in the campaign were greeted with great triumph by the Doge, the people and the clergy of Venice. The relics were temporarily placed for veneration in one of the churches. Numerous miracles and healings of the sick were performed at the shrine. Then they were placed in the church of St. Nicholas of the Benedictine monastery on the island of Lido, from where the army set off on a campaign and where, according to the vow, the relics of the saint were supposed to be placed, although there were different opinions regarding their location.
The relics of the three saints were taken from Myra Lycia on May 30, and brought to Venice on December 6, the feast day of St. Nicholas.
