Crucifixion. St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. Prayer “May God rise again

A large cross with a traditional four-pointed form is distinguished by its strictness and brevity: its front side depicts the Crucifixion, and the reverse side features a full-length icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Both sides are filled with traditional Orthodox symbols and prayers. The Crucifixion of Christ is a triumphant, solemn image of Christianity. In the Orthodox Crucifixion, the Savior never physically suffers: on the contrary, He seems to float above the world, embracing it with outstretched arms. Mount Golgotha was chosen as the place of the Lord's execution, outside of Jerusalem. That is why we see the Jerusalem wall behind Christ. This wall also symbolizes the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem, inaccessible to men in Old Testament times and opened by the atoning sacrifice of Christ. At the base of the Crucifixion are the instruments of Christ's Passion - a spear and a cane, and below - the skull of Adam: according to tradition, he was buried on Golgotha. To the left and right of the Cross are placed the sun and the moon. This signifies the whole world, which was horrified at the torture of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospel, at the time of Christ's execution "darkness was over the whole earth" (Matthew 27:45). It is also a symbolic representation of the sinful darkness in which the world rested, and the light which the Savior brought to it. Above is the image of the Savior Not Made by hands. According to tradition, Christ Himself miraculously revealed this image on a towel (ubrus), wiping His face with it. "King of Glory Son of God," reads the caption underneath. Around the crucifix along the edge of the cross are the first lines of the prayer "Let God arise. It is recited in demonic plagues, temptations, in difficult situations of life. It is revered as the most effective protective prayer. At the top, on the ear of the cross, is written another barrier prayer: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us." The prayer is inscribed in a rhombus with a cross in the middle. The rhombus is the traditional symbol of the earth, so the rhombus with the cross and the prayer is an image of the earth, which Jesus Christ saved by His Cross for eternal life. The reverse side of the cross is dedicated to Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker. Here he is depicted full-length, with his hands raised in prayer. The image of the saint is presented in the famous iconography "Nicholas of Mozhaisk. According to legend, when the city of Mozhaisk was besieged by the Tatars, Nicholas the Wonderworker appeared in the air above the church with a sword in one hand and a cathedral in the other and, frightened by the vision, the enemy fled. The miraculous icon in which the beloved saint is depicted as the unyielding defender of the faithful, a fighter against the forces of evil, is one of the greatest shrines of Orthodoxy. The icon of Saint Nicholas is surrounded by an ornamentally written prayer that can be addressed to him in daily prayers: "Saint Nicholas, Wonderworker of Myra, pray to God for us.