Legendary fresco of Nicholas the Wet found in St. Sophia Cathedral: a sensational discovery.

According to ТСН: The fresco of Saint Nicholas, located in the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, may be the same miraculous image of Nicholas the Wet that our ancestors turned to for help for centuries. This opinion was expressed by the researchers of the National Reserve 'St. Sophia of Kyiv'.

History of the miraculous icon

According to a well-known legend, a thousand years ago, when the cathedral was just being built, a woman traveling on a pilgrimage to Vyshhorod across the Dnipro accidentally lost her child in the water. The baby was considered lost, but when the parents came to the cathedral with prayers, they found their son in wet swaddling by the icon of Saint Nicholas — alive.

After this miracle, the image of Nicholas was recognized as miraculous.

The fate of the icon and its influence

Copies of the icon of Nicholas the Wet were made, which became famous worldwide, while the canonical image itself remained in the cathedral until World War II. After the war, local priests evacuated it to Europe, and later — to America.

The Kyoto, where the icon was kept, stood empty for decades: negotiations about the return of the image are ongoing.

New discoveries by scientists

This year, scientists from Sofia made an impressive discovery. They drew attention to the fresco of Saint Nicholas, one of many that adorn the cathedral. It turned out to be tightly covered with small nails and traces of them. The lower part of the fresco was worn from numerous touches, indicating that this very image was regarded as miraculous by our ancestors.

Could this be Nicholas the Wet? Indeed, he never left the walls of the cathedral?

This discovery and bold hypothesis prove the importance: faith in the struggle against the enemy on our side, besides Oranta and the heavenly host, is also Saint Nicholas the Miracle Worker, who has guarded Kyiv, Ukraine, and all of us for a thousand years.

Modern challenges

Let us remind you that in June of this year, the St. Sophia Cathedral, a millennium-old monument that has survived invasions and wars, suffered from yet another Russian shelling of Kyiv.

The preservation of shrines, such as St. Sophia Cathedral, is important not only from a historical perspective but also for contemporary Ukrainian society, which continues to fight for its identity and spirituality in challenging times. The fresco of Saint Nicholas and the legends associated with it emphasize the deep roots of the Ukrainian people in faith and hope for a better future.