St. Nicholas followed the words of our Lord, to "lay up treasure for yourself in Heaven," by praying every day, by fasting, and by performing good deeds. God was so pleased that he worked many miracles through Nicholas. People began to call him a "wonderworker" (a person who works wonders or performs miracles). They were so inspired by his life of service to others that many of them, too, began to lead holy lives, filled with good deeds.

In Russia St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is often shown as Holy Hierarch Nicholas of Mozhaisk. These icons show a full-length Nicholas with a sword in his right hand and a city in his left because the prayers of St. Nicholas saved the city of Mozhaisk from enemy attack. 18th Century Russian icon with the angels Gabriel and Michael at the top with the Vernicle (Holy Face). St Nicholas Center Collection

As a faithful bishop/shepherd, St. Nicholas was revered as a saint even before his death because of his great holiness and tender care of his flock. After the Blessed Mother and St. John the Baptist, Nicholas was the most revered saint in the early church. He is most honored in the East, especially in Russia. Throughout the world many churches are named for him—more than for any other saint. His ministry continues to this day as a powerful intercessor for the protection and advancement of the Church.

In the weekly liturgical cycle of the Orthodox Church, Thursday is dedicated to the Holy Apostles and to Saint Nicholas, who stands as a model for all the great hierarchs, the successors to the Apostles and teachers of the Church. To be given a place in the weekly cycle indicates the great veneration the Church accords him.

Adapted from:
Orthodox America and
St. Therese Byzantine Catholic Church, St. Petersburg, Florida

Links to Accounts of St. Nicholas Miracles
Be Not Silent
Great-Martyr Stephen Dechani
An Extraordinary Case—A True Story From Holy Russia
The Miraculous Return of a Cow
The Rescue of a Wayward Daughter through the prayers of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker
A Family Miracle in Greece
Saint Nicholas Comes to Juneau 
A Modern Day Miracle 1907 Jacobs Creek, Pennsylvania
Modern-Day Daedalus 
1988 test of human stamina and ingenuity
Nicholas Comes Home an icon comes to its rightful home, Beit Jala, Palestine
A Miracle wrought by St. Nicholas in Kiev in the 1920s
St Nicholas feeds the Athonite Fathers during the Fascist Occupation
Myrrh Streaming Icon of St. Nicholas, Saint George Orthodox Church (Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), Michigan City, Indiana;
       picture of the icon one month after it began streaming
       Recent miracles of St. Nicholas the WonderWorker through his myrrh streaming icon—2000
Weeping Icon of St. Nicholas, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Tarpon Springs, Florida

Writing a Saint Nicholas Icon
Reflections on the process, with pictures

LINK
Russian site devoted to Saint Nicholas with beautiful pictures of 105 Saint Nicholas icons (the thumbnails click up to large images)