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On the Jánosrét high altar there are eight paintings depicting the miracles of St. Nicholas. Of the four on the inside left wing the first picture shows the best known act of the saint: a gift of gold to the three daughters of the poor nobleman. St. Nicholas appears in full pontificals, a mitre on his head and a crosier in his hand. He is represented in a larger scale than that used for the other figures in the picture. Through a large window we can see the interior of a Gothic house where the three daughters are sleeping. The poor nobleman who in his plight was on the verge of forcing his daughters to pursue an illicit profession, prevented by St. Nicholas's gift, is represented by the painter in beggar's clothes.
The upper right panel shows the saint calming the tempestuous seas in answer to the prayers of stormtossed voyagers. Although the realistic details, for example the sail, the barrel, the clothes and the lively gestures, all indicate careful observation, the huge half length figure of St. Nicholas descending from the clouds and that of the devil breaking the mast, ensure the legendary atmosphere.
The story of the false swearing before the judge and the miracle of the gold hidden in a staff are closely connected and are therefore placed next to each other in the lower part of the left wing. The legend concerns a Christian who borrowed money from a Jew and swore before St. Nicholas's altar that he would repay the loan. But when the time came he swore before the judge on the Crucifix that he had already returned the money to the Jew. He had in fact cunningly handed over the staff containing the hidden gold-but only for the minutes when he was actually taking the oath, and his creditor had no idea of its contents. The last picture shows the consequences of this deceit. On his way home the Christian, overcome by fatigue, fell asleep on the road and was crushed to death by a passing coach. His staff broke and the gold coins rolled over the road. Passers-by advised the Jew to take what was due to him but he wished only for the resurrection of the dead Christian. When this actually took place in answer to St. Nicholas's prayers the Jew, overcome by the miracle, decided to adopt the Christian faith. The scenes follow closely the text of the legend and the linear representation is illustrative in character.
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