The Romanesque masterpiece that holds the saint's relics
In 1087, 62 sailors from Bari sailed to Myra, in Asia Minor, then threatened by the Seljuk Turks, and carried off the relics of St Nicholas, the fourth century bishop venerated throughout Christendom, the origin of the figure of Santa Claus. To house them, the city built the Basilica of San Nicola, consecrated in 1197, which became the model of Apulian Romanesque architecture and one of the great pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages.
The basilica, in pale limestone, has a severe, fortress-like façade between two unfinished towers, with a portal guarded by stone animals. Inside, the three naves are separated by ancient columns, and in the presbytery stands the episcopal throne of Elias, a masterpiece of Romanesque sculpture supported by figures of men bent under the weight. In the crypt, under the altar, rest the relics of the saint, from which a liquid, the "manna", is collected every year. St Nicholas is venerated by both Catholics and Orthodox, and the basilica welcomes many pilgrims from Russia and Eastern Europe; an Orthodox chapel is located in the crypt. Every year in May the city celebrates the arrival of the relics with a historical procession and a statue carried out to sea.
Tip: the treasure museum displays precious gifts from sovereigns; the Feast of St Nicholas (7 to 9 May) is the most important event of the year in Bari.
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