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San Nicola Pilgrimage

Follow the pilgrimage tradition of San Nicola in Bari where the Basilica di San Nicola containing the relics of Saint Nicholas draws Catholic and Orthodox Christian pilgrims from across the world, the May feast day procession of the statue of the saint through the streets of Bari Vecchia one of the most spectacular religious festivals in southern Italy.

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1
Basilica Crypt
Descend to the crypt of the Basilica di San Nicola where the tomb of Saint Nicholas is venerated by pilgrims in the atmospheric underground church with its forest of columns, the Byzantine and Latin altars, and the miraculous manna that oozes from the saint tomb and is collected and distributed to pilgrims as a relic.
2
Orthodox Chapel
Visit the Orthodox chapel in the crypt of San Nicola where the Greek Orthodox patriarchate maintains a liturgical space acknowledging the equal devotion to Saint Nicholas in the Eastern Church, the chapel the most visible symbol of the ecumenical significance of the Bari relics and the site of regular Orthodox liturgies celebrated alongside the Catholic rites.
3
May Procession
Understand the Festa di San Nicola celebrated on May 7th-9th when the statue of the saint is carried through the streets of Bari Vecchia in a procession followed by thousands of pilgrims, the festivities including the historical reenactment of the arrival of the saint relics in 1087 and the procession of boats in the harbor.
4
Pilgrimage History
Learn the story of the theft of Saint Nicholas relics from Myra in 1087 when 62 Bari sailors stole the bones from the Byzantine church in what is now Turkey and brought them to Bari, the act of holy theft that established Bari as one of the most important pilgrimage cities in medieval Christianity and the model for the Basilica immediately built to house them.
5
Religious Art
Study the religious art of the Basilica di San Nicola where the 12th century bishop throne carved from a single block of stone supported by three crouching figures, the Byzantine icons in the treasury, and the medieval floor mosaics represent the finest surviving ensemble of Norman-era religious art in Apulia.
6
Pilgrims Today
Observe the contemporary pilgrims at San Nicola who arrive throughout the year from Russia, Greece, Serbia, and the other Orthodox countries for whom Saint Nicholas is the most important saint, the mixing of pilgrims from different Christian traditions in the same sacred space making the Basilica di San Nicola one of the most genuinely ecumenical holy sites in Europe.