Basilica San Nicola - Bari, Italy (May 9th, 1087 Anniversary)

Basilica San Nicola

Bari, Italy

The Basilica at Night

Unless otherwise stated images courtesy: Sacred Destinations
The Battle of Mantzikert, fought in 1071 between the Roman Army (Byzantine) and the Seljuk Turks, had many long reaching effects. At the defeat of the Roman Army it left the most Christian land the world had ever had, Asia Minor, totally open for Turkish occupation. That was the big story. 

The Translation of St. Nicholas' relics from the Roman/Greek/Lycian city of Myra to Bari, Italy is one of the many smaller events that occurred because of that battle. It occurred 16 years later in 1087.

St. Nicholas' Tomb in Bari

Photo courtesy: GFDL

There is much documentation about this famous event (even William of Malmesbury and Orderic wrote about it) but the best is that written shortly after the arrival of St. Nicholas' sanctified remains in Bari on May 9, 1087 by the young  cleric, Nicephorus.

According to him the monks who were in charge of guarding Nicholas' tomb in Myra had been "visited" by Nicholas in a vision a year earlier and he had warned them that he would be allowing the transfer of his relics to another location.

The monks at Myra said to the men from Bari, “But we know this for a fact from the tales of men of old and also from our own experience: that many emperors and other potentates have done their best to carry out what you now plan; but they had no luck because the saint of God was unwilling. [Cf. Magnentius 48]. Yet perhaps it may happen through you, because the confessor of God himself last year warned us in a vision that his abode would be moved elsewhere."

The Nave Looking East to the Apse

Photo courtesy: Paradoxplace

The Crypt

Photo courtesy: paco CT

The fact that Bari should be "chosen" by St. Nicholas as his new "home" shouldn't come as a surprise. Bari was at that time still mainly a Byzantine area: It wasn't really too different from his homeland. And... unlike the Greek lands of Asia Minor, The Peloponnese, Epirus, Thessaly, Macedonia, the Greek Islands, etc Bari would never fall into the political hands of those who did not believe in the birth of the incarnate Lord, Jesus Christ. 

The West Facade

Photo courtesy: mark-turner

Like Myra was for the first c. 800 years after Nicholas' death so Bari has been ever since: A place for those who believe in the Son of God, to be edified, encouraged and healed.

Looking West to the Entrance 

Photo by: gengish

It is a job the custodians of this great basilica have taken seriously - and performed beautifully - for the last 925 years.

Pilgrims at the Tomb of St. Nicholas in Bari in c 1425

Image Courtesy: Wikipedia

Gentile da Fabriano 

National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.

And Pilgrims Outside the Basilica Today...

Image courtesy: Demotix

Please visit the Basilica's fabulous website for more information. You will be in for a treat!