St. Nicholas Cathedral
The basilica built between 1087 and 1197, during
the Italo-Norman domination of Apulia the area
previously occupied by the Byzantine Catapan of
which Bari was the seat. Its foundation is related to
the stealing of some of the relics of St. Nicholas
from the saint’s original shrine in Myra, Turkey.
When Myra passed into the hands of the Saracens ,
some saw it as an opportunity to move the saint's
relics to a more hospitable location. According to the
justifying legend, the saint, passing by the city on his
way to Rome, had chosen Bari as his burial place.
There was great competition for the relics between
Venice and Bari. The latter won, the relics were
carried off under the noses of the lawful Greek
custodians and their Muslim masters, and on May 9,
1087, were safely landed at Bari. A new church was
built to shelter Nicholas' remains and Pope Urban II
was present at the consecration of the crypt (1089).
The edifice was officially consecrated in 1197, in the
presence of the Imperial Vicar, bishops, prelates
and
n o b le me n .
El i a s,
abbot
of
the
nearby monastery of St Benedict, was named as
first archbishop His cathedra (bishop's throne) still
stands in the church to this day.
BARI SIGHTS
Bari is a beautiful city in Southern Italy. The “ jewels”
of our city are the weather and the sea, in fact many
people love staying and walking on our sea promenade, the “Lungomare”. The ancient city “Bari Vecchia” is very picturesque and there are the Cathedral
and the main church of Bari, Saint Nicholas’ Church,
built in honor of Saint Nicholas, our patron saint. Both
the churches are built in Romanesque style. Another Bari’s icon is the castle. It was built by Frederick of Swabia, in fact we call it Swabian Cast K