# San Nicola, Bari: the crypt, the manna, the hours

> The basilica and its crypt are free and open from 6:30 am. The manna is drawn from the tomb on the evening of May 9, half a liter in an average year.

URL: https://myitalia.it/attractions/basilica-san-nicola
Last updated: 2026-09-02

The Basilica of San Nicola in Bari opens at 6:30 am and entry to both the church and the crypt is free, on an offering basis (2026).

## Open 6:30 am to 8:30 pm, and later on Sunday

Monday to Saturday the doors are open 6:30 am to 8:30 pm, and on Sunday 6:30 am to 10 pm (06:30 to 20:30 and 22:00 on Italian signs). Entry costs nothing; an offering is the convention.

Weekday masses are at 7:30 am, 9:30 am and 6:30 pm. On Sundays and feast days there are 7, at 7:30, 9, 10:30, noon, 1 pm, 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm, and the 1 pm one is suspended from July to September.

Confessions run 9 am to noon and 5 pm to 6:30 pm on weekdays. The address is Largo Abate Elia 13.

## The crypt: 30.69 by 14.81 meters, under 26 columns

The crypt measures 30.69 by 14.81 meters and its cross vaults rest on 26 columns of different marbles, among them Numidian, coral breccia, Carystian and Greek.

It was the first part of the basilica to be finished, in 1089, which is why the building reads from the bottom up: the church above came later.

Under the main altar is the tomb of the saint. In the same space are the tomb of abbot Elia, dated 1105, an eastern Orthodox chapel granted to Orthodox worship, and the column known as the miraculous one.

## May 9, 1087: 62 men and 3 ships

The relics reached Bari from Myra, in Lycia, on May 9, 1087, brought by 62 sailors and merchants of the city in 3 ships.

Building began on July 8, 1089, and on October 1 of the same year Pope Urban II laid the relics under the crypt altar. The commission came from the Benedictine abbot Elia, archbishop of Bari from 1089.

The saint at the center of all this is Nicholas of Myra, the figure Santa Claus descends from. Bari is where the bones are.

## The manna: 1 evening a year, half a liter

The manna is the liquid that gathers in the tomb, and it is drawn on the evening of May 9 each year, half a liter in an average year.

Analysis in 1925 described water of unusual purity. Whether the source is miraculous or natural is still disputed, and the basilica does not close the argument.

Here is the part the shops do not advertise, and which the basilica states plainly: the small bottles given to the faithful contain holy water into which the manna drawn on May 9 has been poured, not liquid taken directly from the tomb.

## Getting down to the crypt

A ramp and a lift serve the crypt, so the tomb is reachable without stairs during the 14 hours the church is open on a weekday.

The Dominican friars have been custodians of the basilica since 1951. The neighboring Museo Nicolaiano runs its own ticket desk, whose prices are not documented on the basilica pages, so they are not printed here.

Everything above comes from pages of the basilica itself, one voice rather than two independent ones. For the region, see [Puglia](/regions/puglia).

## FAQ

### Is there a charge to enter the Basilica of San Nicola in Bari?

No. Access to the basilica and to the crypt with the tomb is free, on an offering basis, from 6:30 am to 8:30 pm Monday to Saturday and to 10 pm on Sunday (2026). The adjoining Museo Nicolaiano has its own ticket desk.

### What is the manna of St Nicholas?

A liquid that collects in the saint's tomb in the crypt at Bari. It is drawn on the evening of May 9 each year, half a liter in an average year, and was analyzed in 1925 as water of unusual purity. Its origin is still argued over.

### Is the manna sold to pilgrims the real thing?

Not undiluted, and the basilica says so itself. What is handed out is small bottles of holy water into which the manna drawn on May 9 has been poured, rather than liquid taken straight from the tomb.

### When did the relics of St Nicholas arrive in Bari?

On May 9, 1087, carried from Myra in Lycia by 62 sailors and merchants of Bari in 3 ships. Pope Urban II laid them under the crypt altar on October 1, 1089, four months after building started on July 8 of that year.

### Can you reach the crypt with a wheelchair?

Yes. The basilica has a ramp and a lift down to the crypt, where the tomb sits under the main altar. The crypt keeps no separate hours: it is open with the church, from 6:30 am.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Basilica di San Nicola a Bari e' aperta dal lunedi al sabato 6:30-20:30 e la domenica 6:30-22:00 (2026); l'accesso alla basilica e alla cripta e' libero. | [Pontificia Basilica di San Nicola - Bari](https://www.basilicasannicola.it/sez/9/232/orari); [doc 2](https://www.basilicasannicola.it/sez/453/pellegrini) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La cripta della Basilica di San Nicola a Bari misura circa 30,69 x 14,81 metri ed e' coperta da volte a crociera sostenute da 26 colonne di marmi diversi; sotto l'altare maggiore si trova la tomba del santo. | [Pontificia Basilica di San Nicola - Bari](https://www.basilicasannicola.it/sez/2/95/la-cripta) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Le reliquie di San Nicola arrivarono a Bari da Myra il 9 maggio 1087, portate da 62 tra marinai e mercanti baresi; papa Urbano II le depose sotto l'altare della cripta il 1° ottobre 1089. | [Pontificia Basilica di San Nicola - Bari](https://www.basilicasannicola.it/sez/1/28/traslazione-delle-reliquie); [doc 2](https://www.basilicasannicola.it/sez/2/95/la-cripta) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| La 'manna di San Nicola' e' il liquido che si raccoglie nella tomba del santo nella cripta della basilica di Bari e viene prelevata la sera del 9 maggio di ogni anno, in media mezzo litro. | [Pontificia Basilica di San Nicola - Bari](https://www.basilicasannicola.it/sez/1/37/la-manna-di-san-nicola) | medium | 2099-12-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/poi.basilica-san-nicola.v2.1600.jpg
Author: Sailko. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bari,_san_nicola,_esterno,_facciata_00,2.jpg

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