Festa di San Nicola, Bari: the three days

Bari's patronal feast turns on May 9, the day in 1087¹ when 62 sailors and merchants landed with the relics of Saint Nicholas, and it ends with the drawing of the manna from the tomb in the crypt that evening.

Three days, and what happens on each

The 2026 calendar ran from April 20 to May 22, with the core on May 7 to 9. On the 7th the historic procession leaves Piazza Federico II di Svevia at 8:30 pm and reaches Piazza San Nicola at 10:30 pm.

On the 8th the statue is carried out from the Molo San Nicola at 6:45 am, the sea is blessed at 10:00 am, and the Frecce Tricolori fly over the waterfront. On the 9th a concelebrated mass at 6:00 pm ends with the drawing of the manna.

The manna, and what it actually is

The manna is the liquid that gathers in the tomb of the saint under the crypt's main altar, and it is drawn once a year, on the evening of May 9, in a quantity of about half a liter. An analysis in 1925 described water of particular purity, and the argument between a miraculous and a natural explanation has never been settled.

What is handed to the faithful is not tomb liquid. The small bottles contain blessed water into which the manna drawn on May 9 has been poured, which is worth knowing before you queue for one.

1087, and why the date is fixed

The relics arrived from Myra, in Lycia, on May 9, 1087¹, carried on three ships by 62 sailors and merchants from Bari. Construction of the basilica began on July 8, 1089², and Pope Urban II laid the relics under the crypt altar on October 1 of that year.

The crypt is the oldest finished part of the building, roughly 30.69⁵ by 14.81⁵ m, with cross vaults on 26 columns of different marbles. A Dominican community has held the basilica since 1951.

Getting in, and getting there

Entry to the basilica and the crypt is free, with opening hours of 6:30 am to 8:30 pm Monday to Saturday and 6:30 am to 10:00 pm on Sunday. A ramp and a lift reach the crypt, which matters on a feast day when the stairs are full.

From the airport the Ferrotramviaria train reaches Bari Centrale in 17 minutes, from a station inside the terminal linked to arrivals by a 300⁶ m tunnel. More on the building itself is on the Basilica di San Nicola page, and on the liquid in the manna of San Nicola.

↑ Contents