ST NICHOLAS OF MYRA
St Nicholas of Myra (Feast day: December 6th), the wonderworker, was the bishop of Myra in Asia Minor in the 4th century. He participated in the First Ecumenical Council and he is the patron saint of many countries including Greece and Russia.
DIRECTION
St Nicholas of Myra’s relics are located in Bari, Italy, in the Basilica di San Nicola. Originally his relics were in Myra, the place where St. Nicholas was bishop, but in 1087 AD the Saracens attacked Myra and St Nicholas’ relics were moved to Bari.
In order to find his relics, head north from the train station. You can take any road north and you will eventually arrive at the Old District of Bari. There are two ways to get to the compound where the Church is: One, you can head east and walk along the coastline (there is a back entrance). Two, you can navigate your way through the windy roads of the old town.
Map of Bari. The train station is south, the basilica is north.
The relics are in the crypt beneath the Church.
Inside the main Church, and on the right side, is a reliquary with many valuable relics.
TIME
The Orthodox Church is permitted to have a Divine Liturgy near his relics on THURSDAYS every week. Make sure to plan your trip so that you are there on THURSDAY.
There is one exception. If the New Calendar fest of the translation of his relics (May 9th) occurs on a Thursday, then there is no Divine Liturgy. I learned this the hard way. On the other hand, the week of May 9th is a great time to go to Bari because they have a lot of festivities dedicated to this holiday. In fact, this is the only day of the year when myrrh is extracted from St. Nicholas’ relics.
During the festivities they reenact the translation of his relics by carrying around a St Nicholas statue around the old city.
Bari is south of Venice, so it is a good idea to go to Venice first and venerate the relics of St. Mark the Evangelist, St. Athanasius, and others before heading to Bari.
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