The best road cycling routes around Bitritto

The Cathedral of Saint Nicholas was built between 1087 and 1197 in the Byzantine architectural style. Today, the Basilica of San Nicola is considered an important pilgrimage church for believers from all over the world, especially from the Russian Orthodox Church. Even the Russian President Putin visited the Basilica of Saint Nicholas during his visit to Bari in March 2017.

The Balsignano Monumental Complex is an ancient fortified medieval settlement. During your visit, you can visit this evocative archaeological and historical site, comprising a castle with double walls and two important churches: the Church of Santa Maria (with frescoes) and the Church of San Felice, the latter considered a masterpiece of Apulian Romanesque art with Byzantine influences. The complex dates back to the 10th-11th centuries and underwent various historical phases until its abandonment in the 16th century.

The Pane e Pomodoro public beach in Bari, a few steps from the centre, between sand and pebbles.

Party these days, May 6 to 9! Procession tours with lots of musical accompaniment through the alleys, very impressive sound!! The sacred image: Nicholas is carried to the sea and placed on a boat. The patron saint of Bari, Fireworks with all the trimmings

Precious evidence of the numerous rural villages which, since the period of Byzantine domination, populated the Bari area between the 10th and 11th centuries. This village was built on the edge of the Balsignano blade, a depression in the land caused by karst phenomena. Easily identifiable along the Matera road. The area is fenced and can only be accessed for a fee at set times (in the morning from 9.30 to 13).

The Basilica of San Nicola (Basilica of Saint Nicholas of Myra) is a church in Bari in southern Italy with the title of a papal basilica. The church was built between 1087 and 1106 to house the relics of the saint brought from Myra to Bari, and is still an important pilgrimage destination for Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians. The basilica was the first church of its kind in Apulia and served as a model for many later religious buildings in the region. The basilica was built between 1087 and 1197 during the Norman rule in Apulia. The foundation of the church dates back to the theft of some of the relics of Saint Nicholas by sailors from Bari from the original shrine in the Church of Saint Nicholas in Demre in modern-day Turkey. This happened against the resistance of the Orthodox monks, ostensibly to protect them from capture by the Seljuks. After disputes with Venice over the relics, Bari prevailed, and the relics were transferred to Bari on May 9, 1087, where a new church was built to house them between 1087 and 1106. The crypt was consecrated in 1089 in the presence of Pope Urban II. Elias, abbot of the nearby Benedictine abbey, where the relics were temporarily kept, was appointed the first bishop. His cathedra is still in the church today. The final consecration took place in 1197 in the presence of the Imperial Chancellor Konrad von Querfurt and a number of bishops and dignitaries. The church is entrusted to the Dominicans; in the crypt there are facilities for services in the Roman and Byzantine rites: the main altar above the relic tomb and the left side altar with an iconostasis. The tomb of Saint Nicholas is highly revered in Orthodoxy and there is a large pilgrimage movement. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basilika_San_Nicola

Saint Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, whose remains have found their final resting place here in Bari, is - alongside Saint Martin - one of the most popular saints of all. His memorial day, December 6th, is probably known to almost every child in many European countries. On the eve of this day, children used to put their shoes or boots - which had of course been carefully polished - in front of the door so that Saint Nicholas could fill them with gifts during the night. In more agricultural areas, it was also customary for children to put out a small gift of food for the donkey, Saint Nicholas's mount (according to another tradition, it was a white horse).

An interesting and certain thing. In 1690, the chapel served as a place for the bodies of Conversano citizens affected by the plague epidemic. This disease, called the Black Death, has claimed over 200 million victims to date!