The Basilica di San Nicola is the most important church in Puglia and one of the finest examples of southern Italian Romanesque architecture in existence. It was built after Barese sailors brought the relics of Saint Nicholas from Myra in 1087, and the construction set the template for Pugliese church architecture that is still visible across the region. The facade is austere, powerful and well-preserved; the interior is three-aisled and rich with Byzantine and Norman detail.
In the crypt below the main church, the relics of St Nicholas rest in a silver casket beneath the altar. This is a working pilgrimage site — Orthodox Christians and Catholics visit in equal numbers, and the crypt has a particular atmosphere of active devotion rather than museum-style preservation. The "manna of St Nicholas," a mysterious clear liquid said to seep from the saint's bones, is collected each year and distributed to pilgrims as a relic in its own right.