Santa Claus is entombed in Bari, Italy

The 4th century saint lived and preached in present-day Turkey. Somehow, his bones ended up in Bari.

Saint Nick origin story

Saint Nicholas of Myra was a bishop of Greek extraction who lived and preached in present day Turkey. His acts of anonymous kindness were legendary.

One story has him dropping bags of gold coins through the window of a poor family’s house. The gold was to be used as the daughters’ dowry to keep them from prostitution.

Anonymous gifts dropped off at homes under the cover of night? Sounds like Santa Claus, right? These stories of Saint Nicholas eventually became the inspiration for the jolly elf from the North Pole.

Well traveled bones

When the real Saint Nicholas died in 343 CE, his remains were entombed in a church on Gemile, an island in present-day Turkey. But, Gemile became the target of Arab piracy and Saint Nick’s remains were moved to Myra in the mid 7th century.

San Nicola statue (photo: Brent Petersen)

In the late 11th century, the Byzantine Empire was crumbling because of attacks from Turkish invaders. So, in 1087, fisherman from Bari absconded with most of Nick’ bones.

Basilica San Nicola

Soon after the remains’ arrival in Bari, Pope Urban II ordered the construction of a church to house Saint Nick. The blocky and imposing Romanesque Basilica San Nicola was completed in 1197.

There’s a statue of the saint outside and if you go inside the church and down some stairs, you can see Nick’s tomb. Each year on Saint Nicholas Day (Dec. 6th), myrrh is extracted from the tomb. It is said the myrrh leaks from the bones, but there are other scientific explanations for this phenomenon. Whatever the reason, the myrrh is said to have healing properties and there are people who say they have been cured of ailments by applying it.

Tomb of San Nicola (photo: Brent Petersen)

One last note about Saint Nick’s remains. The 11th century Italian fishermen only took the largest bones of the saint. Smaller fragments were left behind and taken to Venice a couple decades later where they were placed in San Nicolo al Lido monastery.

Further, fragments of bone were given away and wound up in churches in France, Rome, Ireland, Russia, the United States, and Azerbaijan.

How to get to Bari

There are no direct flights to Bari from North America. Connections from Rome (1 hour) and Milan (90 minutes) are quick and easy. From the airport, it’s a 30 minute ride on the slow train to Bari Centrale station.

About the Author

Brent Petersen is the Editor-in-Chief of Destination Eat Drink. He currently resides in Setubal, Portugal. Brent has written the novel “Truffle Hunt” (Eckhartz Press) and the short story collection “That Bird.” He’s also written dozens of foodie travel guides on Destination Eat Drink, including Bari and several in Italy. Brent’s podcast, also called Destination Eat Drink, is available on all major podcasting platforms and is distributed by the Radio Misfits Podcast Network.