Back from Bari ...

Bari ... the city where Saint Nicholas' remains are buried was the destination.  In between there were many other places of beauty and interest ... and maybe the blog can pick them up one by one.  But Bari was the completion of a journey around the Saint Nicholas' sites which began two years ago in southern Turkey.
We approached the city from the south following the coastal route.

The ancient city with narrow streets and traditional homes lead eventually to the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas.

Some pieces of wood from the container in which Saint Nicholas' remains were brought to Bari are preserved in one of the side chapels.

His remains are buried beneath an altar in the crypt and it is here that services are held every day.  The community is a welcoming one made up of local folk and a few tourists and pilgrims.  It was good to be part of that worshipping gathering on a number of occasions and to meet the clergy there.

 Sixty centimetres below this red carpet is the last resting place of Saint Nicholas.

 The perpetual light is an intricate design of a ship ... a most beautiful piece.

 The Dominican priest from Colombia led most of the worship while we were in Saint Nicholas'.

 At the cathedral there is a Centre for Ecumenical Studies and Father Emmanuel is the Director.  We will keep in contact and he'll send information regularly to Saint Nicholas' in Belfast.  Emmanuel has already been to Ireland where he studied English in Galway.

 So that's just a taster of the pilgrimage to Bari ... a beautiful cathedral, a holy place and a great experience.