Museo Nicolaiano (Nicolaian Museum), Bari

Since 2010, the Nicolaian Museum has provided a close and engaging look at the history of Bari’s revered patron saint, preserving centuries of devotion and artistic tradition. The museum unfolds across three levels, each designed to evoke different aspects of the basilica's legacy.

The ground floor features evocative rooms with objects, projections, and interactive installations spotlighting key eras in the city’s past-from antiquity through the Byzantine to the Romanesque periods. Descending to the lower level, visitors discover showcases of ex-voto-votive offerings, including contributions from the Orthodox community. The upper floor holds the true treasure of the museum: a room filled with richly varied offerings to the basilica and Saint Nicholas, arranged in a way that emphasizes their spiritual and historical value over strict chronology.

Beyond its artifacts, the Nicolaian Museum enriches visitors’ understanding of Bari’s religious and cultural roots. Parchments, chalices, sacred vestments, illuminated manuscripts, reliquaries, and paintings-many dating from medieval to Renaissance periods-illuminate the enduring legacy of Saint Nicholas and the art that grew around his veneration.