On May 9, 1087, sailors from Bari rescued the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra (d. 343) from the disturbed conditions of post-conquest Anatolia and brought them to Bari in southern Italy. The relics were placed beneath the high altar of the new basilica built specifically to house them. Within hours, the phenomenon began: a clear, fragrant, watery liquid — neither water (it does not evaporate) nor oil — began to seep from the bones.
The Manna of St. Nicholas has continued without interruption for nearly a thousand years. Each year on the eve of May 9 (the anniversary of the translation) the rector of the basilica extracts the year's accumulated manna with a long syringe through a small hole in the floor above the tomb. It is mixed with holy water and distributed in small vials to pilgrims worldwide. Scientific examinations have repeatedly failed to explain the source of the liquid; the limestone tomb is dry, the bones are dry, and no water reaches the underground chamber. The Manna is venerated by Latin Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Anglicans, and even pre-modern Muslim and Jewish merchants of Bari, who all held it efficacious. The Dominican friars who serve the basilica preserve the centuries-old custodianship.