St nicholas

A father whispers to his sons about the miracle of St Nicholas's manna, a pure water collected from the tomb every May.

I was about seven when I first heard the story of St Nicholas and the pickled boys, among many saints' stories.

Another church was built on top of the ancient basilica's foundation to protect the saint's tomb, but it was not until recently did archaeologists uncover mosaic and stone flooring from the previous sanctuary under the one that stands today that led them to St Nicholas' final resting place.