Russian President Vladimir Putin, still in Italy, journeyed to Bari , the resting place since the 11th century, of the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra. A translation of an article in an Italian newspaper:

He knelt, he kissed the tomb of the patron of Bari, and then he took out his handkerchief, just like any pilgrim tot his tomb, to pass it delicately and with great devotion across the opening from which flows the ‘manna’ of St. Nicholas.

It was an intense moment during the visit yesterday of Russian president Putin to the crypt of the Catholic Basilica of St. Nicholas in this city, where the remains of Russia’s most beloved saint are kept.

Perhaps it made visible the progress that has been made in relations between the Catholic Church and the Russian orthodox church, in which religion Putin, ex-Communist offiial, had been baptized.

After lighting a candle for the saint, Putin signed the guest book of the Basilica. He was given three medals showing the transfer of St. Nicholas’s remains from his hometown of Myra (in present-day Turkey) to Bari, after Italian sailors from Bari decided to take them away and save them from the plunder of invading Muslim Turks back in 1087. [Nicholas is the 4th century bishop who has come down in Western cultural lore as Santa Klaus.]

Putin gave the Basilica a silver candelabrum in return. And on the altar of St. Nicholas’s tomb, the priests of the Basilica displayed a 13th century Codex that had been stolen from the crypt, and returned to the Basilica after Russian secret service agents, with Putin’s personal interest in the matter, traced its whereabouts and bought it at a London auction.

Part of the purpose of Putin’s visit, aside from the obvious importance of St. Nicholas to Russian Orthodoxy, was to get a church back:

Italy is returning to Russia the ownership of a Russian Orthodox Church in the Adriatic city of Bari — a friendly gesture toward Moscow aimed at improving relations between the two Christian churches, city officials said.

"This is an important gesture," said Premier Romano Prodi, announcing the decision Wednesday during a joint news conference with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prodi called it a gesture of courtesy "to our Russian friends."

The church was built in the early 20th century to welcome Russian pilgrims who traveled to Bari to pray near the relics of St. Nicholas of Myra. The fourth-century saint is popular among both Roman Catholics and Orthodox Christians, and his remains are kept in the crypt of the nearby Catholic Basilica of St. Nicholas, where Orthodox rites also are celebrated.

The Russian church, also named after St. Nicholas, became the property of the city of Bari in 1937 as the number of Russian Orthodox pilgrims dwindled following the Russian revolution. Part of it houses city offices, said Bari’s mayor, Michele Emiliano.

"For the Russians Bari is like Assisi for the Italians," Emiliano said, referring to the Umbrian city that is the birthplace of St. Francis. St. Nicholas is revered by many throughout Russia and is also patron saint of Bari.

The mayor said that Pope Benedict XVI had urged local authorities to work to make Bari a bridge between the Catholic and Russian Orthodox churches.

"This act … helps grant the wishes of Benedict XVI," Emiliano said.