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Back on the Strade del Carmine we proceed along the Via delle Crociate to get to the all' St. Nicholas' Arch . A smart-looking barrel-vault arch from Angevin times framed and decorated in bas-relief with the effigy of St. Nicholas set amongst coats-of-arms adorned with Angevin fleurs-de-lis. Once through the arch we come face-to-face with the St. Nicholas Cathedral . Its construction began in 1087, if we consider that it was to house the remains of St. Nicholas that had been stolen by merchants of Bari in Mira (a territory in Arab hands). After the initial phase construction work progressed at a fairly slow pace until its consecration in 1197. 
The design of the presbytery seems Byzantine and represents a kind of centralized sanctuary. Its dominating feature is the cupola, whereas it is separated from the aisles by means of a large three-arched iconostas set on two columns. Inside we get the sensation of something dilating thanks to the insertion of three big XV-Century transversal arches. The latter serve to help hold the construction together in the event of earthquakes. 
Down in the crypt we can see the sepulchre of Abbot Elia, the tomb of St. Nicholas and, in one corner, the socalled "Miraculous Column" which - according to ancient tradition - was supposed to have been carried there by St. Nicholas. In front of the cathedral stands the re-assembled Portico of the Pilgrims, which dates back to the XIII Century and has five barrel-vault arches and also one group of millioned (light) windows. 
