The Hermitage of St. Nicholas of Myra is set into the valley immediately beneath the Abbey Church. It can be reached by a striking, long staircase carved into the rock, which extends from the edge of a deep drop towards the entrance to the hermitage. The hermitage, formed of two rooms (a natural cavity plus a man-made part), has two entrances carved into the rock, with a large Greek cross, a smaller cross at its centre, decorating the lintel of one. The interior walls are decorated with the remains of frescoes, including an Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary and a Sacred Crucifixion depicting speakers, a monk and an abbot of bishop’s rank kneeling in adoration. The frescoes are in a good state of conservation despite graffiti and various attempts to detach them. The page of a Greek gospel from Pulsano was found here in 1970, miraculously saved from the fires of the shepherds who used this hermitage for shelter.
Apulia Film Commission
Cineporti di Puglia/Bari — c/o Fiera del Levante - Lungomare Starita 1 — 70132 Bari
Phone: +39 080 9752900
Fax: +39 080 9147464
Email: email@apuliafilmcommission.it
