The monastery Church of San Nicoló was built in 1044 and enlarged after the relics of Saint Nicholas were brought in 1101. They were brought from Myra to Venice in 1101 and placed at the Lido. They are the missing pieces from the bones enshrined in Bari. From the 11th century, Venetians offered special prayers to San Nicolò, the patron saint of mariners, on Ascension Day. By the 16th and 17th centuries, this was a glorious day-long ceremony which began with a simple mass at the Basilica San Marco, moved through a water procession for the wedding of Venice to the Sea, and culminated with a Solemn Mass at the monastery church of San Nicolò at Lido, built in 1044.
