Out of respect for the passing of Aleksy II, Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has postponed his planned meeting in Bari with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano today, the Feast of St. Nicholas. Patriarch Aleksy II died on Friday in Russia at the age of 79. The meeting between the two presidents was to have been the setting for the ceremonial return of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas in Bari to Russia.

The church was built about a century ago for Russian pilgrims arriving in Bari to visit the 11th-century Basilica of San Nicola, where the saint is buried. Because St. Nicholas is so revered, Bari is the most popular destination in the world for Russian Orthodox pilgrims. The Russian Orthodox church later became the property of the city of Bari. The Italian news service ANSA reports that former Russian President Vladimir Putin officially requested that the church be returned when he attended an Italy-Russia summit conference in Bari in 2007.

To pay respect to Aleksy II, traditional celebrations that take place each year in Bari to honor St. Nicholas have been canceled and the mayor of Bari, Michele Emiliano, has declared a day of mourning. The Rector of the Basilica of San Nicola, Damiano Bova, canceled the traditional procession of the statue of the saint. These events typically attract many Russian Orthodox and Catholic pilgrims and other travelers each year.

Photo copyright ANSA