Bari's Basilica of San Nicola was founded in 1087 by the Benedictine Abbott Elia as a place to hold the relics of the saint who was caught at Myra by Barese seamen. The basilica has three naves with columns that are interrupted by the presence of pillars, a free transept, a crypt with an oratory, and apses that are surrounded by a wall that covers the bell towers. On the northern wall is the 'Gate of the Lions,' and there is a central ornate portal. Inside the church, which is also called the 'Cathedral of Elia,' is an exceptional bishop seat made from a single block of marble, which dates to the middle of the 12th Century and depicts ferocious lionesses. The 17th-century ceiling is golden and painted with the stories of San Nicola - the work of the master Carol Rosa.