The patron saint of Bajardo is Saint Nicholas, celebrated on 6 December, in the church of San Nicolò di Bari. The old parish church of San Nicolò, in the main town, is first mentioned in a document from 1245: its first Romanesque structure was reinterpreted in the late Gothic style during the 15th century and again in 18th-century forms.
The earthquake of 23 February 1887, which struck the western Ligurian coast, caused the semi-destruction of the old town and the collapse of the old parish church's roof: the disaster killed 216 of the faithful out of the 220 confirmed victims in Bajardo, the worst toll among all the municipalities hit in the province. The collapse of the roof, however, allowed for an exceptional architectural discovery: columns and remains of a pagan temple on which the church had been built. Among the ruins, now recovered and made safe, one can also glimpse the remains of the old medieval castle and a Celtic stele.
