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The tomb of St. Nicholas of Myra – the man who is said to be the inspiration for Santa Claus – was recently discovered by archaeologists in an ancient church in Turkey.
The discovery was made in a fourth century church in Demre, a town in the southern Turkey district of Antalya. The area had been submerged underwater by rising sea levels in the Mediterranean centuries ago.
A new church was built in the year 520 over the top of the original building to protect St. Nicholas’ tomb, so archaeologists knew that the saint’s body was buried there somewhere.
What they did not know was the exact location of the inspiration for Santa Claus, because around 700 years after St. Nicholas died his remains were stolen.
Archaeologists were able to locate tomb the tomb of St. Nicholas by using recently found mosaics and stone flooring underneath the church
“The first church was submerged with the rise of the Mediterranean Sea, and some centuries later, a new church was built above,” Prof. Dr. Osman Eravşar, the head of the provincial cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, told Demirören News Agency.
“Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped. The tiling of the floor of the first church, on which Saint Nicholas walked, has been unearthed.”
St. Nicholas, also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker, is the patron saint of sailors, merchants, archers, repentant thieves, children, brewers, pawnbrokers, unmarried people, and students.
He was the son of a wealthy wheat merchant and reported to have had a habit of secret gift-giving, often giving away portions of his inherited wealth anonymously, leading to the Santa Claus legend.
One of the stories that contributed to his Santa Claus legend attests that he rescued three girls from forced prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for them. He supposedly did it in this fashion so the girls could avoid embarrassment.
Archaeologists also located St. Nicholas’ original burial place, prior to his remains being taken.
“The tomb was probably opened, his bones were removed, and the sarcophagus was placed in a niche on the side of the chapel,” said Eravşar. “Of course, the original place was not there. His sarcophagus must have been placed in a special place and that is the part with three apses covered with a dome. There we have discovered the fresco depicting the scene where Jesus is holding the Bible in his left hand and making the sign of blessing with his right hand.”