Has The Tomb Of The Real Santa Claus Been Found In Turkey?

AncientPages.com - It’s not Christmas yet so it may be a little too early to speak about Santa Claus, but archaeologists believe they have now located his ancient tomb.

Original Santa Claus, also known as St. Nicholas is dead and scientists say his remains are hidden beneath a church at his birthplace in southern Turkey.
Saint Nicholas of Myra (now Demre) was known for his anonymous gift-giving and generosity. People believed he’d put coins in the shoes of anyone who left them out for him on his feast day, Dec. 6.

Church of St. Nicholas in Turkey, Demre. Picture: Thinkstock

As the story goes, he was a monk who gave away his hefty inheritance and instead chose to help the poor and the sick.

He’s also a patron saint of sailors and was, of course, especially fond of children.

St. Nicholas died in A.D. 343 and was interred at St. Nicholas church in Demre, on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It was only in the 16th century that St Nicholas was popularised as the legendary Father Christmas.

Now, Cemil Karabayram, the head of Antalya’s monuments authority has announced they have discovered the remains of the real-life St. Nicholas lying in a temple below the church. The shrine is untouched.

See also:

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1,700-Year-Old Underground Temple Of Mithras Unearthed In East Anatolia, Turkey

Ancient Burial Chambers Decorated With Mythological Figures Of Hercules, Medusa, Eros – Unearthed In Bursa, Turkey

More About Archaeology

“We believe this shrine has not been damaged at all, but it is quite difficult to get to it as there are mosaics on the floor,” Cemil Karabayram said adding that researchers need to scale each tile one by one and remove them as a whole in a mold.

Karabayram was very optimistic about reaching St. Nicholas' remains and he said they are currently searching for researchers from eight different fields of study to carry out the rest of the work at the site.

Archaeologists at the site have already conducted groundwork and will now go into further detail to reach below the ground.

The excavation leader Professor Sema Doğan was shocked to hear about the finding, Karabayram said, and added that the tourism around the region will be positively affected if they are able to successfully reach Santa Claus' untouched remains.

Previously, the remains of St. Nicholas were believed to have been smuggled to the Italian city of Bari by Italian merchants in the year 1087.

Christians still visit the site thought to be his final resting place at the Basilica di San Nicola. Archaeologists now believe that the bones of a local priest were taken to Italy by mistake rather than those of the saint.

Further examination of the shrine will reveal whether the remains really do belong to the real St. St. Nicholas.

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