Archaeologists say they’ve found Tomb of St Nicholas who inspired the story of ‘Santa Claus.’
They uncovered a six-foot-long limestone tomb with a raised lid and pitch roof buried up to six feet underground near the Church of Saint Nicholas in Turkey.
The sarcophagus was found within a two-story structure that borders the church’s courtyard to the south.
Now the team is searching for an inscription on the sarcophagus, which could reveal the date and identity of the deceased.
‘The fact that we have found a sarcophagus near the church, which is thought to house his tomb, may indicate that this is the sacred area we have been searching for,’ said Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University.
The tomb was found in the ruins of an ancient basilica submerged by rising sea levels in the Mediterranean during the Middle Ages.
Historical records have shown that shortly after, the Church of Saint Nicholas was built on top of the foundation to protect the saint’s tomb.
But it was not until recently that archaeologists uncovered mosaic and stone flooring from the previous sanctuary that led them to St Nicholas’ final resting place.
They uncovered a six-foot-long limestone tomb with a raised lid and pitch roof buried up to six feet underground near the Church of Saint Nicholas in Turkey
Its design features a raised lid and a pitched roof, consistent with other sarcophagi from the region
Stories about the holy figure, who lived between 270 and 343 AD, suggest he inherited money and gave it away to the poor, specifically three girls to save them from a life of prostitution.
However, these ideas are not presented in historical documents, only passed down in verbal stories.
Santa Claus is based on stories about St Nicholas who built a reputation for performing miracles and secretly giving gold to the needy.
The name Santa Claus evolved from Nick’s Dutch nickname, Sinter Klaas, a shortened form of Sint Nikolaas, which is Dutch for Saint Nicholas.
‘Currently, we can see the lid part of the sarcophagus and we have uncovered a small part of its trough. In the future, we will dig deeper and reveal it completely,’ Fındık stated, according to Anadolu.
Records have shown that St Nicholas was buried at the church built in his name, but his body’s exact whereabouts have always been a mystery.
The Byzantine church built over the foundation was a place of worship for Orthodox Christians between the 5th and 12th centuries and was surrounded by statues of St Nicholas.
It was also added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1982.
St Nicholas, who lived between 270 and 343 AD, is most famous for inheriting money that he gave away to the poor and specifically the story about how he gifted three girls with bags of gold to save them from a life of prostitution
Archaeologists have long believed St Nicholas’ tomb was hiding near the church in Turkey
The second church was found after researchers conducted electronic surveys under St Nicholas church, finding gaps between the floor and the ground.
Then, in 2022, the team announced they may have found the tomb, but were still working to remove the Byzantine church’s flooring to not damage it.
Osman Eravsar, the head of the provincial cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, told Demirören News Agency that year: ‘The first church was submerged with the rise of the Mediterranean Sea, and some centuries later, a new church was built above.
The Byzantine church (pictured) built over the ancient foundation was a place of worship for Orthodox Christians between the 5th and 12th centuries
Inside the Church of St Nicholas. Records have shown that St Nicholas was buried at the church built in his name, but his body’s exact whereabouts have always been a mystery
‘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.’
Records do show that St Nicholas was buried at the church built in his name, but his body’s exact whereabouts had always been a mystery.
St Nicholas’ bones were believed to have been smuggled to the Italian city of Bari by merchants in 1087.
But archaeologists are now suggesting the wrong bones were removed – and the ones that went to Italy belonged to an anonymous priest.
St Nicholas’ relics remain enshrined in the 11th-century basilica of San Nicola at Bari, though fragments have been acquired by churches around the world.
