Don’t worry, we don’t literally mean Santa Claus’s tomb, he is still good and alive to deliver your presents this Christmas. We are actually talking about the inspiration behind Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas. The Saint’s burial place as such is known, but why has it taken so long?
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Buried in Turkey
It was already known by researchers that Saint Nicholas was buried sometime during the fourth century in Antalya Province in Turkey. However, the Saint’s remains were stolen 700 years later, making it difficult to find the exact burial site.
According to Metro, a new excavation on a church site has several clues that would help uncover the Santa Claus inspiration’s burial site.
The church in question is similar to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. It is built on the foundations of a basilica that was destroyed by the Mediterranean sea levels back in the Middle Ages.
New research
The new research into Saint Nicholas’s burial started in 2017. During the excavation, experts found gaps under the new church floor. Naturally, they started to carefully remove the mosaic from the ground.
The church in question is found on Turkey’s southern coast in Demre. It was built in 520 AD on top of the church where Saint Nicholas was bishop when he was alive.
Osman Eravsar, the head of the provincial cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, told Demirören News Agency:
The first church was submerged with the rise of the Mediterranean Sea, and some centuries later, a new church was built above.
Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped.
The church was also called Myra and is very popular among the Christian community as a pilgrimage spot as it was where Saint Nicholas was buried in 343 AD.
Sources used:
Metro 'Santa Claus’s tomb from 1,600 years ago discovered in Turkey'
LBC 'Tomb of original 'Santa Claus' Saint Nicholas discovered in Turkey - more than 1,600 years after his death'
Read more:
⋙ Skeletal remains of 100 children found in a holy site in Wales
⋙ Mysterious 7,000-year-old complex discovered that could have been the centre of a 'religious cult'
⋙ Ancient 'aspirin' from Bronze age discovered by archaeologists
