Tomb of St Nicholas who inspired the story of 'Santa Claus' is found underneath a church in Turkey

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Tomb of St Nicholas who inspired the story of 'Santa Claus' is found underneath a church in Turkey

Daily Mail
By STACY LIBERATORE
9 December 2024

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.

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https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14174991/tomb-st-nicholas-santa-clause-church-turkey.html

[Kamaji]

Merry Christmas!

[The_Reader_David]

I don't think it quite accurate to call the tomb St. Nicholas's final resting place.  His relics had been disinterred and kept in an Orthodox Church for the veneration of the faithful from sometime shortly after his death until Italians from Bari stole them at took them to Italy sometime after the Turkish conquest of Asia Minor.  In the late 20th century, a portion of the relics, the saint's right hand, was returned to the Orthodox Church by the Pope of Rome as a goodwill gesture, and it was decided that its reliquary should be maintained in the St. Nicholas Shrine Church in Queens, New York (my wife's childhood parish).

It's still there for the veneration of the faithful, though it wasn't always.  At some point soon after it arrived, the hand was stolen.  This offended the Mafia (who had connections to Bari), and word went out on the street in New York:  "The hand of St. Nicholas will be returned."  It was.