Tomb Of Saint Nicholas, Inspiration For 'Santa Claus', Discovered In Turkey

Archaeologists have discovered the original burial place of Saint Nicholas, the inspiration behind the story of Santa Claus, under a church in southern Turkey, Live Science reported. The saint was buried in the fourth century AD church in Turkey's Antalya province. However, his remains were stolen around 700 years after he died, leaving a mystery as to where he was originally buried.

As per Greek Reporter, the church, located in Myra, was renamed as Demre in 2005. It was built in 520 AD on the foundations of an older Christian church where Saint Nicholas served as a bishop.

Some scientists believe the grave was submerged by rising Mediterranean sea levels during the Middle Ages.

"The first church was submerged with the rise of the Mediterranean Sea, and some centuries later, a new church was built above," Osman Eravsar, the head of the provincial cultural heritage preservation board in Antalya, told Turkish news organization Demiroren Haber Ajansi.

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Recently, the discovery of the location of Saint Nicholas's tomb at the base of a mural of Jesus Christ was also announced by Osman Eravsar.

He continued, "Now we have reached the remains of the first church and the floor on which Saint Nicholas stepped." Eravsar further said that the tiling of the floor of the first church, on which Saint Nicholas walked, has also been unearthed.

Saint Nicholas, who lived between 270-343 AD, was known for generously helping the poor, which also promoted the idea of giving gifts on Christmas, said the report in Live Science. He rescued girls from prostitution and chopped down a demon-possessed tree. As per the outlet, the saint used to frequently give away his inherited wealth anonymously to the poor, eventually leading to the legend of him as Santa Claus. He was also known as "Nicholas the Wonderworker".