Archaeologists are one step closer to finding the burial place of one of the most revered Christian saints, patron Saint of children and of the Wonderworker, St. Nicholas, which is well known to the General public as a «secular» character of Santa Claus.
Under the ancient Church of St. Nicholas in Antalya in southern Turkey discovered a tomb which supposedly contains the remains of the real Santa Claus. The district of Demre, where the burial is considered the birthplace of the Saint, so it’s logical that his grave was hidden there.
Kamil Karapirum, head of Department for preservation of historical monuments of Antalya, told the local press that the tomb is likely to have come down to us intact. Scientists stumbled upon a sensational discovery, conducting digital photography of underground spaces of the Church.
Archaeologists find it difficult to get to the burial, as the Church floor was decorated with mosaic, which is a valuable monument of the past. To gain access to the Shrine had to be careful to remove a tile per tile.
Currently, officials are putting together a team of experts in eight different fields of science to continue work at the site. Karabinem hopes that they will be able to find in the sarcophagus of the genuine remains of the Saint.
The legendary Saint Nicholas died in 343 ad. and was buried in the Church of the city of Demre. For a long time it was believed that his remains were kept in the city of Bari in Italy, where they were in 1087. Italian merchants brought the bones of the Saint from Demre after the raids of the Seljuk Turks. Now the Turkish experts say that these «power» actually belonged to the local priest, and the Saint Nicholas is still buried in a hidden underground tomb.
It is believed that St. Nicholas is especially inclined to children and the needy. He became especially popular in Europe in the XVI century, transformed into a Russian analogue of Santa Claus. The Dutch called him «Sinterklaas», and in the American tradition, the Saint was turned into «Santa Claus.»
