The limestone coffin buried at a depth of 2 meters in the St. Nicholas Church in Demre has been identified as belonging to Saint Nicholas, the inspiration for Santa Claus.
St. Nicholas Church was built above the original burial site of Saint Nicholas. (Photo: iStock).
Archaeologists have recently discovered a limestone coffin at St. Nicholas Church in Demre, Antalya, Turkey. They believe this is the burial site of Saint Nicholas, a German bishop who is thought to be the inspiration for Santa Claus, as reported by Interesting Engineering on December 8. Led by Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, this discovery is part of a project titled “Legacy of the Future”, initiated by the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
The coffin, measuring approximately 2 meters in length, was buried underground at a depth of 1.5 to 2 meters. The limestone coffin features a slightly raised lid and a sloping roof, a popular style in the region. The research team found the coffin within the two-story annex of the church, which has been excavated since 1989. Professor Findik noted that the discovery of animal bones and fragments of clay lamps helps confirm they are working at a burial site.
Researchers hope to find inscriptions on the coffin as well as uncover more new details. This will help clarify what was buried within the tomb and accurately date it. While the coffin has been found, it is only a small part of the burial site. The archaeological team is continuing their excavation efforts.
As an early Christian bishop, Saint Nicholas is particularly famous for secretly giving gifts to the poor. Nearly two decades after his death, Theodosius II, the Eastern Roman Emperor, ordered the construction of a church in his honor in the 6th century. The church was built above the burial site of the priest.
Saint Nicholas’s remains were later exhumed and reburied in the church. However, in the 11th century, reports suggested that his remains were transferred to Bari, Italy, where they were kept as relics in the Basilica of St. Nicholas in southern Italy. During the First Crusade, Venetian sailors collected the remains and transported them to Venice, where they were preserved in the Basilica of San Nicolò al Lido. Examination of bone fragments from both Bari and Venice in 1953 revealed they belonged to the same individual. However, researchers have been unable to determine if this was indeed Saint Nicholas.
During the excavation, new evidence may help archaeologists come closer to uncovering the mystery behind the burial of the saint.
