Is this Father Christmas’ coffin? Scientists unearth ‘sarcophagus of bishop who inspired Santa Claus’ at ancient church
A STONE coffin believed to be that of the original ‘Santa Claus’ has been unearthed by archaeologists.
The St Nicholas Church in Demre, Antalya, Turkey, has been an excavation site for researchers since 1989.
It is believed to be the final resting place of the Christian bishop Saint Nicholas of Myra (now known as Demre) who died in 343 AD.
The Greek bishop was the inspiration for the figures of both Santa Clause and Sinterklaas.
He was a devoted Christian dedicated to helping those in need and he even spent his inheritance on the cause.
Saint Nick was particularly known for his secret gift-giving and gained a reputation for leaving coins in people’s shoes.
Now, archaeologists exploring the church’s two-story annexe have located a limestone sarcophagus that could belong to Saint Nicholas.
The five-foot deep and six-foot-long coffin with a raised lid was located at the burial site of the seventh-century church in the dig led by Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University.
Researchers who are taking part in the “Legacy for the Future Project” at the site revealed that the stone coffin was about six feet underground.
They only realised they were working on a burial site when the researchers started finding animal bones and parts of clay lamps, Findik explained to Turkiye Today.
The saint who died in the fourth century was buried at the site of his church and hundreds of years later, at the request of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius II, a grand church was built in his honour at the same site.
His remains were moved into a sarcophagus which was buried at the new church.
But, it is not yet guaranteed that the stone coffin belongs to the devout Christian saint celebrated every December.
The location of the Bishop’s tomb has long been under speculation but the coffin being found so close to the church has given researchers hope.
“Some sources suggest that St. Nicholas was buried near the sacred area of the city of Myra,” Findik explained.
“The fact that we have found a sarcophagus near the church, which is thought to house his tomb, may indicate that this is indeed the sacred area we have been searching for.”
“This is a significant archaeological confirmation of historical sources regarding the burial place of St. Nicholas,” Findik added.
In 1087, some bones were taken from his sarcophagus by Italian thieves from Bari who took them back to their hometown.
Sailors from Venice later took the remaining bones during the First Crusade.
In 1953, researchers confirmed that both sets of bones found in Bari and in Venice were from the same person, but it is not known if it is Saint Nicholas, according to Heritage Daily.
Only the lid has so far been fully unearthed, with only a tiny section of the burial chamber currently visible as researchers hope to soon find a big clue as to its contents.
“Our biggest hope is to find an inscription on the sarcophagus,” Findik said.
“This would help clarify the burial contents and allow us to determine the exact period it dates to.”
The lead researcher said that further details about the sarcophagus are expected over the next few months.
Another group of researchers have managed to rebuild the face of Saint Nicholas after 1,700 years.
To create the face, Cicero Moraes and his team used data collected in the 1950s by Luigi Martino, with permission from the Centro Studi Nicolaiani.
He said: “We initially reconstructed the skull in 3D using this data.
“We then traced the profile of the face using statistical projections.
“We supplemented this with the anatomical deformation technique, in which the tomography of a living person’s head is adjusted so that the virtual donor’s skull matches that of the saint.
“The final face is an interpolation of all this information, seeking anatomical and statistical coherence.”
The result is two sets of images: one objective in greyscale, and one more artistic – adding features like a beard and clothes, inspired by the iconography of Saint Nicholas.
The legend of Saint Nicholas
SAINT Nicholas, the historical figure who inspired the modern-day Santa Claus, is a beloved saint in Christian tradition.
He was a 4th-century bishop of Myra (modern-day Demre in Turkey) and is known for his generosity, miracles, and compassionate spirit.
Saint Nicholas was born around 270 AD in the Roman province of Lycia, in the town of Patara (present-day Turkey).
Raised in a wealthy Christian family, he lost his parents at a young age and inherited a substantial fortune.
Rather than keeping the wealth for himself, Nicholas dedicated his life to serving others, living out his faith through acts of charity.
Several stories about Saint Nicholas emphasise his generosity and miraculous deeds. Some of the most well-known include:
The Dowries for the Three Sisters: A poor man in Myra had three daughters but could not afford dowries for them, leaving them at risk of being sold into slavery or forced into lives of destitution.
According to legend, Saint Nicholas secretly provided dowries by throwing bags of gold through their window at night.
Some versions of the story say he dropped the gold down the chimney, where it landed in stockings hanging by the fire to dry—a detail that inspired the Christmas stocking tradition.
Saving sailors at sea: Saint Nicholas is also revered as the patron saint of sailors.
One legend recounts that he calmed a fierce storm while on a voyage, saving the ship and its crew through his prayers.
This story spread widely among seafarers, and they began to invoke his protection during their journeys.
The resurrected children: Another famous tale tells of Saint Nicholas resurrecting three children who had been murdered by a butcher during a famine.
In this story, the children had been dismembered and hidden in barrels, but Saint Nicholas miraculously restored them to life.
This narrative contributed to his reputation as a protector of children.
Saint Nicholas was known for his habit of secretly leaving gifts for the poor.His generosity earned him widespread admiration, and he became a symbol of selfless giving.
After his death on December 6 (the year is uncertain but believed to be between 343–352 AD), Saint Nicholas’s feast day became widely celebrated in Europe.
Over the centuries, his legend grew, blending with local customs.In the Netherlands, Saint Nicholas became known as Sinterklaas, a figure celebrated on December 5 or 6.
Dutch settlers brought the tradition of Sinterklaas to America, where it evolved into the modern Santa Claus, further shaped by cultural influences such as Clement Clarke Moore’s poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas” and Coca-Cola’s iconic 20th-century advertisements.
Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of numerous groups, including children, sailors, merchants, the innocent, and the wrongfully accused.
Icons of Saint Nicholas often depict him as a bishop holding a staff, with gold coins, children, or ships symbolising his miracles and patronage.