It's getting to be that time of year again: Christmas is coming soon. Kids all around the world are waiting for the arrival of Santa Claus, or as he's formally known, Saint Nicholas.
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Most people know the folklore surrounding this famous figure, like that he rides on a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer, wears a red suit, slips through the chimneys of houses, and gives kids and adults alike the presents they've been dreaming about all year.
Fewer people, though, know about Saint Nicholas, the real-life person that inspired this modern-day mythological figure. Like Santa Claus, Saint Nicholas also liked giving gifts and participating in charity, but his life and times were much different than his jolly counterpart.
Despite some evidence illuminating pieces of the historical Saint Nicholas' life, historians are still trying to figure out how much of his story survives to the present. Even his death has been controversial, with the saint's body being moved several times over the centuries.
In 2024, a new discovery may help put to rest at least the post-mortem mysteries surrounding Saint Nicholas. Discover for yourself all about one of the most incredible archaeological discoveries (that might have the capability of changing the world).
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Who Was Saint Nicholas, The Real Santa Claus?
This Christian saint's life is shrouded in legend
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Born in 270 CE in southern Anatolia, Nicholas was a member of a wealthy Christian family in the city of Patara. During his youth, his parents passed away from sickness, leaving Nicholas with a large fortune.
Instead of saving the money for himself, he distributed it to the poor. One special case got his attention: a local man had lost all his money after a series of misfortunes, leaving him no dowry for his daughters. Without this, they would have been left destitute upon his death.
Hearing of this, Nicholas felt compassion for them and wanted to help, but didn't want the attention of open charity (on him or the family). So at night, he would throw bags of money into the windows of their house. Eventually, the father caught the mystery-gift giver, and the rest is history. The scene has subsequently become a popular motif in art.
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Eventually, Nicholas became the Bishop of Myra, a town only about 25 miles away from Patara, succeeding his uncle (who had recently died). This would have been sometime before 305 CE, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian.
Diocletian, an avid economist, has somewhat of a mixed reputation among scholars today. While he did try to reform the government, many of his policies didn't pan out in the long term and actively failed during his lifetime.
Today, he's known for four things: his Edict of Prices (whcih sought to curb inflation by legally dictating a set price for goods), his splitting of the Roman state between East and West, building the largest baths in Ancient Rome (the Baths of Diocletian), and his persecution of Christians.
This last part is what's really important for Nicholas. According to legend, as acting Bishop of Myra, Nicholas was imprisoned and tortured during this persecution event. Thankfully for him, the next emperor who succeeded Diocletian was the famous Constantine, who was far more sympathetic to Christians than any other emperor had been.
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In fact, Constantine made Christianity legal in 313 with the Edict of Milan, and then oversaw an ecumenical council (the First Council of Nicaea) to help standardize Christian theology in 325. Although many say that Nicholas was present at this council, historians think it's likely he wasn't there.
A Medieval legend claiming he was there actually says that he beat up someone with theological opposition to the trinity. The rest of his later life is also shrouded in mystery, but it is known that he died sometime around 343 CE.
When was Saint Nicholas born?
270 CE
Where did he live most of his life?
Myra in Anatolia
When did he die?
343 CE
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The Story Of Nicholas' Body
Nicholas' remains have almost as interesting of a story as the saint himself
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Nicholas' mortal life may have ended in 343 CE, but his story didn't. Like another famous historical figure, Christopher Columbus, his remains had a convoluted journey post-mortem.
Archaeological evidence suggests that he was originally buried in Gemile, an island near Patara, where a church was built shortly after. The island is still heavily associated with Nicholas to this day.
During the 7th century, the island of Gemile found themselves endangered by an Arab fleet. In order to protect the holy saint's body, his bones were moved to Myra. This location, where Nicholas had spent much of his adult life, was also a fitting burial place.
Within 200 years of his death, Roman Emperor Theodosius II built a church over the original site of the church where he served as bishop in Myra. The bones were put into a sealed sarcophagus on the premises.
However, in 1071, after a battle, a group of Italian sailors utilized the chaos and turmoil to steal parts of Saint Nicholas' body. They brought these remains to Bari in Apulia in an act historians have described as "holy robbery." In Bari, a church was built to house the stolen remains.
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This wasn't the only time that Saint Nicholas' body was stolen, though. In 1100, just a few decades later, a Venetian bishop named Henri had remnants of the bones left in Myra taken.
These fragments were taken back to Venice, where they remain to this day. Testing in the 1990s showed that the bones of Nicholas in Venice and Bari come from the same person, which indicates that the stories of theft are correct.
How many places has Saint Nicholas' body been to?
At least four
What places did his body used to be in?
Gemile, Myra
Where is he now?
Bari, Venice
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The Recent Archaeological Findings About Saint Nicholas' Body
A sarcophagus discovered at a church in Turkey may belong to the venerated saint
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In 2024, a new chapter of Saint Nicholas' story has just been revealed. Since 1989, excavations have been going on at the Church of Saint Nicholas built by Theodosius in Demre (the modern-day location of Myra). But in the past few years, a new series of digs have been going on here, part of Turkey's "Legacy for the Future Project" (led by Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University).
Project:
"Legacy for the Future Project"
Location:
The Church of Saint Nicholas, Myra (modern Demre)
Lead excavator:
Associate Professor Ebru Fatma Findik from Hatay Mustafa Kemal University
While digging, this team found a sarcophagus within the church's two-story annex. This find was immediately exciting to the archaeologists. Finding a sarcophagus is always a great find on a dig, but this one was even more so for this team.
Because the church was known in Antiquity and Medieval times to be the resting place of Saint Nicholas, and stories claim that he was sealed within a sarcophagus here, it's possible that this particular artifact could actually belong to the saint. If so, the discovery of Saint Nicholas' tomb would be a bonafide Christmas archaeological miracle.
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Sadly, due to the multiple thefts of the saint's body parts, it's likely that the sarcophagus no longer contains any human remains. However, archaeology is a discipline that's hard to predict. There may yet be fragments left behind. If so, that would easily be one of the most important archaeological discoveries ever made in Turkey.
Around 6.5 feet in length, the sarcophagus is actually still mostly buried as of now. Only the lid is visible. Archaeologists on the team are hoping that the sarcophagus has an inscription. This would definitively indicate once and for all whether or not the artifact once housed the saint's remains.
Only time will tell if their hopes come true. It's certain that finding this inscription will be their winter holiday wish this year!
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