Whoever told you that Santa Claus was an impostor with a fake beard collecting a Christmastime check at the mall or a lie cooked up by your parents to trick you into five measly minutes of quiet was, at minimum, misinformed.
But the bad news is this that the Santa Claus is definitely dead.
Archaeologists in southern Turkey say they have discovered the tomb of the original Santa Claus, also known as St. Nicholas, beneath his namesake church near the Mediterranean Sea.
Saint Nicholas of Myra (now Demre) was known for his anonymous gift-giving and generosity. People believed he’d put coins in the shoes of anyone who left them out for him on his feast day, Dec. 6.
The previously unknown tomb was detected via electronic surveys that showed gaps beneath the 1,500-year-old St. Nicholas Church in the Antalya Province town of Demre.
“We believe this shrine has not been damaged at all, but it is quite difficult to get to it as there are mosaics on the floor,” Cemil Karabayram, head of Antalya’s Monument Authority, told the Turkish Hurriyet Daily News, according to the Telegraph.
St. Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He is revered for his acts of generosity to children and those in need.
One tale claims that a mysterious bag of gold appeared in the home of a man who was desperately trying to marry off his daughters in order to obtain a dowry. If not, the girls would be sold into slavery. This legend led to the leaving of stockings on fireplaces, in hopes the jolly visitor might fill them with gifts.
Another story tells of St. Nicholas on the seas, even once sparing an entire ship from wreckage after he prayed. For this and other heroics he is regarded by sailors as the patron saint of voyagers.
Scholars believe Nicholas was born in the ancient Greek city of Myra, now modern-day Demre.
Karabayram said it will take some time to reach the shrine, which is almost fully intact, but blocked by stone reliefs and mosaics that need to be preserved.
“We have obtained very good results but the real work starts now,” he said. “We will reach the ground and maybe we will find the untouched body of St. Nicholas.”
The legendary saint died in 343 AD and was interred at the Demre church until the 11th century. His remains were long believed to have been brought to the city of Bari, Italy, in 1087 — but Turkish experts now claim the wrong bones were removed from the shrine and in fact belonged to a local priest.
