Archaeologists in Turkey believe that they might need to rewrite Christian history. Saint Nicholas, who was the inspiration for the beloved Santa Claus, is believed to be born within the Demre region in Antalya, and brand new research from a church bearing his name has discovered a tomb that could contain his remains that are undisturbed.
On Wednesday, Cemil Karabayram, who is the chief of Antalya’s Monument Authority, informed the Daily Sabah that their team had been searching all through historical documents pertaining to this St. Nicholas Church in Demre and uncovered reasons to think the traditional story as to what became of the remains of the beloved Saint Nicholas could very well be wrong.
History of the Remains Belonging to Santa Claus
It was believe that the saint had been laid to rest in a church right before it has been damaged by an earthquake. One account indicates that Italian merchants ripped off his bones from a damaged sarcophagus sometime during the first crusade in year 1087 and returned them home where they have been resting in the Basilica of Saint Nicholas located in Bari, Italy. Every year on December 6th, clergies there collect a clear liquid which leaks from within the tomb and is believed to contain miraculous powers. Some think that this liquid is seeping in from somewhere outside the tomb, that sits below sea level. But if folks are actually gathering some yucky liquid from the bones of some dead guy, it could very well be the wrong guy.
After working along with scientists representing eight unique fields of study, Karabayram has revealed that a very elaborate tomb has been found underneath the St. Nicholas Church located in Turkey after conducting numerous digital surveys. Karabayram feels that the dudes that had originally removed Saint Nicholas’ bones must have mistakenly gotten the remains belonging to a different priest, which makes it possible for the actual St. Nick to be underground still. It will probably take a bit of time before these researchers will be able to get any closer to proving this theory. “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,” Karabayram informed the people at the Daily Sabah. The tiles from the tomb will be removed carefully using molds for preservation.
Future Plans For Santa’s Remains
Karabayram’s team most definitely seems to have uncovered a historic find, but there are still lots of reasons to feel that the link to Saint Nicholas may just be hopeful thinking. Even though this saint has been historically confirmed, all things surrounding his story is loaded with tall tales and myths. His mutation into the famous and beloved Santa Claus, the icon of the Christmas Season, started with traditions and folk tales pertaining to his life and the Christmas miracles he had performed. He is notorious for handing out generous gifts to children.
It seems that there have been many locations throughout the world who claim to have some of the bones from St. Nick. However, the Catholic Church has looked upon this Basilica in Bari as being the real keeper of the bones, and they have done so for a long time.
In the year 2013, there was a Turkish group who actually wrote Pope Francis to request that Saint Nick’s bones be brought back to their original and rightful home. Even though that group could have had a sincere interest in the preservation of their region’s history, but there is also some financial motivation as well. Even though St. Nick’s hometown is mostly Muslim and does not even celebrate or recognize Christmas, their citizens would be very happy to promote his story as it would bring in tourism.
