They’ve made an enormous discovery

Archaeologists in Turkey have found a coffin they think is the original Santa Claus. We're not talking about Santa with the reindeer but about the early Christian bishop Saint Nicholas. He inspired the jolly Christmas presenter-giver. The St Nicholas Church in Demre, Antalya, Turkey, has been an excavation site since 1989. Researchers believe it is the final resting place of Saint Nicholas of Myra (now Demre), who died in 343 AD. He was Greek and inspired Santa Claus and Sinterklaas, a similar Dutch figure. The bishop helped the poor and spent his inheritance on them. He died and was buried at his church, but Emperor Theodosius II wanted a bigger church to be built there. His remains were moved into a sarcophagus and placed in the new church. Saint Nick's remains have a long history. They were taken from his sarcophagus by Italian thieves in 1087 and by sailors during the First Crusade. Heritage Daily reports that some bones found in Bari and Venice matched those of the saint, but it is unclear if they are his. In 2024, archaeologists found a limestone sarcophagus in the church's annex. They think it could be Saint Nicholas'. Ebru Fatma Findik, a Hatay Mustafa Kemal University associate professor, led the dig. It is not known if the coffin is Santa Claus's, as the location of his tomb is unknown. The lid has been found, but the burial chamber is still being searched for.